A 1-minute walk from JR Akihabara Station, this is the largest home electronics retail store in Japan, with a sales floor area of over 23,000 square meters. In many ways it defines the essence of Akihabara Electric Town. The first to sixth floor has a wide variety of products such as cameras, laptop computers, home appliances, games, toys, and musical instruments.

Frequently visited by tourists from all over the world, the floor information is also available in English, Chinese, and Korean. Some of the sales staff can also speak in some of these languages, so you can enjoy shopping without stressing about language.

Yodobashi Camera was founded as a specialty camera shop, and to this day there remains an abundant assortment of cameras. A large number of accessories such as the latest digital SLR cameras, tripods, and camera bags are on display, and you can even try them out yourself. If you’re a fan of cameras, this is definitely a spot you will want to visit.

There is also a number of 220V compatible home appliances, so you can easily use these Japan-bought appliances back home. There is even a restaurant floor in the building, perfect for a quick meal break between shopping.

*Paid portable Wi-Fi equipment rental available for tourists

GALLERIA Esports Lounge is a gaming PC specialty shop that sells high-spec PCs for games, the latest VR and gaming devices, and gaming accessories. You can freely try out any product in the store to fully examine the performance and feel of it before committing to make a purchase.
* Free Wi-Fi available

The Basement 1F is an "e-sports play area" where you can try out the latest game titles on a high-spec PC, and even use devices brought in yourself. You can even sometimes buy these PCs at a discounted rate, depending on the timing of certain exhibitions. This shop has become a must-see spot for e-sports enthusiasts who only want the most cutting-edge of gaming PCs - and a must-visit in Akihabara Electric Town.
* E-sports play area is a paid service (free for the first 2 hours only)

Sofmap is a store chain with a total of 5 locations in Akihabara, with e-Sports, Mobile and Amusement branches, each dealing in their own specific products.

Amongst these, Sofmap AKIBA 2nd Shop PC Sogokan handles a wide range of used laptops as well as new ones. On the 2nd floor is the e-Sports Studio AKIBA, where you can enjoy playing e-sports and using the Internet.

Also in the Akihabara Electric Town area is the Sofmap AKIBA Store No. 5, Digital Used Goods Shop, where there is always a generous stock of used products such as smartphones, tablets, and digital cameras.

Dospara Akihabara Main Shop is the place for outlet PC units and PC accessories at discounted prices. Not only can you find the main body of the computer, but LCD monitors and other parts are always stocked as well.

The staff is very knowledgeable in PC technology including games, illustration, and video editing, so you can easily select the PC you need while consulting casually with the staff.

Depending on the time, they also sometimes have huge sales on large quantities of outlet PCs. Please check the latest information on their official website and Twitter to stay up to date. Additionally, you can experience the latest VR games and devices on the spot in the "VR Paradise" area located on the 5th floor (reservations required).

You can find the latest digital SLR cameras as well as second-hand film cameras for a reasonable price at Camera Kitamura Akihabara. With over 700 stores nationwide, it is the largest used camera chain.

This shop was reopened in November 2018, and the assortment of products was further enhanced. They regularly stock over 3,000 cameras, lenses, and camera supplies.

As a duty-free shop, tourists from overseas can enjoy shopping at a great value. Various events are also held on occasion in cooperation with camera manufacturers, such as pre-launch product displays.

Their online shop also supports 13 different languages, so you can reserve your desired products online and pick them up at the store of your choice. Be sure to check out this shop when visiting Japan!

E ☆ earphone is one of the largest earphone and headphone specialty shops in Japan, with approximately 24,000 items including earpieces. You can even listen to over 4,000 models of new and used audio products.

A shop with such variety as expansive as this is pretty rare in the world, so many audiophiles come from overseas to visit.

Why not take the opportunity to give some of these super high-class, valuable models a try? The staff is knowledgeable in audio products, and can even repair earphones and headphones in shop.

This shop is directly managed by the manufacturer "Thanko," known for their "interesting and useful PC goods" such as a nose hair cutter that can be used with your phone and a PC desk that can be used while sleeping. You can try out many of the unique goods available in the shop.

There are also many USB powered goods, such as a USB desktop oscillating fan and USB warming slippers. There is no need to adjust the voltage, so they also make great souvenirs. There are so many different and useful products that can’t be found just anywhere, so even simply browsing around the store can be fun.

When you walk into SELLSTA R, you are immediately greeted by a number of digital goods. Here you can browse for bargains on junk items (such as out-of-production products). Micro SD cards for smartphones and PC peripherals can also be found at amazing prices.

In addition to digital products, there are also a wide variety of unique sundries and car accessories, so even just looking around the shop can be a fun experience.

Just outside the JR Akihabara Station stands a specialty PC shop, with digital products on B1 to 1F, and 2F to 5F specializing in all kinds of PC products. They also handle a large number of Japanese-manufactured PCs and peripherals, so if you are looking for PC items in Akihabara, this is the place to check.

Each floor has an experience corner where you can test out new products.

The LAOX Akihabara Main Store handles around 70,000 diverse products, from beauty to kitchen and home appliances available in foreign specifications, as well as hobby and art products, watches, and jewelry.

It is accredited by the Tourist Information Center of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), with resident staff available to assist you in Japanese, English, and Chinese. It also supports a number of overseas QR payment codes, such as UnionPay International, Suning Pay, and WeChat Pay.

*Official HP available in English and Chinese

LAOX Discount Coupon! Customers who spend ¥5,000(Tax excluded)! Tax free plus up to 8% discount!

The attraction of Akihabara Electric Town is the wide variety of electronics stores that you can find in one place, from highly specialized expert shops to consumer electronics stores accessible to anyone. Though in these modern times just about anything can be found on the Internet, if you only around the shops in this area, you can still find everything you need as if embarking on a hunt.

And there are still countless other Akihabara shops beyond those introduced here today. By all means, please take the time to take a leisurely walk around and enjoy an electronic tour of the shops in Akihabara.

Written by Medium KK. English translation by Krys Suzuki.