Night time neon

We spend so long pottering around Akihabara that night time descends upon us – but this is by far the best time to see the area.

As darkness falls, the sterotypical image of Tokyo splutters into life and the evening is blazed bright with neon billboards and advertising.

The lights add yet another dimension to the zany, frenetic Tokyo skyline.

We wander around gawping upwards – it’s a wonder we didn’t end up with cricked necks.

The Sega building looks particularly fetching all glowing red and blue , the whole block is like a glowing rainbow of building blocks.

More elfin faced, hyper sexy cartoon manga girls can be found everywhere. It’s a strange, slightly uncomfortable sensation that young women are so fetishised.

Below we can see the Sega games arcade again. It’s a mammoth multi story building, one of many humongous temples to gaming. Each floor typically represents an entire genre of video games such as rhythm, fighting, digital card games, and racing.

Arcade machines are packed in, back to back on each floor and the noise and flashing lights are frankly overwhelming.

We last mere minutes before beating a hasty retreat back onto the relatively calm streets.

A super cute sign welcomes tourists into one of the many maid cafes while a vending restaurant offers a quick and cheap option for dining.

You simply pop in your money, push the button for the meal you want and receive a receipt that you take to the counter. Seconds later – piping hot meal!

As well as the electronics superstores and gaming arcades, the other focus of the area is its high concentration of manga and anime stores.

It’s a mecca for Otaku (which sort of translates to “fanboy” or “fangirl.”) It generally refers to those passionate about manga or anime but can mean anyone with an intense passion for any subject.

The dazed look on the man’s face below sort of sums up the whole experience – sort of a cultural WTF?!!