Akihabara Shop

Where to actually find Good Smile Company Nendoroids and Akihabara-exclusive figures in person, how pre-orders and restocks work, and what to check before you buy.

From 1 November 2026 Japan switches to a refund system: you pay the tax in the shop and claim it back at the airport. What that means for an Akihabara shopping trip, including the mail-order rule that already disqualifies posted purchases.

K-BOOKS runs several specialised branches in Akihabara, each focused on a different category — doujinshi, character goods, idol merchandise. The Basics Note: multiple category-specific branches Which Branch Sells What K-BOOKS runs two connected shops inside Radio Kaikan — a Main Store and a MEN’S branch. The floor guide overhead breaks …

Super Potato is the best-known retro game shop in Akihabara, and one of the few places where you can still buy — and play — hardware and cartridges going back to the Famicom era. The Basics Address: 1-11-2 Sotokanda, Kitabayashi Bldg, floors 3–5 Hours: 11:00–20:00 weekdays, 10:00–20:00 weekends and holidays …

Most Akihabara guides list shops without telling you how they connect. This is a walkable route that hits the main buildings in order, with realistic timings. The Route This route stays inside a roughly 500-metre stretch — everything is within walking distance, and most of it is within Radio Kaikan …

If you only have an hour between trains, you can still get a real sense of Akihabara. This is the shortest route that still covers the essentials. The One-Hour Route One hour is enough to see Akihabara’s core without rushing, as long as you accept you won’t go inside everything. …

Sofmap is the long-running electronics chain in Akihabara, and its used sections are often overlooked by visitors who head straight for the anime shops. The Basics Closing time: 20:00 (earlier than the arcades nearby) What’s Worth Looking At The used sections are the reason to come. Second-hand smartphones sit in …

Hareruya is one of Japan’s biggest trading card retailers and opened an Akihabara branch that is now a fixture of the local card scene. The Basics Known for: Magic: The Gathering, competitive TCG stock What They Stock Hareruya splits its Akihabara operation across two connected buildings, and the floor layout …

Yellow Submarine covers tabletop games, trading cards and hobby supplies — a different mix from the figure-focused shops nearby. The Basics Location: Radio Kaikan and other Akihabara branches What Makes It Different Yellow Submarine’s Akihabara main store covers a different mix from the figure shops nearby: trading cards in locked …

Gachapon Kaikan packs over a thousand capsule toy machines into a single shop. At roughly ¥300–500 per try, it is one of the cheapest and most reliably fun stops in Akihabara. The Basics Machines: over 1,000 types Price: roughly ¥300–500 per try Payment: coins needed — bring ¥100 coins What …

Kotobukiya’s Akihabara store is a flagship for its own figures and plastic model kits, and often carries exclusives you will not find at other shops. The Basics Known for: original figures, plastic model kits, store-limited items What Makes This Store Different The Akihabara store is Kotobukiya’s flagship, and the large …

Kaiyodo is one of Japan’s most respected figure sculptors, and its Radio Kaikan shop is the place to see that craftsmanship up close. The Basics Location: inside Radio Kaikan Known for: high-detail sculpted figures, Revoltech line What They Sell Kaiyodo Hobby Lobby Tokyo sits inside Radio Kaikan. Alongside the display …