Retro Milk Stand at Akihabara Train Station (Tokyo)

There’s more to Akihabara train station than bags of electronics on their way to be resold abroad. But to enjoy this post, you will first need to get a train ticket.*

*Well, I should clarify that requirement. In Japan, there’s something called a platform ticket (入場券 にゅうじょうけん nyuujouken) that you can buy, allowing you to see off relatives/friends, grab a bite/shop (oh, how generous of them), or simply do the densha otaku (train nerd) thing. Alternatively, if you have your rechargeable “contactless” transit card, e.g. Suica, Pasmo, then you will be docked ¥140 for every two hours you’ve remained beyond the ticket gate.

But let’s mosey on back to Akihabara train station. Although this part of Tokyo, which is sometimes abbreviated as Akiba, is best known for electronics, comics, and some bizarre alternate reality-types of cafes, there’s an anachronistic and unrelated place within the station that might be a worth a gander.

Which happens to be … a milk stand?!

I inquired the not-too-receptive staff about when it opened; apparently, it’s from 1950. According to that article (in Japanese), milk stands were popular after the war, with the typical order of a “salaryman” being milk and anpan (a sweet roll filled with red bean paste). The owners first opened up shop nearby at Okachimachi station, but the one in Akihabara was the one left standing.

There were a variety of milks available, from dairy farms throughout Japan. Flavors included coffee, pineapple, strawberry, orange, “ice cream” (because it was very creamy and tasted somewhat of vanilla), and mixed fruit.

I asked the staff about the “most unusual” option, to which he responded with the coffee bottle from Toumou dairy in Gunma prefecture. My silly question begot a silly response. But it was good. Plus, the one on the left in the photo really did taste like a scoop of vanilla.

n.b. don’t forget to recycle your glass jars with the folks behind the counter.

Location

Where in the maze of exits and tracks is the milk stand located?

Head to track five (5) for your daily hit of calcium.