Francis WORLD 2006 YEAR OF THE WORLD CUP: November 2005

Tokyo's most famous
First stop, follow the signpost to Akihabara Denki Gai.
magnet for tech geeks big and small, there's a certain tingle of expectation when one hops off at Akihabara subway station, and like Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, following (in this case) the yellow signpost which states quaintly: Exit for Akihabara Electric Town. Be warned, though. Travel guides list the area as a large population of stores selling all kinds of electronic, anime, and otaku (obsessive fan) goods. What Akiba, as the locals call it, really is is a giant outdoor electronics mall like nowhere on earth. For an idea of how big this Electric Town is, our much-vaunted Sim Lim Square would probably fit into just one of the many-storey computer buildings.