Here are the Best Otaku Towns in Japan for Anime and Manga. Check it out!
Calling all anime and manga fans! Tokyo is your ultimate pilgrimage site, but where do you begin? Dive into our guide to the top otaku towns brimming with character goods, epic stores, and everything in between!
Top Otaku Towns in Tokyo for Anime and Manga
We have mentioned a few Otaku towns in Tokyo which have the best anime and manga attractions for the beloved anime and manga enthusiasts.
Akihabara
Akihabara is one of the most visited towns in Tokyo by international tourists and even local Japanese tourists. It’s the birthplace of Otaku culture as people might call it and it also has a nickname called The Electric Town of Tokyo so much so that it’s usually busy and has many interesting and cool spots to visit.
This Otaku town features the trendy and the all-time favorite pop culture of anime, manga, Japanese singing idols, and also video games of various sorts.
There are so many Otaku shops open in Akihabara that attracts a huge crowd of people. The Mandarake Complex has countless Otaku shops where you can find various anime and manga products.
Each floor in this complex has its specialties. On the 1st floor, you’ll be able to find second-hand anime DVDs and mangas for an affordable price. In addition, there are also shops that sell cosplay costumes, celluloid animation, and dolls of famous anime characters.
If you had a hard time finding your favorite manga in your country then you’ll definitely find them in these Otaku shops, as there are a great variety of mangas available here.
Apart from anime and manga, you’ll also find the famous girl idol group in Japan called the AKB48. You can view their live performance if you visit the AKB48 Theater in Don Quijote in Akihabara.
If you’re a die-hard fan of the AKB48 then make sure to visit their AKB48 Cafe which is close to the Akihabara Station. They provide food that has the theme of the girl idol group.
You’ll also find some cafes in Japan where waitresses are dressed as maids. It’s part of the Otaku culture and they’ll offer you the best service ever.
For gamers, there’s a place called the Akihabara Gamers. You’ll find several anime-themed games here and also magazines and comics. If you’re looking to play arcade games then there’s a SEGA that has multiple gaming arcade machines waiting for you.
There are also a variety of shops that offer electronic goods like laptops, phones, and rice cookers, etc for affordable prices in Akihabara.
Related: Best Anime Like One Piece
Nakano
Nakano is a less popular Otaku city compared to Akihabara but it has the Otaku culture going on for a long period of time. It’s one of the Otaku towns visited by Japanese tourists and it’s located a bit far from Akihabara.
The town of Nakano features the rare aspects of the Otaku culture which not many foreigners know about. The best area in Nakano is the Nakano Broadway.
It is a huge shopping complex that has over 300 Otaku shops that have anime and manga related stuff. The most famous anime and manga shop in Japan, Mandarake, is present in Nakano Broadway.
Since the opening of Mandarake, several anime geeks have been visiting the town of Nakano lately. There are 16 varieties of Mandarake stores with each store focusing on distinct features of anime and manga.
You can shop for your favorite anime and manga in each of these shops by genre. There are huge collections of anime and manga in each of these shops and this is the dream world for any anime and manga enthusiast.
The Otaku shops in the Nakano Broadway also consist of retro-themed games and anime cels. You’ll also find the best gaming spots and shops to purchase the best games.
Nakano Broadway is also the ideal spot for technological geeks as you’ll find advanced technological equipment and Bitcoin.
Although Nakano isn’t a populous city like Akihabara it’s worth checking out as it also features the Otaku culture and also other subcultures. Nakano is a great town that has a mixture of both the traditional and Otaku cultures of Japan.
Related: Anime Like Attack On Titan
Shibuya
Shibuya is another famous Otaku town in Tokyo that has made appearances in popular anime series like Tokyo Ghoul. It’s also one of the crowded towns in Japan with many tourists and locals walking hither and thither.
The Shibuya train station is one of the world’s busiest train stations due to many tourists traveling to this Otaku town. The first sighting you’ll see in Shibuya is high rise buildings, lights everywhere, and people flocking to shopping malls and entertainment venues.
You’ll find shopping malls in every corner of Shibuya and one of the shopping malls you must definitely pay a visit to is the Shibuya PARCO. It’s a department store that was recently renovated to attract the younger generation and it features quite a lot of the Otaku culture everybody is talking about.
Within Shibuya PARCO on the 6th floor you’ll find a Nintendo Store. The 6th floor in PARCO is named Cyberspace Shibuya because you’ll find a great deal of Otaku culture there.
You’ll find many Nintendo game characters being displayed here and also you can get your favorite games and Nintendo merch right here.
If you’re a Pokemon enthusiast you’ll never leave the 6th floor of PARCO because there’s a Pokemon Center on the same floor where you can find your favorite Pokemon characters’ merch, games, and Pokemon-themed items. It’s basically heaven for all those Pokemon fans. There’s also a Capcom Store for gaming and hobby enthusiasts.
Well, Shibuya not only features Pokemon goods but it also has various other anime and mangas as well. To get the latest and cutest anime merchandise make sure to go to Tokyo Character Street which is right on the basement floor of Tokyo railway station.
It’s an amazing spot for anime and manga fans as you’ll find various anime merch in Otaku shops like Pokemon Store, Ghibli Store, and Rilakkuma Store. There’s also a Jump Store where you can find merchandise from My Hero Academia and One Piece.
There are also stores that offer toys, games, and adorable plushies for both kids and adults.
Shibuya is home to a great number of entertainment zones like internet cafes and arcades that anime and manga enthusiasts would love. Visit every corner of Shibuya to experience Otaku culture.
Related: Anime Like Hunter X Hunter
Odaiba
Odaiba is one of the coolest towns in Tokyo where everyone should hang out. Odaiba is a must-visit place for every anime and manga fan. Odaiba is a large island in the southeast of Tokyo that was artificially built by the Japanese during the 90s.
Once you enter the town of Odaiba you’ll have a new experience as if you traveled to the future. It’s indeed one futuristic Otaku town in Tokyo that has cool spots that are worth checking out.
Odaiba is home to the largest Gundam Unicorn Statue. Gundam fans and any mecha anime fans must make a pilgrimage to Odaiba to see this humongous robot chilling right there. Make sure to check the robots at night because that’s when the Gundam robots move their parts and go to Destroy Mode.
There’s also a Gundam Trailer shop where you can get your Gundam goods. The famous RX-78-2 robot was recently removed but there are other Gundam robots in place.
There’s also a Gundam Cafe and shop right behind the Gundam Unicorn Statue where they sell Gundam-themed foods and a nice variety of drinks.
Apart from Gundam anime, there are also Otaku shops where you can get varieties of other anime and manga.
There are stores for each anime like Doraemon Store, Jump Shop, and gaming stores where you’ll find VR games of anime like Attack on Titan, etc.
Visit the futuristic town of Odaiba and experience the Otaku culture of anime and manga lovers.
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