Garage sales in Japan?

[Anthony1]

Do they have Garage Sales in Japan?


If so, could you imagine the kind of scores that could be possible there? I'm sure there are quite a few people making a very nice living by getting old systems and games for dirt cheap in Japan and then ebaying them. I see people selling from Japan all the time and I assume that some of them must be getting this stuff at the Japanese equivalent to Garage Sales and Flea Markets.

[Cryomancer]

I hear there is a giant "throw stuff out day" or somesuch, you could probably curb it pretty well though.

Check this out: http://www.segagagadomain.com/junk/retrogaming.htm make sure you go ahead a few pages to when he gets to the "junk shop".

[Dimitri]

I hear there is a giant "throw stuff out day" or somesuch, you could probably curb it pretty well though.

Check this out: http://www.segagagadomain.com/junk/retrogaming.htm make sure you go ahead a few pages to when he gets to the "junk shop".
Junk shops...I expect to spend a good deal of time and money in those next month. LOL Why aren't there places like that here in the states? Just looking at those pictures makes me drool...

[petewhitley]

As above, not really any garage sales to speak of, but once a week your neighborhood has gomi day where people put out their needless items (which usually includes copious amounts of magazines/manga/newspapers/etc.). Every so often, if you beat the professionals (of which there are many), you'll snag something useful. The aforementioned junk shops, which are pretty much stocked by the aforementioned professional gomi vultures, are relatively good places to find stuff, but expect to pay prices far beyond garage sale finds.

[FlufflePuff]

I never saw any garage sales in my year there, and none of my host families had a gomi day. The reason may be that my host families were wealthy families that could afford to hang on to their junk. I do remember junk shops, but I don't recall seeing any gaming related stuff. In fact, I only remember seeing one second hand game shop ever. I wasn't really looking for them because I wasn't playing at the time. I was more interested in music stores (which I found in abundance). I kind of regret not looking for games while I was there, but no use crying over spilled milk.

[Push Upstairs]

I hear there is a giant "throw stuff out day" or somesuch, you could probably curb it pretty well though.

Check this out: http://www.segagagadomain.com/junk/retrogaming.htm make sure you go ahead a few pages to when he gets to the "junk shop".

I weeped tears of eternal sorrow knowing i couldnt check any of those places out. :(

I was blow away that they had so much good stuff just sitting on shelves.



Junk shops...I expect to spend a good deal of time and money in those next month. LOL Why aren't there places like that here in the states? Just looking at those pictures makes me drool...

Going to Japan huh? Wanna help a fellow gamer out :) :D

[y-bot]

They definitely have flea markets there. I'm going to Japan with my friend who has been there many times from 4/26-5/12. There is a week long holiday somewhere in between those dates where there are flea markets every day. I have many things that my friend has gotten for me from Hard-Off. I'm excited to see it in person.
y-bot

[Ryaan1234]

:eek 2: Look at all that stuf! I wish I was in Japan right now.. With a couple thousand yen...

[Cmosfm]

:eek 2: Look at all that stuf! I wish I was in Japan right now.. With a couple thousand yen...

I think you mean a couple hundred thousand yen.

2000 yen is roughly 20 bucks. LOL

[Pantechnicon]

This is truly fascinating. I really had no idea there was quite this kind of scene in Japan. I'm almost exclusively a U.S.titles gamer, but easy access like that to some of those old Japanese consoles would easily turn me into an import nut.

Notes for planned Japan trip in 2008:

1) Add Junk Corner, Liberty Recycle, Softmap and Hard-off to the list of places to visit.
2) Double the travel budget @_@

[Blur2040]

Have fun shipping it all home...

[PentiumMMX]

X_x

I'd go there and scoop up all the non-pirate "Rockman" stuff, maybe even some "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Akumajo Dracula" stuff!

[Gunstar_Hero UK]

There was an article about this sort of thing in a recent issue of Retro Gamer. I was amazed at how many dedicated Retro Games stores there are in Tokyo. If i ever get the chance to go out there, im bringing back suitcases of stuff! Do you think if i told customs it was all second hand thered let me off? :P

Joe. :)

[G4MZ0v3R]

Awesome thanks for the thread! I've gotta go ask my (Japanese)roommate about this!

[dojosky]

Yep that'd be cool !!!! lemme us know what u get there !!

[Dimitri]

Junk shops...I expect to spend a good deal of time and money in those next month. LOL Why aren't there places like that here in the states? Just looking at those pictures makes me drool...
Going to Japan huh? Wanna help a fellow gamer out :) :D
Yeah, two weeks at the end of next month. If I didn't already have half a dozen people sending lists with me I might say yes... LOL

[GaijinPunch]

Don't get too excited about those flea markets. The ones in Tokyo are very small, and are often held in parks. I've not spent much time out of the city in years, so can't comment.

I've never understood how the gomi-day works outside the city. They of course don't do that in Tokyo, as it costs money to throw things away. Some people will take some items for free, if they can resell them. I had a 20" CRT monitor they wanted me to pay 2000 yen to take.

[petewhitley]

I've never understood how the gomi-day works outside the city. They of course don't do that in Tokyo, as it costs money to throw things away. Some people will take some items for free, if they can resell them. I had a 20" CRT monitor they wanted me to pay 2000 yen to take.

In semi-rural Kansai, you could put unneeded non-perishables out on the curb on the designated day for free pickup. Any thing of value was usually snatched up before collection by professional gomi vultures who would in turn sell them to used shops around town. As a regular joe who had a job and couldn't spend hours searching through other people's refuse, I would eyeball the stacks to and from work and occasionally find something of value (at least to myself). No one ever expected payment for the items (and it's my understanding they weren't supposed to), and not once did I ever see anything gaming related (well, perhaps some stacks of old Famitsu's), but again, I was quite lax in searching.

[GaijinPunch]

That's generally how I through away large sized stuff, albeit one at a time. Put it by the elevator of my building, and say "please take this". Most stuff was gone within an hour. They definitely don't do that in Tokyo... couldn't do it with all the trucks in the world. :)

[ubersaurus]

Outside of the relatively wealthy, I don't think too many japanese folk have houses to sell stuff from.

I'm going to Japan this summer, but don't give me any lists-chances are I'll use up all my money on Mukku trinkets anyway LOL

[GaijinPunch]

Outside of the relatively wealthy, I don't think too many japanese folk have houses to sell stuff from.

Plenty of houses... very few of them with garages though. I don't think the 'garage' was meant in it's literal meaning though.

[Push Upstairs]

Yeah, two weeks at the end of next month. If I didn't already have half a dozen people sending lists with me I might say yes... LOL

And here i was only going to beg for a two items :(

Oh well.

[Tom61]

Junk shops...I expect to spend a good deal of time and money in those next month. LOL Why aren't there places like that here in the states? Just looking at those pictures makes me drool...

They do exist here in the States, though typically they don't have as much video game stuff as those pictures. Most you can't find without knowing where they are, however. If you drive much on highways, you've probably passed dozens without realising it. At least here in Missouri junk shops aren't uncommon in the rural areas. Problem is they typically don't have very big signs (i.e. nearly impossible to see at 65MPH). Smaller than that junk shop in Japan though. Then there's closeout and liquidation shops which are as big, but typically don't have much video game stuff.

That reminds me, I haven't hit up many of those shops recently (or heck, even the newer flea markets in my town) in a while. My brother is pretty good at finding out where these places are. Problem is getting directions, some places it would be 'Look for mile marker 137 and they'll be a turn-off on the right to what looks like a metal garage, that's the place. If you get to the emergency vehicle turn-around spot, you've gone too far.' X_x

[smork]

I have had lots of good luck outside the big cities in Japan. Probably the two coolest places I have been for well-priced finds were a Ninomiya in rural Nara prefecture and a Hard Off outside Sendai. :D

Never seen a garage sale though -- which is a shame, since people don't keep older electronics and such like they do in the states simply due to space considerations...

[chaoticjelly]

Has anyone tried scouring any Japanese rubbish dumps?

Do they even have rubbish dumps?

I dont know if they have the space.

It wouldbe interesting to hear the answer to these questions, as I have found here in the UK, people take old game systems to the rubbish dump.

Once I had a literally *like new* Amiga 500.. in box.. polys.. bags.. mmm Amigaey goodness!