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For a time, shopping for electronics was just about the only thing to do in Tokyo’s Akihabara neighborhood. In recent years though, the area has gone through a renaissance, and it’s now packed with restaurants and cafes, too.

Of course, just because your feet are tired and your throat is parched doesn’t mean you’re ready for the excitement to stop. So if you’d like to mix some thrills in with your cafe time, how about stopping in for a drink or snack at a restaurant that’s sandwiched between the tracks of one of the busiest train lines in Japan?

The cafe, called N3331, is located inside the equally unusually named shopping center mAAch. Located beside the Kanda River about five minutes on foot from Akihabara Station, the center is built on the site of the former Manseibashi Station, which shut down in 1943.

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Unlike the shopping centers closer to the heart of Akihabara, mAAch, which opened in 2013, doesn’t really cater to the otaku crowd. Instead, it’s filled with chic, sophisticated boutiques and interior shops.

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But the staff of Japanese website Another Tokyo didn’t stop by mAAch recently to pick up new duds or knickknacks. They went there to check out one of Japan’s most unique cafes, the approach to which passes through a stairwell left over from the glory days of Manseibashi Station.

▼ The walls and ceiling have been spruced up a little, though.

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Right in front of the entrance there’s a pole with Manseibashi written on it, and having the tracks running right in front of you makes it feel like you’re standing on a station platform.

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Inside, you’ll find a stylish and modern dining area. Yes, the layout is long and narrow, but the large windows on each side really help open up the place.

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▼ Aside from a full menu of food and alcoholic beverages, N3331 also has soft drinks, like coffee, smoothies, and the ice tea seen here, with prices hovering around 500 yen (US$4.25).

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Keep walking to the very back of the restaurant, and you’ll find a small open-air section with a handful of seats.

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There’s no roof, so this isn’t the best table for rainy or blisteringly hot and sunny days. As long as the weather’s pleasant, though, this is actually the best seat in the house. Sometimes, that’s because you’re up above the din of the streets below. Other times, it’s because of this.

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See, while Manseibashi Station is no longer in operation, those train tracks very much are. As a matter of fact, the cafe site right between the rails of the Chuo Line, which runs east to west right through the center of Tokyo. At peak times, trains are spaced just four minutes apart, and with that sort of frequency, you’ve got a pretty good chance of two zooming by simultaneously before you’ve finished your drink.

▼ An aerial view of N3331, marked “here”

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What with Akihabara attracting more and more foreign travelers, mAAchi, and by extension N3331, also often receive foreign customers. And while we’re sure there’s a bit of a language barrier, we think everybody is able to understand one another perfectly when two trains go by and all the diners shout “Aaaaaahhhh!”

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Restaurant information
N3331
Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Kanda Sudacho 1-25-4
Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-11 pm., Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Website

Related: Another Tokyo
Source: Another Tokyo
Top image: Another Tokyo
Insert images: Another Tokyo, N3331