A view of Akihabara at night is one you definitely don’t want to miss during your visit to Japan. If you’re wondering where to capture a photo of Tokyo’s iconic crossroads, 📍 Akihabara Electric Town is the place. True to its name, the area becomes even more vibrant and festive in the evening, glowing with neon lights and full of energy. It’s especially exciting for otaku, with countless places to explore.
But be careful—while the town offers a lot, sometimes it might be a bit too much. You could find yourself caught in a tourist trap before you realize it. At first, we were just as amazed—everything seemed new, exciting, and full of unique offers. But not everything lives up to the hype. So while we’ll share some go-to cool spots to check out, we’ll also give you a few tips to avoid falling into tourist traps in Akihabara.
🛎️ Find hotels around Akihabara Electric Town here! 🏨
Final Fantasy Eorzea Cafe
Image Source: Wandering Daydreamer
📍 Location. Closes. 11.00 pm
The Eorzea Café, based on Final Fantasy XIV, is inside the Palmers Resorts Hotel, but it can be a little tricky to find at first—look for the floor guide near the entrance. You’ll need a reservation, and it’s best to be on time since people usually start lining up outside before the doors open. Once you’re checked in, you’ll get a seat number and a drink sheet to pick up your two free-themed drinks. Each table has a tablet for ordering, which is super convenient and lets you keep track of your total as you go.
Most of the staff and the menu are in Japanese, and only a few staff members speak English, but that doesn’t really take away from the experience. The menu has some tiny English translations and pictures for every dish, which helps. The food and drinks are themed after the game and are actually pretty good—the pasta is a standout and the drinks look awesome. You even get a free Final Fantasy coaster with every order. The whole place is designed like the in-game inn “Carline Canopy,” and it feels cozy and immersive. Just note that each visit is limited to two hours.
For 📍 Warhammer fans, there is also store and cafe you can find nearby Akihabara Station. Then 📍 LUIDA’S BAR if you are a Dragon Quest fan. You can also find more themed cafes from popular brands in Sunshine City Ikebukuro.
⚠️ Tips:
- Not all themed cafés in Akihabara will live up to your expectations. There are quite a few so-called retro cafés, gamer cafés, and maid cafés that turn out to be tourist traps. The legitimate one would be pricey, but the cost is guaranteed.
- If a place only offers an English menu and you don’t see any Japanese customers inside, there’s a good chance it’s a tourist trap aimed at foreigners.
- Reservation is always recommended.
At-Home Maid Cafe
Image by It’s Time to Travel
📍 Location. Closes. 10.00 pm
First things first—people don’t go to maid cafés in Akihabara for the food. It’s all about the maids. That’s just a fact. So if you’re not into the whole kawaii gimmick, you might be wondering why you’re even there. But if you want to experience one of the most iconic parts of Akihabara, you’ve got to embrace the kawaii energy from the moment a maid welcomes you to at-home Café!
Their level of hospitality is seriously impressive and deserves to be appreciated. We also think it’s pretty clever that the café is called “at-home,” because when you walk in, the maids shout “Welcome at-home!”—calling female guests “Princess” and male guests “Master.”
The maids at at-home Café are true jack-of-all-trades. They serve with charm, cheer you on like companions, and even sing and dance. If you’re lucky, you might catch a surprise mini-performance. Sometimes they even hold concerts in the basement after café hours (with a separate admission fee).
The main highlight is interacting with the maids as they take and deliver your order. If you order a latte, they’ll draw something cute on the foam and do a little kawaii roleplay before letting you eat. You can also order a chekki—a Polaroid photo of your favorite maid, or one with you and the maid together. Honestly, the food and drink options are limited, and the taste is average, but the maids’ hospitality and the magic of kawaii make everything feel special.
For a foreigner in an unfamiliar place, it’s genuinely comforting to be welcomed so warmly—they really set a high standard for service with a smile.
⚠️ Tips:
- If it’s your first time, don’t fall for overly niche maid cafés—just go with one of the top-rated ones. Some maid cafés in Akihabara might even double as disguised host clubs, designed to make you spend more money. So, do your research beforehand!
- While going alone might be comfortable for some, many people recommend visiting a maid café with friends. That way, each person can order a personal chekki (a photo with the maid), which encourages the maid to spend more time at your table while decorating each photo. Visiting a maid café is really about interacting with the maids—their superb hospitality and endless kawaii energy are what make the experience memorable!
Retro Arcade at Super Potato Akihabara
Image Source: Visit Chiyoda
📍 Location. Closes. 8.00 pm
Video games and arcades are also a big draw for people visiting Akihabara at night. 📍 TAITO Station and 📍 GiGO are modern arcades filled with the latest high-tech game machines. Meanwhile, Super Potato is a hidden gem for retro game lovers.
Just a 5-minute walk from Akihabara Station, Super Potato has a narrow entrance that leads you back in time, with its shop spread across the 3rd to 5th floors. The 3rd and 4th floors are packed with retro consoles and games—from Nintendo and Sega to PlayStation—featuring both consoles and game cartridges. While some items are pricey, it’s still a great place to browse and soak in the nostalgia.
The real fun awaits on the 5th floor, where you can play retro arcade machines and grab classic Japanese snacks and sodas.
Akihabara Gachapon Hall
Image Source: Japan Journeys
📍 Location. Closes. 7.00 pm
Gachapon might not be the first thing we were excited to try in Akihabara at night, but it’s actually a fun way to use up some loose yen coins. And for some of you, it might even be the main attraction! If you’re into capsule toys, Gachapon Hall Akihabara is a must-visit.
The place is packed with around 500 machines, filled with everything from anime merch to weird and wonderful toys you’ve probably never seen before. The selection changes regularly—usually every month—so there’s always something new to check out if you come back.
Prices range from 100 yen (for things like stickers) to 500 yen for small toys. It’s not just mini figures either—you’ll find keychains, quirky cup noodle stoppers, and even tiny hats for your pet cat. Before you start pulling gacha, take a walk around the store first. With so many machines, it’s easy to miss something you’d actually really want.
⚠️ Tips:
- If you’re struggling with a crane game in Japan, you can say “Sumimasen” (which means “excuse me”) to call a staff member. They’ll usually understand right away and follow you to the machine you’re having trouble with. Just make sure you’ve already spent a decent amount of money on that machine—they’re more likely to help once you’ve shown genuine effort. By now, you’ve probably realized that crane games often require more than a few tries to win anything.
- You can also ask the staff if a specific plushie variant is out of stock—they might restock it for you, depending on availability.
- As for gachapon, trying your luck with “surprise” or unidentified capsules can be fun—especially if it’s from a premium gachapon machine. But personally, we’ve never found those to be worth it. The mystery can be exciting, but the reward doesn’t always match the price.
- Bring yen coins for your convenience.
🛎️ Find hotels around Akihabara Electric Town here! 🏨
While venturing through Akihabara at night, you might encounter people handing out brochures. Some of them can be a little pushy, but it’s perfectly fine to ignore them or walk past if you’re not interested. For us, it’s always a good idea to plan ahead when deciding what you want to experience in a big city like Tokyo—especially in Akihabara, where there’s just so much to see and do.