I'm Going to be in Tokyo for 30 hours. Where should I go?

[Jumpman Jr.]

So I'm going on a trip to Bangkok and Phuket (Thailand) in 2 months, and when we booked our tickets, we were given the option of staying in Tokyo for one night. I've always wanted to go to Japan, so we agreed.

We arrive around 3pm, and our flight out isn't until 8pm the next night. So, I've been reading a bit and it looks like it would take a few hours to get into the actual city of Tokyo (After we get our bags and then take the train into the city).

So, assuming I get to the city at 5pm, and I probably have to leave the city the next day at 4pm, what gaming related places should I go to? Are there any 'must-see' things that I should go to to find some games.

If you didn't already know, I'm in love with Nintendo, so this is probably a good thing.

[wadakatsu]

If you love Nintendo, you need to go to Super Potato (despite the name, it's a game shop). It's three floors of retro love largely focusing on NES and Super NES. It's a few blocks from the Akihabara station and is slightly off the main street, but with clear directions you'll have little trouble finding it.

[eskobar]

Mmmmm.... i heard many stories from a friend that visited Tokyo a few months ago but i remember that he told me about an Arcade that was attended by japanese babes in bikini :D

If such place existed, it would resemble my dreamed heaven, hehehehe

Good luck :D

[Aerond]

Head directly to Akihabara, and once there your first stop is Super Potato, as they said, there´s three floors totally dedicated to retro-gaming, the third being a retro arcade!! There´re also lots of good arcades in Akihabara, and also more retro gaming shops, but I would recommend visiting them only if you´re in hunt for some specific title. If you´re more on buying merchandise, you can also head to Nakano Broadway mall, near Nakano Station (a few mins away from Shinjuku). There´re lots of merch/anime/cosplay shops there :) Finally, if you want to visit a cutting-edge arcade, try Sega Joypolis, in Odaiba island, a cross between an arcade and an amusement park, but mind that you have to pay to enter.

[Osaka]

Aerond and Wadakatsu nailed all of the really key spots that you simply *must* go to. Now, I'll tell you how to get to them. :D

To get to Akihabara (which should be your first stop for sure), take the Narita Express train from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station. The ride will take about an hour or so, and it's a nice train that costs around $40, give or take. From Tokyo Station, hop on the Yamanote Line train towards Ueno. Akihabara is only two stops from Tokyo Station. Once you get to Akihabara station, take the Electric Town exit, and that will put you in the heart of nerd mecca :) To get to Super Potato (I can't stress how much you NEED to go there), walk out of the station to the main street (Chuo Dori), which is right past Gamers, which will be on your right. Turn right onto Chuo Dori, and walk up to the huge stoer Aso Bit City (on your right). Cross the street, and head down the side street across from ABC. Walk down one block to the next intersection, and hang another right. Super Potato will less then a block ahead on your right on the 3rd floor of a building (you should be able to hear 8 bit music coming from the window). Walk in, take all in, and spend a lot of money :) Arcades are *not* hard to find, so be sure to stop intosome of the many that liter Akihabara.

To get to Nakano from Akihabara (or Tokyo station for that matter), hop back on the Yamanote line going towards Tokyo and Shinagawa. Ride that train to Shinjuku station. Transfer at Shinjuku station to the Chuo Main Line or Chuo Rapid Line (either is fine, both get you there). Ride that to Nakano Station (it's a 5-10 minute ride). Exit Nakano station on the right side of the station, which will put you right in front of a indoor shopping arcade. Walk into the shopping arcade and walk down to the end of it and you will see the entrance to Nakano Broadway mall. There is a chain of stores in there called Mandarake which have tons of stores in there selling various kinds of nerd goodies including a retro game store :D

Visit those and you will NOT be disappointed. ^^

[Flippy8490]

Super Potato is supposedly amazing. My sister went a few years back when she took a trip to Japan. She apparently spent like three hours in there and had a blast.

[Jumpman Jr.]

Aerond and Wadakatsu nailed all of the really key spots that you simply *must* go to. Now, I'll tell you how to get to them. :D

To get to Akihabara (which should be your first stop for sure), take the Narita Express train from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station. The ride will take about an hour or so, and it's a nice train that costs around $40, give or take. From Tokyo Station, hop on the Yamanote Line train towards Ueno. Akihabara is only two stops from Tokyo Station. Once you get to Akihabara station, take the Electric Town exit, and that will put you in the heart of nerd mecca :) To get to Super Potato (I can't stress how much you NEED to go there), walk out of the station to the main street (Chuo Dori), which is right past Gamers, which will be on your right. Turn right onto Chuo Dori, and walk up to the huge stoer Aso Bit City (on your right). Cross the street, and head down the side street across from ABC. Walk down one block to the next intersection, and hang another right. Super Potato will less then a block ahead on your right on the 3rd floor of a building (you should be able to hear 8 bit music coming from the window). Walk in, take all in, and spend a lot of money :) Arcades are *not* hard to find, so be sure to stop intosome of the many that liter Akihabara.


Thanks SO much for that reply, I can't thank you enough.
I've been doing a lot of research on what I am going to be doing (non-gaming related), and it looks like I'll be able to stop off there.

Unlike what you suggested, I'll probably take the Kensei (cheaper) train into the city, which would get me to Ueno station (I think). From there, I'm hoping to head to Asakusa station (which is close), because I want to check out the Sensoji Temple.

Once I am done, from Asakusa station, it looks like I can just take a few quick transfers (G-line, then H-Line) over to Akihabara.
Does that sound right?

Thanks again.

[weirdguy]

Bring me back a souvenir man !

[boatofcar]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2862808652_c909351c9d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnshawler/2862808652/)
Make sure you sit on the throne of Famicom games!

More of my Super Potato pics (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnshawler/sets/72157607330066564/)

[Osaka]

I'm not quite as familiar with the subway system, but I'm assuming that will work. If you're going to go to Nakano (which again, I hiiiiighly recommend), definitely use the JR trains from Akihabara.

You can take the Kensei, it just takes longer, and if it's the same train line I'm thinking of that I rode to Narita one time, it took twice as long as the Narita Express, so if you're strapped for time, you might want to spring for the Narita Express.

What were some of your non-gaming related stops? Asakusa is definitely a good choice there for sure :)



Thanks SO much for that reply, I can't thank you enough.
I've been doing a lot of research on what I am going to be doing (non-gaming related), and it looks like I'll be able to stop off there.

Unlike what you suggested, I'll probably take the Kensei (cheaper) train into the city, which would get me to Ueno station (I think). From there, I'm hoping to head to Asakusa station (which is close), because I want to check out the Sensoji Temple.

Once I am done, from Asakusa station, it looks like I can just take a few quick transfers (G-line, then H-Line) over to Akihabara.
Does that sound right?

Thanks again.

[Osaka]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2862808652_c909351c9d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnshawler/2862808652/)
Make sure you sit on the throne of Famicom games!

More of my Super Potato pics (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnshawler/sets/72157607330066564/)

WHEN DID YOU TAKE THAT? :O That was definitely not there when I lived there in early 2007. I need to sit on that now XD

[boogiecat]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2862808652_c909351c9d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnshawler/2862808652/)
Make sure you sit on the throne of Famicom games!

More of my Super Potato pics (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnshawler/sets/72157607330066564/)

Hehehehe that's a great one there huh!!:rocker:

If only i could go there this year!!:rocker:

[y-bot]

There's another Mandarake that I don't think was mentioned yet. I think it's in Shibuya but someone else will have to chime in with the name of the train stop for sure. It's the one that's way downstairs. I've had really good luck at that one. The two times I went to Tokyo I stayed in an apartment inside Nakano Broadway so I've spent waaaaay too much time in that place. It's amazing just to watch the buying area of Mandarake, you've never seen anything like it in your life. I wish I was going, I'm super jealous of you.

y-bot

[boatofcar]

WHEN DID YOU TAKE THAT? :O That was definitely not there when I lived there in early 2007. I need to sit on that now XD

That's from September of last year.

[Jumpman Jr.]

You can take the Kensei, it just takes longer, and if it's the same train line I'm thinking of that I rode to Narita one time, it took twice as long as the Narita Express, so if you're strapped for time, you might want to spring for the Narita Express.

What were some of your non-gaming related stops? Asakusa is definitely a good choice there for sure :)

Yeah, the Kensei train is supposed to take longer, but the website says it should only take 20 minutes or so longer. If it was just me, I'd probably spring for the extra $20 to go on the express train, but there is going to be 3 (possibly 4 of us), and I'm going with my dad, and he pays for everything. So its a $60-$80 difference, which is kind of a lot.

The crazy thing about Asakusa, is apparently there is a big party or celebration thing every spring, on the third weekend of May. Which happens to be exactly when I am going to be there.

After we check out Asakusa, we're going to be going to Shinjuku, where our hotel is. Hopefully check out the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Center and the view, and then hang around Shinjuku at night.
The next morning, we'll probably just go to Shibuya, see the Shibuya crossing, and the close by Harajuku/Meiji Shrine.
We were hoping to check out the fish market, but it is closed on Sundays, and that is the morning that we will be there.
:)

[Haoie]

Have fun!!

And really, see the sights.

Life's too short to hang around used game stores.

[guitargary75]

Bring me back a famicom.

[boogiecat]

Here's a Google Map pic of Super Potato(my friend who currently lives in Japan gave that link to me today):

http://maps.google.co.jp/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=%E7%A7%8B%E8%91%89%E5%8E%9F%E9%A7%85%EF%BC%88%E6 %9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%EF%BC%89&sll=35.698683,139.774219&sspn=0.011309,0.01899&ie=UTF8&t=h&layer=c&cbll=35.699347,139.770596&panoid=vXFfeafxCDoIYN7yDCXJ5w&cbp=12,51.492219444242004,,0,-17.5&ll=35.699439,139.770604&spn=0,359.999407&z=21&iwloc=addr

[Superman]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2862808652_c909351c9d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnshawler/2862808652/)
Make sure you sit on the throne of Famicom games!

More of my Super Potato pics (http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnshawler/sets/72157607330066564/)

Please tell me those are some made up carts or they were real carts that were just stacked to make the chair. Please don't tell me any innocent cartridges were harmed in the making of that product!

[boatofcar]

Please tell me those are some made up carts or they were real carts that were just stacked to make the chair. Please don't tell me any innocent cartridges were harmed in the making of that product!

They're all real carts, and yes, they're ruined. Can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs! :)

[Steve W]

Wasn't piracy rampant in Asia for Famicom carts? Maybe most of them are cheap Chinese pirates, and the most obvious ones on the top layer are real Japanese cartridges.

[boogiecat]

Yeah maybe you're right but i think those are legit loose Famicom carts...Super Potato is so crazy about Famicom stuff...

[Kyle15]

I too can vouch for Super Potato. I've never been there, but it is supposedly retro heaven! ;)

[The 1 2 P]

I wish I could go to Tokyo. I would have so much fun.....and be completely broke when I left. But I'm sure it would be worth it. Have fun Jumpman and take us lots of pics. Also, I have a two game want list for Japan if you want to make some extra money while you are there. PM if you're interested.

[Joe West]

Go to the clubs, there's some hot girls there.......................

[calthaer]

Go to Shibuya and get your pic taken next to the jumbotrons - see if they'll put up a "World Ends With You" brand logo on the jumbotron for you.

Or, you can try fighting noise to see if you can make a brand appear on the jumbotron yourself. Make Gatito the number one brand; fail and face erasure.

[leicamaster]

If you love Nintendo, you need to go to Super Potato (despite the name, it's a game shop). It's three floors of retro love largely focusing on NES and Super NES. It's a few blocks from the Akihabara station and is slightly off the main street, but with clear directions you'll have little trouble finding it.

Thats video game heaven. If you go to Osaka theres one near where the Nintendo Museum was. I got a twin famicom Black-Green one at Super Potato for about $40. Also be sure to check out Yodobashi. Its 7 floors of everything. If you like model trains, gundam and other jp stuff check it out. Its probably the main attraction in Akihabara, its near the Shinghansen. The store is amazing and if you are on a tight budget like I was be sure to check out the restaurants in Yodobashi they are real good, theres a fantastic italian restaurant near the Konami building. Theres a real good cheap yakiniku restaurant near Akihabara. Its real good and if you like meat its heaven. Hope you enjoy Japan.

[DreamTR]

I'm going to be in Tokyo for 5 days starting next Thursday =P SHould be exciting!