TOKYO — Akihabara, Tokyo's historic electronics district, has morphed into a geek paradise filled with videogames, pop-culture collectibles and other nerd attractions.

Originally home to a vast array of stores selling consumer goods, Akihabara is now the center of otaku culture. While some outlets still offer great deals on home appliances, the area brims with games, anime, toys and "maid cafes," where girls in cosplay outfits serve tea to tired shoppers.

With a long string of national holidays this week, Tokyo geeks are out in force, filling Akihabara's sidewalks and patronizing the shops.

Above: These shops, some of the oldest in Akihabara, are located directly under train tracks. This means a skyscraper can't be built in their place, so these tiny stores won't be ripped down. Most of them sell parts for electronics hobbyists.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

This old-school store, called DS Time, is like a time machine: It is filled with brand-new games from the '80s and '90s, original stock that hasn't yet been sold. If you're looking for unopened Virtual Boy games, this small shop is where you want to be.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Tokiwa Musen's convenient location makes it the first videogame store you see when you leave the Akihabara train station. It is known for its extremely low prices on slightly older games: Once a title drops in popularity, Tokiwa clears it out immediately.

Savvy gamers know to wait a few weeks before buying certain titles, since heated competition in Akihabara will cause prices to drop precipitously. Launch prices of $50 to $60 can plummet to $10 a month after a game's release.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Many stores in Akihabara are essentially consignment shops. Called "rental box" stores, they are filled with small glass cubes like these that hobbyists can rent, then fill with collectibles to sell. Shopkeepers make the sales and keep track of the money.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

A customer checks out a display of statuettes of bad guys from popular PSP game Monster Hunter at Kotobukiya, a shop that sells toys, stuffed animals, clothing and other tie-in products related to animation and videogames.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Japanese game fans play and smoke in a retro-themed arcade on the top floor of Super Potato, Akihabara's most famous store for classic gaming. Even if you don't want to buy anything, browsing the store aisles is like visiting a game history museum. You can even sit on a throne constructed entirely of old game cartridges.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

A Super Mario Bros. display attracts gamers young and old to Retro Game Camp, another shop on Akihabara's main street devoted to classic videogames. Barkers stand outside the store with microphones, calling people inside.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com