The Akihabara neighborhood in Tokyo, Japan has long been an iconic part of the city and a colorful representation of Japanese culture. Dominated by flashing lights, book stores, and of course video games and arcades, one of the signature landmarks of Akihabara has been the SEGA Akihabara Building 2, one of the largest (and last remaining) arcades in the world. Sadly, it was announced earlier this month that the longstanding arcade would be permanently closing its doors at the end of August, but you still have a chance to experience the iconic arcade for yourself in this video tour.Over on Twitter, Dave Gibson--a developer and designer at Creatures on the Pokemon franchise--shared a video tour walking through the SEGA Akihabara Building 2 to revisit the iconic arcade one last time before its closure. Trailing through many of the arcade's various cabinets and games, the video gives a good indication of what the arcade has been known for, and how it has served as a beacon of Japanese gaming culture. You can check out the full video below:

The SEGA Akihabara Building 2 arcade had been open to the public since 2003, and in that 17-year span became one of the most iconic parts of the Akihabara neighborhood. While SEGA hasn't formally explained the reasoning behind the arcade's impending closure, presumably the most likely cause would be due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

In compliance with Japan's state of emergency orders to retaliate against the coronavirus pandemic, the building had closed to the public for part of the year until June 12. However, with the lack of foot traffic and tourism due to the pandemic, it's more than likely that the arcade's closure was a direct result of that. While the building itself will be closed, SEGA's other arcades in the region will remain open to carry on its legacy of highlighting gaming culture in Japan.