Backstreets and Tokyo Subculture: Historic to Electronic

This 4 hour walking tour gives travellers a taste of both traditional and modern Japan. Visit Meiji Shrine, before walking through the Harajuki district.  Explore the depths of Akihabara, be introduced to the parades of arcades, browse some of the wackiest technology, and conclude with a local drink at a 'maid cafe'.
 




Begin your tour at the Meiji Shrine, where your guide will explain the Japanese custom of dedicating shrines to dead emperors. This shrine commemorates Emperor Meiji and his wife, who oversaw Japan’s lightning-speed transition to industrial power in the 19th century. Enter through an enormous torii gate, as you enjoy a bucolic retreat from the city. The shrine holds around 10,000 trees, as well as a small museum about the Emperor and a special inner garden. 

From here, you will walk through the popular shopping districts of the Harajuku district and Takeshita dori to soak in an entirely different neighbourhood, made distinct by their endless rows of independent shops for local fashionistas. 

 Enjoy a visit to the buzzing Akihabara neighbourhood, renowned for its mega-electronic stores and Japanese subculture. Be dazzled by the hundreds of tech department stores and arcades that stretch up and down several kilometers of the city. Meet the local population, known fondly as ‘otaku’—geeks. In fact, Akibahara throngs with ‘otaku’ from the video game ‘king of things’ to the anime obsessed.

Wander with your local guide through the main streets and backstreets, where you will pop in and out of electronic shops, each selling the world’s newest and wackiest technology. Spend time understanding the culture that surrounds anime and cosplay (‘costume play’ where adults dress up as characters from films, popular video games, comics and books).

The tour finishes at one of the dozens of ‘maid cafes’ where the employees have taken cosplay into commercialism. Be served your local drink by a Japanese French maid. If you’re there at the right time, you may even catch one of their song and dance routines. No trip to Akihabara is complete without venturing a visit to one of these establishments. 

 

Once you finish your tour of Akihabara, you too will be a local Otaku! 

Travel Curious Tip: don’t forget to snap a picture with the French maid serving your table before you leave.

We built this tour because it invites travellers to explore the lively and wacky subcultures that Japan has to offer, while considering the historic background from whence it has emerged.