The Ongoing Humanification of Akihabara: 2k540 AKI-OTA Artisan

So, I was pedaling through Akiba (as I do pretty regularly) and noticed something odd. A warm glow was emanating from the black hole that had been the empty space below the Yamanote-sen tracks.

The space had been empty for a few years. Lately there has perpetually been a homeless guy taking up residence in front of the deserted space on the sidewalk. The location (an underpass about halfway between Akiba and Okachimachi, hence the Aki-Oka name) at Kuramaebashi-dori was previously home to a huge Hanamasa Carne Station yakiniku buffet restaurant, which still lives on in Ginza and Asakusa. The Akiba one closed sometime in 2005 or so (the comments on the gurume sites seem to stop in 2005; I last went in 2003 or so).

Top 10 Reasons Why Taito-ku is TOO Convenient

1) Public restrooms on every other street corner (as if all the alleys and crevaces weren't enough places to piss and puke)

2) Delivery alcohol (kakuyasu) -- Just another reason to get faded

3) Throw a stone, hit a train -- I have a theory that the overabundance of public commuting options keeps a lot of the residents from ever learning the rules of the road, so they end up being horrible pedestrians, bikers and drivers

4) More Chinese restaurants than China -- Discourages residents from ever going anywhere, making them insular

5) Akiba -- (Technically the main part is Chiyoda but the Akihabara address is Taito Ward) Where else can you find a universe of computer parts, animated porn, hi-end audio equipment, asian maids, kebabs and nerds in one place? Oh so convenient, yet oh so wrong.

Watch for reasons 6-10 in our next installment...