How to Buy Retro Games in Japan?

[Cless]

Well, I will travel to Japan in a few days and I would like to read some advice above how to buy retro game there.

Any suggestion will be welcomed. :)

[KJN]

Stores like this one (http://jamie-sam.livejournal.com/3432.html).

[Captain Qb]

Where are you going, Tokyo, Osaka etc. etc.?

And here is "mini-guide"

Go in to the retro store (like Super Potato), look games that you want and what you can offer to buy, grab them with you, walk to the shopkeeper, pay your games, say thanks/arigatoo and then walk away from the store and scream!
Now you are happy owner of Japanese games. ^.^

I hope that my "mini-guide" helped you. ^.^

Love, Captain Qb.

[GaijinPunch]

-Go to Akihabara
-Get off train
-Go to stores
-Buy games

Use this map (http://www.gamengai.com/akimap.php) for some help.

[smork]

It'd help to tell us where you are going, and what sort of retro games you are looking for. Almost any game store anywhere will have PSX, Famicom, SFC, GB/GBC, DC, and Saturn games. If you're looking for something rare and retro, then you have to go to a more specialized shop. More specialized shop generally = more money, since it's geared towards collectors.

Short answer: If in Tokyo, go to Akihabara and Nakano Broadway (Akiba is at, of course, Akihabara station, and Nakano Broadway is at the end of a shopping street at the north exit of Nakano station. Mandarake Galaxy in Nakano Broadway is my shop of choice for price and selection (for game software, not hardware)). If in Osaka, Den-Den town in Nippombashi (between Ebisucho and Nippombashi stations on Sennichimae subway line, mostly closer to Ebisucho) is the place to be. My favorite stores are Retro Game Revival and A-Too Media Shop.

Let us have some more details, and we can help you out better! :)

[GaijinPunch]

Almost any game store anywhere will have PSX, Famicom, SFC, GB/GBC, DC, and Saturn games.

Actually, they won't. PSX, PS2, yes. SFC -- maybe. DC and Saturn? Most likely not, and very few if any of them. Other than Akihabara, Liberty in Shinjuku will carry stuff for most systems, and Mandarake in Shibuya, just to name a couple. Dorama in Shimokitazawa perhaps still has some older, more obscure games, but for the most part, used shops don't have the space to cater to those buying non mainstream used games.

[smork]

Actually, they won't. PSX, PS2, yes. SFC -- maybe. DC and Saturn? Most likely not, and very few if any of them. Other than Akihabara, Liberty in Shinjuku will carry stuff for most systems, and Mandarake in Shibuya, just to name a couple. Dorama in Shimokitazawa perhaps still has some older, more obscure games, but for the most part, used shops don't have the space to cater to those buying non mainstream used games.

Well, in my part of the country (Kansai), every game store near me has DC and Saturn. That's a few independant stores, all the GEOs near me that i've checked, and some smaller chains like Laccus. Even the Yamada Denki near my place has DC (but no Saturn), and it's not even a game store, really.

Half of the ones near me carry WonderSwan, also. Perhaps it just depends on what part of the country you are in, but in Kansai there's tons of retro stuff floating around. There's even a junk store fairly close to me that's got piles of NeoGeo.

[ubersaurus]

Just about every game store I went to in Japan had sections for Saturn, PS1, and Famicom, if nothing else.

DC is kind of hard to find, as is the megadrive, game gear, etc. and pc-engine and super famicom games are a bit uncommon compared to the "big three", but they turn up a plenty.

Just go to pretty much any game store, and see what you can find.

[y-bot]

Shibuya Mandarake is pretty good for obscure hardware and there is a store a few doors down (Dorama maybe?) that has a little bit of vintage stuff. I haven't found much at Mandarake Galaxy in Nakano but you should go there just to see the most insane toy/collectibles shopping mall in the world. There are some other stores that have a few vintage games and sometimes there's some stuff in showcase shops. Also look for Hard Off if there's one in the town(s) you are visiting. Super Potato in Akihabara is really the only store where I've found much stuff that is interesting to me (pre-1985 and not Famicom) but most of the prices are a little too high for me. Good luck!

y-bot

[y-bot]

@ubersaurus-is there a website with that series of Japanese smoking signs? Here's a couple of pics I took. I think I have another at home about not burning people with your lit cigarette when a mosquito lands on your arm.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/y_bot/DSC00093.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/y_bot/DSC00092.jpg


The best sign I've ever seen had no text, just a picture of a girl crying and a man holding a cell phone up your skirt. I was in a hurry and I didn't have time to take a picture and I didn't see another one.

y-bot

[Jorpho]

Indeed, there are used games seemingly everywhere.

I would also point out that things seem to close surprisingly early in Japan, so don't plan on wandering around between shops until the wee hours of the morning.

[GaijinPunch]

Well, in my part of the country (Kansai), every game store near me has DC and Saturn.

Never game shopped there. Perhaps it's the silly rent and lack of space in Tokyo that prevents the casual used game shops from having the old shit.


and there is a store a few doors down (Dorama maybe?) that has a little bit of vintage stuff.

Last I checked, they ditched all their retro stuff except for their "shit" stack (100 yen Saturn and Famicom games). I can check this weekend to confirm.


I would also point out that things seem to close surprisingly early in Japan,

Smoke-filled arcades open until 12 though!

[Jorpho]

I actually found it immensely amusing that you can acutally buy used B&W Game Boy games from a store inside Narita airport itself, while you're waiting for your flight to leave! (And they're even nice and complete and boxed and everything.)

[GaijinPunch]

(And they're even nice and complete and boxed and everything.)

And painfully overpriced, but I guess everything in an airport is.

[y-bot]

and there is a store a few doors down (Dorama maybe?) that has a little bit of vintage stuff.

Last I checked, they ditched all their retro stuff except for their "shit" stack (100 yen Saturn and Famicom games). I can check this weekend to confirm.



I bought a boxed Super Famicom, boxed square button Famicom and boxed Super Famicom there in May.

y-bot

[Cless]

Thanks every one for your answers, I will be in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Uji, and Ujitawara. =)

And probably I will visit other places, I have a friend that live there, I will stay at his house, at Ujitawara, then we will go to spend some days at Tokio.

The kind of games that Im looking for are Dreamcast, Saturn, megadrive, and PC engine, Shooters must of them. =)
And here is "mini-guide"

Go in to the retro store (like Super Potato), look games that you want and what you can offer to buy, grab them with you, walk to the shopkeeper, pay your games, say thanks/arigatoo and then walk away from the store and scream!
Now you are happy owner of Japanese games. ^.^

I hope that my "mini-guide" helped you. ^.^LOL

[Captain Qb]

And here is "mini-guide"

Go in to the retro store (like Super Potato), look games that you want and what you can offer to buy, grab them with you, walk to the shopkeeper, pay your games, say thanks/arigatoo and then walk away from the store and scream!
Now you are happy owner of Japanese games. ^.^

I hope that my "mini-guide" helped you. ^.^LOLNow, You are officially informated, not pimped. ^.^ Have a nice trip.

Love, Captain Qb.

[wallydawg]

The best sign I've ever seen had no text, just a picture of a girl crying and a man holding a cell phone up your skirt. I was in a hurry and I didn't have time to take a picture and I didn't see another one.

y-bot

Haha I've seen something sort of like that on a shirt:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/images/products/zoom/jl_bewareofperverts.jpg

I've also heard that you can buy used girl panties in Japan too, but I'm not so sure...

[rbudrick]

This book,

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0744004241/sr=1-1/qid=1154448858/ref=sr_1_1/104-4546061-4695110?ie=UTF8&s=books

while being an incredibly good read (it's better than you think. BUY IT NOW...shit, it's less than $4 used...go on now. BUY.) also has an entire section on how and where to buy used games in Japan. That section is actually pretty darn thorough, too.

-Rob

[delafro]

If you're feeling lucky, you can always try a Book Off or a Hard Off (yes that is the name), you never know what you can find in there sometimes. There's a lot of variation in the prices too so sometimes you can get some really great deals as well.

[Postermen]

Anyone know of any good stores in Fukuoka? Hopefully someplace that might have a Famicom Titler. My brother is teaching English around there, and I would like to get him to pick up some stuff for me.

[ubersaurus]

Thanks every one for your answers, I will be in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Uji, and Ujitawara. =)

And probably I will visit other places, I have a friend that live there, I will stay at his house, at Ujitawara, then we will go to spend some days at Tokio.

The kind of games that Im looking for are Dreamcast, Saturn, megadrive, and PC engine, Shooters must of them. =)
And here is "mini-guide"

Go in to the retro store (like Super Potato), look games that you want and what you can offer to buy, grab them with you, walk to the shopkeeper, pay your games, say thanks/arigatoo and then walk away from the store and scream!
Now you are happy owner of Japanese games. ^.^

I hope that my "mini-guide" helped you. ^.^LOL

In Kyoto, your best bet that I know of is the area around Teramachi-Dori. I know there's a couple game stores on the road itself past the covered shopping section(from the subway station), there's also a book off in the area. Also keep an eye out for the arcades in the area, as there are a few.

[delafro]

Anyone know of any good stores in Fukuoka? Hopefully someplace that might have a Famicom Titler. My brother is teaching English around there, and I would like to get him to pick up some stuff for me.

I haven't been to Fukuoka yet (hope to do so reeaall soon), but I know the Tenjin district is big for shopping and entertainment... might want to check that out. For your new stuff, there's a Yodobashi Camera that should have you covered.

[Jorpho]

In Kyoto, your best bet that I know of is the area around Teramachi-Dori. I know there's a couple game stores on the road itself past the covered shopping section(from the subway station), there's also a book off in the area. Also keep an eye out for the arcades in the area, as there are a few.

Aye, this little article might be worth a read:
http://www.gamespy.com/articles/600/600851p1.html

A-Too is actually much more easily identified by the huge sign that says "Famicom Shop"... or at least it is if you can read katakana.

http://i5.tinypic.com/23mm1hc.jpg (http://tinypic.com)

[Japan-Games.com]

Anyone know of any good stores in Fukuoka? Hopefully someplace that might have a Famicom Titler. My brother is teaching English around there, and I would like to get him to pick up some stuff for me.

I was there 2 weeks ago on a little buying spree. The retro scene is dying quickly there. I hit about 10 different stores and didn't find anything that was worth the travel time. Mostly just very small amounts of Pre-Dreamcast items. The Saturn and DC games I did find were in the "special" bin for clearing out their inventory, but there weren't many titles there.

Tell your brother about manga Souko in Dazaifu. That's easily the best place in Fukuoka for retro. There's another one in my city that's about 20 minutes away from Fukuoka on the Shinkansen. I'm about to go there in about 20 mins. It's the best retro shop I've seen in Japan.

I have a Famicom Titler in my eBay store right now and another one coming which doesn't have a box....in case you were tired of waiting. That's something you're not going to find too often in a store in Japan.

[Japan-Games.com]

General thoughts about buying in Japan...

I'm assuming that you're going for retro items. There's no real secret to buying them except that you should take the time to walk all of the shops before you buy. Prices can vary wildly between shops and even in the same shop. The biggest shop near me has a Neo Geo CD for $3 and the same CD for $30 next to it. The older stock can sometimes be very old and a lot of shops don't bother updating their price tags.

Don't expect to find too many deals. You'll find a ton of items...but, again, they will have price tags from 3-4 years ago. You have to hunt around for a bit to find some of the good deals. You won't just walk into a shop and have the choice of buying anything you want at a good price. The good deals do exist tho, it just takes a lot of walking around to find them.

Most of the staff are younger and don't know jack about retro items. They won't know if a system is complete or not. Sometimes you'll find the wrong cables mixed in with a console. If you're buying hardware ask them to test it first before you leave the store. Twice I've bought bunk items from stores and returned them, only to see them right back on the shelf again the next day.

Some shops charge an extra 3-5% to use your credit card, that's even if they take credit card at all.

Shops in DenDen in Osaka close at about 7 PM. It's insane.

DenDen is the best, in my opinion. They have the most retro stores in the closest proximity. I had to walk into about 10 shops in Akihabara before finding 1 with a good retro section. You'll find yourself walking through a lot of DVD and PS2 areas only to find that they don't have anything older than that. The area is bigger so it takes you longer to cover everything and the haul is usually less than in DenDen.

The Book Off and Hard Off stores are clearing out their old game sections...not that great of an option anymore.

Some items won't have price tags, and sometimes the store staff won't be able to give you a price or they just won't sell it at all. It can be frustrating when you want something but the store just won't sell it to you or they just don't know what price to put so their mind goes into shutdown mode and they'd just rather put it back on the shelf than think of a price.

That's all I can think of right now...good luck.

[delafro]

[quote]There's another one in my city that's about 20 minutes away from Fukuoka on the Shinkansen. I'm about to go there in about 20 mins. It's the best retro shop I've seen in Japan.



Tell us more, please!

[smork]

In Kyoto, your best bet that I know of is the area around Teramachi-Dori. I know there's a couple game stores on the road itself past the covered shopping section(from the subway station), there's also a book off in the area. Also keep an eye out for the arcades in the area, as there are a few.

Thanks for the nice tip, BTW. Went by Kyoto today and checked out the A-Too. Not as nice as Osaka's A-Too in
Den Den, but a decent selection of games (not so much hardware). Lots of Neo CD I need for my collection! :)

Anyway, if anybody is touring the area it's worth a stop in, but not so much for going out of your way to do so. Good store, good area.

[smork]

Shops in DenDen in Osaka close at about 7 PM. It's insane.

Oh, most of the shops close at 8pm, especially on the weekends. A-Too is open until 9pm every day.

They all open late, though -- me thinks. Although given this current VERY NASTY HEAT we're having this week, I can't see how anybody'd wanna walk around Nippombashi anyway during the day (Especially Super Potato, who I think has equipped it's upstairs with heaters).

[Japan-Games.com]

One more tip for buying in Japan. If you're using a credit card they'll ask you how many times you want it charged, like a payment type system. I just hold up one finger to say "once." It should be the very first question they ask you after you hand them your credit card. After they're done with their question and they're staring at you, just hold up your finger. That's all you need to know...

Manga Souko? I didn't know how lucky I was when I first saw it. It's a "retro" store with used items...everything from old chairs to shoes to video games to laserdiscs to clothing...etc.

Today I picked up:

(SS) Street Fighter Zero 3
(SS) Darius Gaiden
(SS) Shining Force Part 3 Scenario 2
(SS) (a few adult titles, can't remember the names)
(SS) (a few random generic titles)

(Neo Geo) Samurai Showdown ($3 each)
(Neo Geo) Sanurai Showdown 4 ($7)

Zero 3 was $42, Daiden was $5, Shining Force was $27, the generics were $2-$3 each like Baku Baku Animals and Gale Racer.

Most of their stuff is overpriced but if you're willing to look through thousands of titles you'll find something. Dungeons and Dragons with the 4 MB memory cart was $150, so usually the stuff is out of reach for a reseller like me.

A guy who goes by the name Yakumo has a website called SegagagaDomain.com. He snuck a video camera into the store for his monthly video magazine. Yuo can download it here: http://www.segagagadomain.com/RetroCorepage-main.htm.

[Dimitri]

If you're feeling lucky, you can always try a Book Off or a Hard Off (yes that is the name), you never know what you can find in there sometimes. There's a lot of variation in the prices too so sometimes you can get some really great deals as well.
Seconded! I found three Book Offs in Mito while I was there last summer and managed to blow a quarter of my cash before I even set foot in Akiba. Primarily shelf after shelf of PS1 stuff (which was good since I was hoping for such) but a good amount of Saturn and SFC stuff as well.

[~日本~Densha~]

Hi I am going to Japan this Winter and I need some good hints from you guys where I can find some great retro stuff. I am really not interested in New Generation Consoles or Stuff.

I know the most common stores like Book Off, Mandrake or Super Potatoe but are there any other. I am in Tokyo and also Yokohama.

I am mostly looking for FAMICOM Games and a red Twin Sharp with workin Disk System, an MSX2+ console and MSX games, Mega Drive games, PC-Engine Games, Game Gear console new (a colored one blue or red) and Games, some Gameboy Games, Sega Mark III console and Games and maybe some PC88 or Sharp68000 Games.

Any good hints would help me a lot and can someone tell me where this Store or are there many of this branch? Because they have a huge amount of retro stuff:
http://www.segagagadomain.com/junk/shimosone/mangashouko-hardware.htm

Thank you guys in advance

Densha~

PS: And where are these Hard Off stores? Or better where is the biggest one with the most stuff in Tokyo?

[smork]

Here is my thread in Import Mania:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123571

It's got alot of out of the way game stores. Almost none of these are easy to get to, though.

There aren't any Hard Offs in central Tokyo, and almost all of the ones I know require a car to get to.

[tom]

Is it true that Japan tried to ban second hand sales with games over ten years old? I think I read something somewhere.

[Thrillo]

If I were you, I would use hard Yen to pay for everything; credit cards are a pain to use if you don't speak Japanese. A friend of mine bought a PS2 with a card, and even with the use of a (shoddy) online translator it took half an hour to pay.

[pato]

Well, everyone here has pretty much covered everything I was going to say :)

Sometimes, when looking for retro stuff, it is good to check out those shoddy looking stores (In Akiba) that look like they only sell used DVD's (often manga and porn lol). I have often found boxes of really cheap famicom, super famicom, saturn, pc-engine and playstation games.
While a lot of it is often crap, I have sometimes found some of the better titles mixed in there (for much cheaper then big retro stores in Akiba). Although if you are into complete stuff and prestine quality you will not find it in these kinds of places. Myself, I just want to play the games.
When I lived there, the Book off's usually had a mixed bag of titles. Sometimes I would walk into one and find a gem, somtimes nothing. I went to a Hard off store during my last visit (Early October) and their retro section was not the greatest. However, I did pick up some good PS2 compilations. One being Psikyo Shooting Collection Vol. 2: Sengoku Ace & Sengoku Blade for 1000 yen. Very nice! So it is always worth checking these places out as there is always a possibilty of finding something.
Cheers

[Jorpho]

If I were you, I would use hard Yen to pay for everything; credit cards are a pain to use if you don't speak Japanese. A friend of mine bought a PS2 with a card, and even with the use of a (shoddy) online translator it took half an hour to pay.Really? I read once that paying by credit card is the easiest thing to do when traveling in foreign countries (though there's probably additional charges associated with it). What could have been the difficulty?

[Breetai]

Really? I read once that paying by credit card is the easiest thing to do when traveling in foreign countries (though there's probably additional charges associated with it). What could have been the difficulty?Japan is different than a foreign country. It is Japan. Yes, I know that doesn't make sense to you... but it does to those of us who are here now.

Credit Card is not the way to go in Japan except at hotels. Cash all the way here! Tons of places don't even except credit cards here yet. It's totally a cash based country.

[smork]

Japan is different than a foreign country. It is Japan. Yes, I know that doesn't make sense to you... but it does to those of us who are here now.

Credit Card is not the way to go in Japan except at hotels. Cash all the way here! Tons of places don't even except credit cards here yet. It's totally a cash based country.

I always find it funny when you see expensive stores that don't take credit cards. My buddy bought a laptop here from one of the back alley Akiba shops, $1000+ and cash only, baby.

That being said I don't think it's difficult to use a credit card here. I don't see why it would take 30 minute plus a translator - the only thing different from using a card in the west is the fact you can break the purchase into multiple payments (for Japan cards only). So they always ask you how many payments you want for your purchase....

[pato]

Japan is different than a foreign country. It is Japan. Yes, I know that doesn't make sense to you... but it does to those of us who are here now.

Credit Card is not the way to go in Japan except at hotels. Cash all the way here! Tons of places don't even except credit cards here yet. It's totally a cash based country.


LOL!
Your first comment is so true. Like you said, it only makes sense to those whom have experienced life in Japan. Often, I would explain to a friend overseas how things are in Japan. Then he would say, WTF!? I don't get it. Why? I would then say, It's just, well, Japan Logic! You don't have to understand it. That's just the way things are :)

[Jasonbar]

Other than Akihabara, Liberty in Shinjuku will carry stuff for most systems, and Mandarake in Shibuya, just to name a couple.



Can you provide an address/website/phone #/map for Libery in Shinjuku? I'll be staying there in a week.

Thanks,
-Jason

[Richter Belmount]

Well, I will travel to Japan in a few days and I would like to read some advice above how to buy retro game there.

Any suggestion will be welcomed. :)

With money