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.

[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 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.





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. ^.^

[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. ^.^

LOL

Now, 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:



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/074...e=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.