Akihabara Station

Japan Train Stations: Akihabara Station Tokyo

Akihabara Station 秋葉原駅

Akihabara Station.

Akihabara Station is located in the east of central Tokyo in the Chiyoda ward of the capital at the heart of the Akihabara electronics area.

Akihabara is an increasingly busystation in Tokyo after the opening of the Tsukuba Express allowing people in Chiba, Saitama and Ibaraki Prefectures living along the route to commute to work in Tokyo.

Akihabara Station connects with the JR Yamanote Line, the Chuo-Sobu Line, the Keihin-Tohoku Line and the Tsukuba Express (TX) Line to Tsukuba, with its platforms underground.

The Tokyo subway line that connects with Akihabara Station is Tokyo Metro's Hibiya Line.

Akihabara Station was first opened in 1890 for freight traffic and began to serve passengers in 1925.

The JR Line platforms are above ground, whereas the modern platforms of the Tsukuba Express are contained in a huge, futuristic cavern deep underground.

Buses From Akihabara Station

There are buses from Akihabara Station to Haneda International Airport. Journey time is 30 minutes to Terminal 2 and 35 minutes to Terminal 1. Keisei buses from Akihabara Station also run to Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland via Tokyo Station. The journey time is 35 minutes.

Akihabara is a major commercial and shopping area in Tokyo and has become famous for its countless cut-price consumer electronic and gadget stores, its more recent trend of maid cafes and the hordes of "geeks" who descend on the place at weekends.

There is a small square at the back of the JR station. The facade of the JR station building is presently undergoing refurbishment (2009).