Destination Focus: Akihabara, Japan
As a child I often fantasized about traveling to Japan. It seemed so far away and so exotic. The advancement of that notion came in leaps and bounds and was fueled by the sensationalistic depictions of Japan on television and in movies. 
The 1980’s television mini-series titled Shogun really piqued my interest in Japan and made the Asian country seem all the more exotic and strange. The fascination has only increased since then; led by such phenomena as anime, Hello-Kitty type things, cutting-edge fashion, overt sexuality and fascinating electronic gadgets of which I’m a huge fan. What would seem to the outsider as an innocent quirkiness holds me in awe of Japanese culture.
A section of Tokyo known as Akihabara, or Akiba as it is known locally, serves as a showcase of ultra-modern Japanese culture. This area can be reached via a five minute train ride from Tokyo Station.
Travel destinations that are touted as great shopping areas usually baffle me as I just can’t imagine traveling for the soul purpose of feeding some consumer urge as it is usually this same urge that I have to quell in order to be able to afford travel. However, the gadget junkie in me would easily give the Akihabara Electronic Town shopping district a bye on the upturned nose. Gadgets are definitely my weakness and Akihabara exists almost solely to sell electronic wares to those who would by them.
Electronics aren’t the only thing you will find in Akihabara though. It is also a huge marketplace for other uniquely Japanese things such as anime and computer games. Another huge attraction are the many “maid cafes”. Japanese girls dressed in provocative maid outfits can be found throughout the district handing out fliers and trying to entice customers into their respective cafes. Inside the maid cafe, waitresses, again dressed in French maid outfits, serve customers as if they were their masters.
As Tokyo is a major international hub, Akihabara could be visited during a long layover on a RTW trip or as part of a larger tour of Japan. In either case, if you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to visit Akihabara.
Will @ August 15, 2008
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