Departure in Akihabara! Report on "Railway Izakaya LittleTGV," a izakaya with a railroad concept! Shun Gori's Akiba Exploration

As we call ourselves "Akiba Research Institute," we feel that we must know about the culture and roots of Akihabara these days. This time, we visited "Railway Izakaya LittleTGV," an izakaya with a railroad concept this year.

Railroad Izakaya LittleTGV" is a long-established concept izakaya in Akihabara, boasting a history of 15 years this year. The term "concept izakaya" is not a word you often hear, but it is different from both the recent concept cafes (con cafes) and maid cafes, and is somewhere between a maid café and an izakaya. Although the name "izakaya" is attached to the restaurant, the menu includes many items for children, and the store is furnished with railroad goods, model trains, and books, making it a store that can be enjoyed by both adults and children.

The store is located on the fourth floor of the Isamiya No. 3 Building on Junk Street, about a seven-minute walk from Akihabara Station, and is easily recognizable because the first floor houses Deniz Turkish Cafe, a well-known kebab shop in Akihabara.

The brightly lit store has room for 40 seats and is filled with a variety of railroad goods. Some of the items are rare and valuable, making the interior a must-see for railroad enthusiasts.

The box seats, which are nostalgic for the Showa generation and fresh for the Heisei and 2025 generations, seem to be particularly popular. As you can imagine, the seats are comfortable since they were actually used, but some people come for the comfort.

I (who was born in the Showa period) actually sat on one and found it to be quite nostalgic. Just by sitting on it, I felt like I was transported back to the Showa era. I wonder what must be in the seat to make it that comfortable. If you are interested, please visit the store and sit on a box seat.

And the store is not only staffed by maids ......, but also by "crew members". Their outfits are also cute, inspired by crew members working for a railroad company. Incidentally, this crew member's uniform was decided by a vote of all crew members from among the designs gathered from the public in 2015.

The new uniform will be changed next year, so there are only a few months left to see the crew in this uniform. If you would like to witness them in their uniforms, it is a good idea to visit the restaurant as soon as possible.

Playful menu

As the restaurant calls itself a railroad izakaya, the menu also has many unique items with trains in mind.

To begin with, "LittleTGV" is operated by New Akiba Electric Railway (NAER), and the menu is interestingly designed as a map of the New Akiba Electric Railway line.

The menu offers a wide range of food for children and desserts as well as an izakaya menu.

Of course, in addition to the route map menu, there is also a menu with proper pictures.

Since it is an izakaya, there is also an extensive alcohol menu. There are cocktails inspired by the train lines and cars, as well as cocktails created by the crew members. Non-alcoholic cocktails are also available, so even those who cannot drink can enjoy themselves.

These are the standard drinks, "E5 Series Hayabusa" and "E6 Series Komachi".

The "E5 Series Hayabusa" is a cocktail made of melon liqueur, blue curacao, strawberry liqueur, calpis and soda. The "E6 Komachi" is a non-alcoholic cocktail made of cranberry juice, calpis, and soda, which can be enjoyed by children.

Now let us introduce the food menu. First is the "NAER Children's Plate," which is sure to please both adults and children.

This authentic children's plate includes fried shrimp, fried potatoes, fried chicken and rice. Children will be satisfied with this plate alone, while adults can enjoy drinks with two or three people.

By the way, if children order this plate, a soft drink is included as a free service.

And here is the "closely-connected egg omelet!

What? Only one tamagoyaki? you may be thinking, but this is not yet a finished product.

The crew will "connect" the tamagoyaki right in front of you!

Here is the finished product after being "connected" by the crew.

Since this is an izakaya (Japanese-style bar), there is also an appetizer. The pasta appetizer is made to look like a train wheel, which is a nice touch!

By the way, when you board the train (enter the restaurant), you will receive a ticket like this.

The train attendant will come to your seat and cut the ticket with a pair of scissors! Both adults and children are sure to be excited about this service! This is a great experience for many people who have not seen a ticket cutter in the decades since automatic ticket gates were introduced, and it is a good memory for them because it is dated.

So, for this issue of Shun Gori's Akiba Exploration, we visited a long-established railroad concept izakaya in Akihabara, "Railway Izakaya LittleTGV". LittleTGV is a rare izakaya in Akihabara that offers something for not only adults who love trains but also for children. On weekends, mothers sometimes get together with their children and hold mothers' parties.

The crew is friendly and many of them are train enthusiasts, so it can be a great place for train riders, photographers, collectors, and of course, people who are not so interested in trains to have fun!

There are many points of interest and points of curiosity throughout the store, so please visit the store and find them for yourself!

The store is currently holding a "Christmas Event" from December 21 to 25. During this period, the crew will be dressed as Santa Claus and reindeer and will offer a limited Christmas menu, so if you want to experience a different atmosphere than usual, be sure to visit during this period.