One-time unchallenged holy land of otaku, Tokyo's Akihabara was a heaven for anime, manga, video game, maid café, and collector's items. But today. it is different. So what happened to Akihabara?
We chart the past from Akihabara's early days as an electronics district to its growth in the 1990s–2010s as a thriving subculture hub during the golden era of otaku culture. We'll then look at which anime, doujinshi, figure fever, and maid cafés transformed the district into a fans' pilgrimage site from all over the world.
Now, as Japan's economic downturn-chasing weak yen and pandemic tourism bonanza coinciding with it, Akihabara is evolving — welcoming more tourists than hardcores.
Is it otaku heaven anymore? Or has it become a theme park version of what once was? We split it all up — past, present, and future.
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