Empty Akihabara - Tokyo’s otaku district hit hard by coronavirus outbreak

Akihabara isn’t the most crowded neighborhood in Tokyo, but it’s less likely to be empty than just about anywhere else in the city. That’s because many other districts’ crowds are tied to specific times or days of the week, while Akihabara is a constant draw for one demographic or another.

As Japan’s center for anime and video game culture, on the weekends it’s filled with domestic otaku on day-long shopping runs and event attendance itineraries. But it’s also a major attraction for overseas tourists who are in Japan on vacation, for whom it’s just as easy to come on a weekday as the weekend, and there are plenty of offices mixed in among the specialty shops with workers who clock in every morning and are there all day, possibly grabbing dinner in a local restaurant after their shift.

These days, though, Akihabara is a much lonelier place.