Akihabara and around - The Rough Guide to Tokyo - page 52

BEST OF AKIHABARA
3331 Arts Chiyoda Check out some of Tokyo's most cutting-edge contemporary art (see below)
Yushima Seidō Savour the atmosphere at this shrine (see p.57)
Go Go Curry Wolf down some tonkatsu kare (breaded pork cutlet in curry sauce; see p.149)
Maid cafés Sup a coffee at gaijin -friendly Maidreamin or Mai:lish (see p.160 & p.161)
Akiba 3D Theater Catch the latest anime flick (see below)
Tsukumo Sate your robot lust (see p.191)
Origami Kaikan Purchase perfectly made origami souvenirs (see p.57)

North of the Kanda-gawa
The bulk of the area's sights lie north of the small Kanda river, with Akihabara station
the best starting point. The station's surroundings have been undergoing a facelift:
Yodobashi Camera 's vast store and the terminus of the Tsukuba Express railway line
have brought new life to the east side; over to the west, the Akihabara Crossfield
complex was built with the intent of becoming a global IT hub; to the south,
the Daibiru (“Big Building”) hosts a branch of Digital Hollywood , a university
specializing in digital content, while there's a vibrant programme of events at the
Tokyo Anime Center .
Further afield, and all within easy walking distance of each other, are the superb
3331 Arts Chiyoda centre, the Kanda Myōjin Shinto shrine, and the brooding
Yushima Seidō .

3

Tokyo Anime Center
౦ژΞχϝηϯλʔ • 4F UDX Building, 4-14-1 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku • Tues-Sun 11am-7pm • Free • T 03 5298 1188,
W animecenter.jp • Akihabara station
Part of the UDX Building, a mainstay of the local IT industry, this centre features
small displays on recent anime and hosts regular events that can be a lot of fun. To
non-believers, however, it might seem little more than a glorified shop selling anime-
related goods. If you're here on a weekend, be sure to visit the ultra-hi-tech Akiba 3D
Theater , where some of the latest anime releases are on show.

Tokyo Radio Depāto
౦ژϥδΦσύʔτ • 1-10-11 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku • Daily 11am-7pm • Akihabara station
Akihabara's electronic stores are descendants of a postwar black market in radios
and radio parts that took place beneath the train tracks around Akihabara Station.
You can recapture some of the atmosphere in the narrow passages under the
tracks just west of the station, home to the tiny stalls of Tōkyō Radio Depāto -
four floors stuffed with plugs, wires, boards and tools for making or repairing
audiovisual equipment.

3331 Arts Chiyoda
6-11-14 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku • Wed-Mon noon-7pm • Price varies by exhibition; often free • T 03 6803 2441, W 3331.jp • Suehirochō station
Down a side street a little north of Suehirochō Station is the landscaped entrance to
the 3331 Arts Chiyoda complex. Based inside a renovated school, the centre hosts
close to twenty galleries, where you'll find a revolving mix of exhibitions, interactive
installations and workshops, while there's also an on-site cafe-restaurant.

Soldering Café
͸Μ͚ͩͮΧϑΣ , Handazuke Café • 6-11-14 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku • Mon-Fri 6-8.30pm, Sat & Sun 1-6pm • Free • Suehirochō station
The technically minded will thrill to the Soldering Café , a space where you are invited
to pick up some tools and get going on your own robotics or electronics project in the
company of like-minded souls. No experience is necessary and there's also a shop and
café for when your attention starts to wander.