Welcome to Tokyo
In the September of 2019 I visited Japan for the first time. While I was there a total of just over two weeks, I spent almost half of it in Tokyo. As a fan of Japanese culture and a bit of an otaku, I decided to hit up some notable locations in the world’s largest city. There are plenty I missed (For example, I didn’t visit Nakano), but what’s important to remember is that Tokyo is freaking huge, and there is just so much to see. Here’s my experiences and thoughts on 8 particular locations that the geeks and nerds of the world might consider visiting.
Akihabara
Also known as Akiba or Electric Town, Akihabara is a major shopping destination for most otaku. To name just two specific places we visited here, there’s a Square-Enix Cafe and a Gundam Cafe. If you are worried about food it should be noted these cafes also sell merchandise, including items deemed exclusive. There are arcades, massive stores full of electronics, stores of various sizes selling items from popular entertainment properties, and also maid cafes. Maid cafes, to put it simply, allow you to live out PG maid fantasies, even if it’s just talking to an attractive woman in a maid costume. Be warned that it costs money just to sit down, and that you will be solicited by a lot of women on the streets of Akiba in maid outfits that want you to come to their cafe.
Akiba is pretty easy to reach, being just north of Tokyo Station and on both the Yamamote Line (the main Tokyo train loop) and the Chuo Line, to name but two trains that stop at its station.
Odaiba
Sitting outside of Diver City, a mall on the artificial island of Odaiba, rests a giant statue from Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. Somewhere around six stories tall, the Gundam will even transform, lighting up as it does so. It’s a treat just to see the thing, never mind that there’s a bunch of other Gundam stuff to do in the area. There’s a mobile trailer-like establishment that sells Gundam models, a Gundam Cafe (which sells Angry Pasta, pictured below), and a Gundam Build Center. The Build Center lets you see how Gundam models are made, as well as offering the chance to buy exclusive merchandise. Diver City itself, aside from the Gundam items, is a fairly normal mall, but it’s still huge and in Japan so there’s highlights. Odaiba has other fun highlights too, including a large onsen (hot spring) resort (Odaiba Oedo Onsen Monogatari), and a massive Ferris wheel at Palette Town (the Giant Sky Wheel, which rivals the London Eye), but I was more than happy just with the Angry Pasta.
Odaiba is a bit tricky to get to, with my recommendation being to take the Yamamote Line or another line to Shimbashi Station, then transfer to the Yurikamome Line. This is a bit expensive but you can easily spend a whole day on Odaiba.
Kabukicho
Fans of the Yakuza Sega video game franchise might recognize this place as Kamurocho. Shinjuku’s main red light/entertainment district, Kabukicho isn’t for the faint of heart, as after-hours you will be asked if you want to see something more ‘adult’. There’s plenty of geeky experiences to be had, however, including a large Toho cinema, a ninja house and a samurai museum. There are also a few arcades, otaku-themed shops and even animal cafes, where you can spend money to just enjoy some up-close experiences with animals. Me? I was just there for Godzilla.
Kabukicho is just east of Shinjuku Station, which sounds easy enough, but Shinjuku Station is huge. Despite not having a bullet train (Shinkansen) running through it, Shinjuku has around eighteen individual tracks, making it one of the biggest and busiest train stations in the world.
Robot Restaurant
One particular highlight of Kabukicho I didn’t mention already is the Robot Restaurant. An underground electric stage show, describing it may sound like a fever dream. Using costumes, motorized floats, lasers, special effects and epic music blasted from massive speakers, the Robot Restaurant makes you basically experience Japan in Four Acts. While expensive at around 8,000 yen per ticket (roughly around $80 USD), it will absolutely be a highlight of your trip. Be wary in that the food is pretty expensive (the kind of prices you’d expect people to charge when they know they’ve got you for at least two hours), but I mean, Guillermo Del Toro endorses this place, so it’s gotta be good, right?
Within Kabukicho it’s not that hard to find, though it’s a bit confusing as the ticket office is at a different location than the entrance. If you’re staying at a hotel, see if they can get you a deal on tickets (some hotels have at least a 1,000 yen discount).
Tokyo Skytree
Over six hundred meters tall, Tokyo Skytree is one of the tallest structures in the world, so it’s already a great place to visit just to see, well, everything. Try to go on a clear day so you can see Mt. Fuji. If that isn’t enough for you, Skytree has a whole mall attached (Tokyo Skytree Town), which includes Sumida Aquarium. Now, aquariums may only be kinda geeky, but this one does boast a giant penguin exhibit, as well as some fish exhibits that might feel a little Pixar. If that isn’t enough for you, there’s also some otaku shops in the mall, including an official Pokémon Center.
Tokyo Skytree is right near Asakusa (another major Tokyo destination), and the Tobu Skytree train line will get you right there. Popular lines such as the Ginza subway connect to the Tobu line, so it’s not too difficult to find your way there.
Shibuya
Fans of Persona 5 in particular might recognize this area, but Shibuya in general is probably one of the most referenced areas in Tokyo, in particular the famous Shibuya Crossing. Besides having hundreds of people make a mad dash across the intersection at various points (which makes for great people watching from the nearby Starbucks), the statue of Hachiko is nearby. If you’re an animal lover, in particular a dog lover, be sure to pay tribute to Hachiko. Sort of Tokyo’s equivalent to Times Square, Shibuya offers some solid shopping options, with several big and small comic shops and general otaku stores dotting the area. Shibuya Marui, just to name one, often has pop-up stores related to anime movies or events.
Shibuya Station’s just a couple of stops south of Shinjuku and on the main Yamamote Line Tokyo loop. It’s not as busy as Shinjuku but it can still get quite crowded.
Ueno Onshi Park
If Shibuya is Times Square, Ueno is Tokyo’s Central Park. Museums, art galleries, a massive zoo and a famous pond are all among your destinations here. If you don’t find museums to be particularly geeky, you should know that the Tokyo National Museum has an impressive collection of samurai swords and armor. Should that not be enough for you, Shinobazuno Pond is located in the west end of the park, and is referenced in a lot of anime and video games. The museum isn’t exactly shy about having geeky specialty exhibits either.
Ueno Station’s also on the Yamamote Line. Besides it and the also popular Ginza Line, there’s about ten more lines that stop at Ueno Station, so it’s pretty easy to get to.
Tokyo Dome
The Tokyo Dome in general is an interesting area to check out, as they’ve got a Denny’s (Japanese Denny’s is very much different than what you find in North America), Hi! Valley, Tokyo Dome City amusement park, and of course the dome itself if you really like baseball anime. If you’re like me, however, you’re interested in Korakuen Hall, and not because of sumo… It also happens to be a frequent stop for New Japan Pro Wrestling. If you do attend a show at Korakuen, consider a standing ‘seat’, as some of the folding chairs can end up with obstructed views, and standing seats put you on balconies above the action.
The Tokyo Dome is easily reached from Suidobashi Station, being just north of it. The Chuo Line is the main train to run through, and after getting off it’s an easy matter to go north, cross a bridge, and there you are.
While there’s plenty of other experiences in Tokyo, geeky and non, hopefully this will help you plan any future trips. Have fun!
