Otaku Tour: Anime, Manga, Ninja & Food

Our Otaku Tour is carefully crafted to indulge your Japan anime obsession. This 10-day itinerary aims for the immersion of our guests into Japan's anime culture. Visits to three of Japan's top anime districts: Tokyo’s Akihabara, Osaka’s Nipponbashi Den Den Town, and Nagoya’s Osu Shopping District, with visits to the many real locations featured in popular anime, giving the itinerary the feel of an anime pilgrimage. Choose to enjoy the otaku destinations of Japan during one of three seasons: summer, autumn, and cherry blossom spring. Transportation for the tour is facilitated by our sleek and comfortable private coaches, with two days set aside to experience Tokyo’s efficient public transportation system, along with a trip on the speedy Shinkansen bullet train.

Tokyo brings the most in terms of anime appeal: we take you all the unmissable attractions for otakus: Ikebukuro Sunshine City (featuring a must-try Ramen Tour!), Animate Ikebukuro, Harajuku's Takeshita District and Omotesando, Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, Otome Road, and Nakano Broadway. Shop till you drop in Akihabara - anime's cultural crossroads, with store after store of anime merchandise, retro video games, manga, and more. While there, take tea in a maid cafe - a themed cafe hosted by adorable and entertaining maids, or immerse in otaku culture at a local anime cafe such as the Gundam Cafe. Try Pachinko in Shinkjuku, take a foodie tour of Tokyo's neon-lit entertainment district of Kabukicho and Golden Gai, and see Asakusa Sensoji - the oldest shrine and temple complex in Tokyo.

Hakone is a must for Mount Fuji alone; Japan's sacred mountain makes an appearance in numerous anime and movies, and the nearby Hakone region presents a charming countryside appeal, as seen from your Lake Ashi cruise on the deck of a pirate ship. Hakone was also the setting for the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, and we visit a local Evangelion Store for a chance to shop for official merchandise. After, we visit Iga Ueno, a location famous for its ninja, with a former ninja residence (now a museum) complete with hidden rooms and hidden trap doors.

Visit Nagoya, which is increasing in popularity with anime fans, especially since the addition of the new Ghibli Park in November, 2022. While there, you can enjoy a day of leisure to explore the city as you want. If you would like to try and experience the delights of Ghibli Park, AJT will help you in the attempt to get tickets, although they cannot be guaranteed at this time. As an alternative, you can join our guide on a combination foodie / anime store walking tour around the city. You will explore Nagoya’s downtown district of Sakae, as well as the Osu Anime District, stopping to browse in a variety of anime, manga, and pop culture boutiques.

We take you to Kyoto for a more traditional Japanese experience, with visits to the most memorable of the old capital’s temples and shrines. Fushimi Inari's hundreds of red torii gates (and accompanying Fushimi Sake District), Kiyomizu Temple, Kosanji Temple, the Golden Pavilion's shimmering phoenix, Arashiyama's Bamboo Grove, and the Gion Geisha District are just a few of the captivating locations in old Kyoto, and we also include a Kimono Experience where you can take pictures in stylish traditional attire.

Osaka is famous in anime for the eccentricity and homegrown humor of its residents, and this otaku tour gives you plenty of time to explore the most fascinating places in town: Osaka Castle, Kuromon Market, Nipponbashi Den Den Town (also known as the Akihabara of Osaka), and Dotonbori, with a special Street Food Tour of the nostalgic Shinsekai District. Please browse our detailed itinerary for more details.