Tokyo 2017: Akihabara (秋葉原)

As the sun was going down and the sky growing dark I arrived in Akihabara, the heart of Japan’s otaku culture. For gamers, anime and manga enthusiasts, and people who just love electronics and the more eccentric parts of Japanese culture, Akihabara is viewed as something of a legendary place where dreams become reality. I distinctly remember going down one of the alleys in Akihabara and seeing a tall, lanky, white guy with a long blonde ponytail who was walking around with the biggest smile on his face and eyes wide with wonder. As for me, the highlight of my time in Akihabara was visiting the famous Super Potato store. Jam-packed full of games ranging from retro to modern, Super Potato felt like a great library of video games with gems seemingly on every shelf. I came really close to buying one or two old games but ended up talking myself out of it since I didn’t have the game systems needed to play them. When I return to Tokyo later this year I might revisit Super Potato and if I do I might talk myself into buy something, if nothing else purely as a souvenir.