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MOD TOKYO Akihabara is where you can build your own custom Game Boy in Tokyo
Build your own custom Game Boy in Akihabara at MOD TOKYO, a hands-on retro gaming workshop where you disassemble a vintage console, choose your shell, buttons and colours, install a modern IPS screen, and take home a one-of-a-kind Tokyo souvenir.
Written by Japan Index | Sunday 6 September 2026
Japan Index readers can use the code below:
Discount code: JAPANINDEX (Enter at Checkout)
Offer: 5% off your MOD TOKYO Akihabara experience
We built a custom Game Boy in Tokyo.
This is MOD TOKYO Akihabara, and if you grew up with Nintendo, old handheld consoles, Pokémon, Tetris, Zelda or 90s gaming nostalgia, this place is basically a dream experience.
Instead of just walking through another retro game shop in Akihabara, you actually sit down and build your own working Game Boy. You choose the case, buttons, colours and design, then take apart a real vintage console and rebuild it into something completely custom.
The coolest part is that the original motherboard stays inside, so the heartbeat of the machine is still original. But on the outside and screen side, it gets modern upgrades like a new shell, new buttons, a new speaker and a bright colour IPS screen.
Maya and I went with a pearl case, ice blue and white buttons, and honestly, it came out looking sweeeeet.
MOD TOKYO Akihabara Game Boy workshop guide
The MOD TOKYO Akihabara experience starts with a proper introduction to the history of Nintendo and the original Game Boy. Before you start opening anything up, the guides walk you through why the Game Boy became such an icon, how it beat more advanced competitors, and why the original DMG-01 still matters decades later.
Then the hands-on part begins.
You get your own vintage Game Boy, tools and parts laid out in front of you. The guides show you how to open the console, remove the old shell, handle the motherboard, disconnect the original screen and rebuild the console step by step.
You do not need technical experience. The workshop is guided, relaxed and beginner-friendly, so even if you have never opened a console before, you can still finish with a fully working custom Game Boy.
Japan Index readers can use the code below:
Discount code: JAPANINDEX (Enter at Checkout)
Offer: 5% off your MOD TOKYO Akihabara experience
MOD TOKYO Akihabara custom Game Boy build
The best part of MOD TOKYO Akihabara is choosing your design.
You can pick from different shell colours, button colours and screen surrounds, including clear, pearl, solid, glow-style and colourful combinations. The whole point is to create something that feels like yours, not just a pre-built souvenir from a shop shelf.
For the original Game Boy build, you work with the classic DMG-01 model, the 1989 handheld that started it all. During the workshop, it gets upgraded with a bright backlit IPS screen, fresh buttons, a custom shell and modern parts while keeping the original board inside.
You can also book a Game Boy Advance build if you want the wider full-colour handheld experience. The Game Boy Advance workshop is a little more hands-on and includes some soldering, so it feels like a deeper build for people who want an extra challenge.
Japan Index readers can use the code below:
Discount code: JAPANINDEX (Enter at Checkout)
Offer: 5% off your MOD TOKYO Akihabara experience
MOD TOKYO Akihabara retro gaming experience
After the build, you get to power it on and play.
That first screen lighting up is genuinely satisfying because you are not just holding something you bought — you are holding something you opened, rebuilt and customised yourself.
There are classic cartridges on site, so you can test your finished console with nostalgic games before taking it home. The whole experience feels like a mix of retro gaming history, hands-on workshop, Akihabara culture and one of the coolest souvenirs you can make in Tokyo.
MOD TOKYO Akihabara details
Experience: MOD TOKYO Akihabara Game Boy Mod Workshop
Focus keyword: MOD TOKYO Akihabara
Type: Retro gaming workshop / custom Game Boy experience / Akihabara activity
Best for: Nintendo fans, retro gamers, couples, families, friends, Akihabara visitors, anime and gaming trips, hands-on Tokyo experiences and unique Japan souvenirs
Location: Le Nid Kanda 701, 15 Kanda Kitanorimonocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0036
Area: Akihabara / Kanda, Tokyo
Workshop options: Original Game Boy DMG-01 or Game Boy Advance
Original Game Boy price: ¥50,000 per person
Game Boy Advance price: ¥52,000 per person
Duration: About 2 hours for the original Game Boy, or about 2.5 hours for Game Boy Advance
Languages: English and Japanese
Group size: Small groups of up to 8 people
Age: Ages 6 and up; participants aged 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian
Included: Vintage console, IPS screen, shell, buttons, tools, materials, guidance and the finished custom console to keep
MOD TOKYO Akihabara access
MOD TOKYO Akihabara is located on the 7th floor of Le Nid Kanda, close to both Akihabara and Kanda.
It is around 10 minutes on foot from Akihabara Station or about 3 minutes on foot from Kanda Station. When you arrive at the building, enter 701 on the intercom keypad and call. Staff will unlock the entrance, then you take the elevator up to the 7th floor.
The studio recommends arriving around 10 minutes before your start time so you can get settled before the workshop begins.
MOD TOKYO Akihabara booking and discount code
You can book the MOD TOKYO Akihabara workshop online through the official MOD TOKYO website.
Japan Index readers can use the code below:
Discount code: JAPANINDEX (Enter at Checkout)
Offer: 5% off your MOD TOKYO Akihabara experience
How to book: Use the booking link sent through The Japan Index and enter code JAPANINDEX
This works for people who want to build their own original Game Boy or Game Boy Advance in Tokyo.
MOD TOKYO Akihabara giveaway
Also — if our MOD TOKYO Akihabara reel hits 1,000,000 impressions, we are giving away the exact custom Game Boy we built to one lucky commenter.
To enter:
Follow The Japan Index, like the video, and leave a comment for your chance to win.
The exact Game Boy we built has a pearl case with ice blue and white buttons, and it will go to one lucky commenter if the reel hits the target.
Also stay tuned, because there is a full YouTube video of the entire Game Boy build coming soon
For one of the most unique gaming experiences in Tokyo, MOD TOKYO Akihabara is an easy recommendation. You get the nostalgia of a real 90s handheld console, the fun of customising the design, the satisfaction of rebuilding it yourself, and a finished Game Boy you can actually take home and play.
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