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探検 AKIHABARA · HALF A DAY · 100% PRIVATE
AKIHABARA ANIME TOUR.
Big group tours march you past the famous signs. This is you, a local otaku, and a route built around your fandom — the shops, floors and corners a real fan would actually take you to. Rated 4.96 / 5 on Airbnb.
WHAT IT IS
NOT A TOUR. A DAY OUT WITH A FRIEND WHO GETS IT.
- Planned around your favourite series before you arrive — never a fixed script
- The real streets your favourite scenes were drawn from — ones you'd walk right past alone
- The good floors: retro games, figures, doujin, gachapon — with the culture explained, not just pointed at
- Small & private — your pace, your questions, your photos
HOW THE DAY GOES
A ROUGH SKETCH.
Hello in Akihabara
We find each other by the station, talk through what you're into, and set the vibe for the day.
Into anime town
Shops and floors chosen for your taste — figures, retro games, doujin, the stuff you actually want.
Where the scenes were drawn
Stand where your favourite scenes happen, with the story behind each spot.
Where to go next
Local food tips and the best spots to keep exploring on your own.
Photos, guest reviews and the full step-by-step version live on the main page.
WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH
THREE THINGS THAT OUTLIVE THE DAY.
Most tours end when you say goodbye at the station. This one keeps going, because what you really came for is the rest of your trip — and the next time you come back.
Your pilgrimage map
A PDF made after the tour: every spot we stood in, matched to the scene it came from — plus the ones we ran out of time for, with directions. Yours to walk again alone.
What you bought, and what it was worth
A short note on everything you picked up: where it came from, what the going rate is, and where to look next time. Secondhand Akihabara has prices only locals can read. You leave able to read them.
A line to me
LINE or WhatsApp for the rest of your trip. Lost inside a shop, can't read a label, not sure if a price is fair — send me a photo.
The map and the price notes reach you within a few days of the tour.
PRIVATE, ON FOOT, IN ENGLISH
A PRIVATE WALKING TOUR, NEVER A GROUP.
This is a private Akihabara anime tour on foot: three to four hours, only your party, fully in English. No fixed route and no strangers — we go up the buildings that stock your series and skip the rest. Not sure whether private is worth it over a group walk? I wrote the honest comparison: private vs group Akihabara tour. Planning the rest of the day yourself? Start with things to do in Akihabara and the one-day itinerary.
THE PRACTICAL BITS
WHAT YOU'RE BOOKING.
| Length | 3–4 hours. Longer on request |
|---|---|
| Start time | Usually 10:00 or 13:00 — flexible, we fix the exact time after booking |
| Meeting point | Inside the cafe Vie de France Dining, BiTO AKIBA 1F (1-18-19 Sotokanda), by the Electric Town Exit (電気街口) of JR Akihabara Station, in front of UDX — not the Vie de France on the other side of the station |
| Can't find each other? | I'll send my contact details after you book, so if the meeting point (Vie de France Dining, Electric Town Exit) is confusing on the day you've got a direct way to reach me |
| Running late? | If you haven't arrived and I haven't heard from you within 30 minutes, I have to treat it as a no-show. If you're just a little late, we still finish at the planned time rather than running over — message me on the way so I'm not waiting in the dark |
| Group | Private — your party only, never shared. Solo travellers, couples, friends and families |
| Group grows after booking? | Book the number of people who will actually come. If your group grows, tell me before the day so I can plan for it |
| Age | Guests under 18 are very welcome, with an adult in the group. The booking itself has to be made by an adult |
| Price (direct) | ¥18,000 per person for 1–2 guests · ¥45,000 per group for 3–6 guests · 7+ guests: email me |
| What's included | The tour itself — planning, guiding, and the whole afternoon with you. Trains, food, arcade coins, entry fees and anything you buy are yours to pay for on the day |
| Is it all shopping? | Shops are the heart of the day, because that's where most guests want to go. Arcades, a shrine visit and a lunch stop can fit in too, and I explain the culture as we go. If you'd rather have more of the story or more breaks, tell me beforehand |
| Allergies & dietary needs | Tell me before the day if anyone has a food allergy, is vegetarian, or needs anything else accommodated. The casual spots I use for a quick lunch mostly run on ticket machines, and only some carry an English menu or an allergen button, so I pick the right one in advance rather than deciding at the counter. None of my regular lunch stops has a vegetarian set, so if that matters I'll take you to CoCo Ichibanya instead, a 3-minute walk from the station, where the vegetable curry is made without any meat or seafood. Here is where I take guests for lunch |
| Booking | Airbnb, Viator, GetYourGuide, or direct on this site. More than 6 guests: email me |
| Confirmation | Pay in full by card when you book direct — the date is yours the moment it goes through. No cash payment and no pay-on-the-day option on this site; booked via Airbnb, Viator or GetYourGuide instead, follow that platform's own payment method |
| Your data | Only the services needed to run your booking see it — Cal.com for the calendar, Stripe for payment, Google for Calendar and Analytics. I don't sell it or hand it to advertisers. Booking and payment records are kept seven years as Japanese tax law requires; analytics data expires after about 14 months. Full details: privacy policy |
| Language | English — I'm a professional Japanese teacher, so I'll translate and explain everything as we go |
| Bring | Comfy shoes, a coin purse, some cash for shops & gachapon, and your wishlist of series |
| What to wear | Dress for that week's weather rather than a generic list — I build the walking pace around it, with shaded arcades on hot days and heated shops to duck into when it rains. Here is what to pack for Japan by month |
| Official vs resale shops | Official retailers and resale shops sit side by side in Akihabara, and from the street you can't always tell which is which. As we go I'll tell you which shops are which, and what a fair price looks like for the thing in your hand. I can't promise a particular rare item, but you'll know what you're paying for |
| Cash or card? | Card covers most of a normal day in Tokyo — convenience stores, trains and big shops like Yodobashi all take it. Gachapon machines are almost always cash-only, and some of the smaller resale shops prefer it too, so keep coins on you for those. Here is cash or card in Japan |
| Maid café | Yes, if you'd like one. It isn't a fixed stop on the route, so tell me beforehand or on the day and I'll fit it in around the shops and arcades you came for. If it isn't your thing, we simply skip it. Not sure what to expect? Here is how Akihabara maid cafés work |
| Walking | We walk a lot on streets and in big buildings, which are step-free — but several of the small shops have a step at the door or stairs to a second floor, so the tour isn't fully wheelchair-accessible even where a booking site shows step-free access. Tell me in advance about anything that affects how far or fast we can walk, and I'll build the day around it |
| Toilet breaks | Yodobashi-Akiba and the station building are the two I point guests toward on my Akihabara anime tour, since both sit right on the walking route and neither one expects you to buy anything first. Here is how public toilets work in Japan |
| Luggage | Guests on my Akihabara anime tour often stash bags before we start, so ask me which station locker is nearest the meeting point (Vie de France Dining, Electric Town Exit) when you book |
| Reserving a locker | Station coin lockers fill up on weekends and the large ones go first. If you are arriving with luggage on a tour day, reserve a spot instead of hoping. Here is luggage storage in Akihabara, with prices and opening hours |
| Shipping purchases home | Bought more than you can carry? For a few boxes, carrying them is simpler, and it keeps them with you. For a large haul, shipping frees your luggage. Here is how to ship figures from Japan |
| Tipping | No, and I say that as a guide. The price you paid is the price of the tour. If you had a good day, the things that genuinely help are a review with a couple of sentences of detail, and telling a friend who is planning a trip to Japan |
| Photos | I usually take a few photos during the day and sometimes share them on Instagram. Tell me at any point if you'd rather not appear — that's completely fine and I won't ask why |
| Photos inside shops | Most anime, hobby and game shops ban photography inside — look for the crossed-out camera sign. I point out the no-photo floors as we go and ask at the counter for you when a display is worth a shot. The street outside is always fine |
| Smoking | Smoking on the street is prohibited in this part of Tokyo, with designated smoking areas provided |
| Lost items | Please look after your own belongings — I can't be responsible for lost or stolen items |
| Insurance | Travel insurance is a good idea, as it is anywhere |
| Medical costs | Japan is safe, but medical care here is not free for visitors — two guests in the last year needed a clinic mid-trip. Buy whatever you like, just buy something. Here is my pre-trip kit |
| Conduct | If behaviour becomes unsafe or abusive toward staff, other guests or me, I may end the tour. No refund in that case |
| Governing law | These terms are governed by Japanese law |
| Something here doesn't fit your situation? | Just ask before you book — [email protected]. Most things are easier to solve in advance than on the day |
| Weather | Rain doesn't stop us — most of Akihabara is indoors, and on a wet day I just route us upstairs more: Radio Kaikan's ten floors, the GASHAPON Department Store, an arcade, and a collab café lunch, all a few minutes apart near the Electric Town Exit. A wet day is a good excuse to spend longer in the shops. If a typhoon or a warning makes it genuinely unsafe, we reschedule or I refund you in full. Here is the full rainy-day route |
| Rain gear | Shoes that cope with wet pavement and a small folding umbrella. Shops often have umbrella bags or stands at the entrance |
| If you cancel | Cancel 24 hours or more before the start and you get a full refund, no questions. After that I can't refund, because the day is already reserved for you and turned down for others. Booked on Airbnb, Viator or GetYourGuide instead? Cancellation follows that platform's own policy, so manage it from your booking there |
| If I cancel | If I have to cancel — illness, a typhoon, anything on my side — you get everything back, whenever it happens |
| Need a different date? | Message me instead of cancelling. If I'm free, moving your booking is fine and costs nothing |
| After the tour | I stay reachable on LINE or WhatsApp for the rest of your trip — lost inside a shop, can't read a label, not sure if a price is fair, send me a photo. Not a 24/7 helpline, just a line to me |
BEFORE OR AFTER
PAIR IT UP.
Landing the day before? Start with the day-one manners class so the trains and konbini stop being a puzzle. Want more than one day with me? Hand over the whole trip and I'll build the itinerary.
READY FOR
ANIME TOWN?
Half a day. One local. The town your series came from.