The Akiba

Book excerpt: The Akihabara district (the Akiba) in Tokyo, once known as the spot for discount electronics stores, has become a veritable "theme park" of Japanese pop culture, with shops of all kinds, gaming centers, clubs, bars and restaurants. THE AKIBA can be a daunting place to navigate, but now, this clever new guidebook presents the wonderfully eccentric appeal of the district in an easy-to-understand and entertaining format -- a fusion of manga and practical travel information that will prove invaluable to the foreign visitor. Two-thirds of THE AKIBA is a manga story about a young woman searching for her missing boyfriend in Akihabara. The remaining portion of the volume is a complete guide offering full-color photographs, detailed maps and travel information and listings of the stores and other locations mentioned in the story.