Best physical stores to buy games in Japan?

[JessicaWolf]

So, I have a trip to Japan planed May 7th~28! This is my first time going to Japan, so I am super excited.

I have at least one day set aside for going to Akihabara to shops for all sorts of game/anime stuff. I am well aware of price gougers like Super Potato who don't mind having foreigners pay double or triple what a game is worth.

My question is this; what are some good places in the Tokyo area to buy retro games (FC, FDS, SFC, WS, GB) and new games (3DS, Vita)?

[syobonaction]

Woah woah! Super Potato was my fave! I went there just about every other weekend when I was living in Japan. I never really considered them to be gougers, but they aren't cheap. There's another retro game place on the main strip thats pretty cool. It's small and has a little awning that says "Retro Game" in katakana on the front. I'm not sure, but you might wanna dip outside of Akiba if you're looking for any kind of deals on games.

Have a great time! 

Make sure to show us your hauls!

[Raverrevolution]

Lucky!!!  I can't wait to one day plan a trip back there.

Look for the Trader shops in Akihabara.  There's one in particular by the train tracks that's easy to miss.  They have a bin in the back with all retro games.  I found some assorted Famicom games for a $1 or 2

There's a tiny shop called Friends, I think that's the name.  It was on the 2nd or 3rd floor of a building in the northern section of Akihabara.  They had an awesome selection, but that shop was so tiny.

I don't get all the hate for Super Potato.  Sure, they're overpriced, but you'll find much better deals than Ebay.  I enjoyed walking in there and looking around.  I ended up buying a bunch of games there too.  And if you're lucky and find a working Super Famicom in their junk section marked as broken then buy it.  Cost me $3.
Post Merge: March 24, 2014, 10:45:14 am
Here's a good link to go buy;

http://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-classic-gamers-tokyo-shopping-guide

[heranbago]

I didn't like Super Potato so much. They have some very rare things if that's what you;re looking for but prices aren't great.

Since you're spending a day in Akihabara I say wander around looking at the smaller shops. The one under this overpass is particularly good. I've found some NIB stuff and Arino even visits there on Game Center CX:
http://cache.tokyotimes.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/3/files/2010/06/4689312871_8067bffd11_o1.jpg

Outside of Akihabara or even outside of Tokyo look for a Book Off. Great selection, great prices.


I hope you have some time set aside in your trip to see the country side. Japan has nice countryside and there's more to it than the packed metropolis of Tokyo.

[Raverrevolution]

Yes Book Off!!  That's the one under the train tracks, not Trader.  Book Off was very cheap.  The bin in the back was great to go through.

Retro game shopping is such a hit or miss in any place in Akihabara.  You might find some gem at a good price somewhere and say to yourself, "I can find it cheaper", but then no other place will have it or vice versa.

That's what happened to me.  I bought Rockman 5 at one of the shops, then walked into Friends, saw it for $5 and got pissed.  Then a couple of days after I walked back into that shop and the $5 one was nowhere to be seen, but they had more expensive ones up.

Pretty much if you run into a game or system at a good cheap price then grab it.  You'll never know what you'll find in other shops and at what prices.

[JessicaWolf]

I hope you have some time set aside in your trip to see the country side. Japan has nice countryside and there's more to it than the packed metropolis of Tokyo.

From the 7th~23rd we have an apartment rented in Ikebukuro and then 23rd~28th we are are staying in Kyoto. I know at least I am getting a JR Line pass for 14 days (still trying to figure out the train system work) because I want to go to Hiroshima to visit the atomic bomb museum and then maybe to Oukunoshima for the night (I love bunnies). If you have any suggestions though, I am more than willing to listen~

[tsunami.video.games]

Try searching for "Hard- Off" in and around Tokyo. I'm not sure how many there are, but there should be a load. These are part of the "Book-Off", "Hobby-Off", etc. franchise and they've always got really good cheap games and accessories. I guess the reason is that the Japanese tend to keep their games in much better condition than Europe or US.

I imagine the only problem would be (based on my location) that they are not always easily accessible by foot. But it is worth a search nonetheless. 

[heranbago]

Nikko is a nice old town with beautiful scenery and some serious temples a step ahead of even Kyoto.

Hakone is a lovely town full of hot springs. The ryokan sometimes give away free yukata or paper umbrellas.

Kyoto is a lovely city and actually has a Chinese grid layout unlike most Japanese cities like Tokyo, whose layout is pretty much to confuse invaders. I recommend staying at ryokan whenever you can but especially in Kyoto. They're cheaper than hotels but a bit more expensive than hostels.

[famifan]

http://game.web-sales.jp/
an year ago i got a dozen games from them, definitely cheaper than from superpotato. Idk if it exist as physical store
Eg. loose crysis force for slightly less than 20$

[tsunami.video.games]

Nikko is a nice old town with beautiful scenery and some serious temples a step ahead of even Kyoto.

Hakone is a lovely town full of hot springs. The ryokan sometimes give away free yukata or paper umbrellas.

Kyoto is a lovely city and actually has a Chinese grid layout unlike most Japanese cities like Tokyo, whose layout is pretty much to confuse invaders. I recommend staying at ryokan whenever you can but especially in Kyoto. They're cheaper than hotels but a bit more expensive than hostels.

What style Ryokan? These places always seem very expensive to me. But i guess it depends on the OP's budget.

Kyoto, Nara definitely worth a visit. If you like skiing or snowboarding, head up to Nagano or Gifu on the way down from Tokyo. If you are thinking about visiting Nagoya... please don't! There is nothing here!

Although Yamachan is pretty good!

[heranbago]

As for what style ryokan, really whatever the the OP can afford. Cheaper is always worth it because that's money you can spend somewhere else like food or retro games. The cheapest one I've seen was overrun by mosquitoes and ants (do not leave food waste or wrappers in your trash cans) but small family owned places have a certain charm to them.

A strange suggestion I'd like to make is if you insist on going to a maid cafe in Tokyo. Most of them are sleazy and you might feel bad going to them. A lot of visitors say they have to see one and it ends up being a mostly negative experience. I was dragged to a few by friends and the only one I can recommend is Little BSD in Akihabara. The people working there have enjoy dressing up in silly costumes and it has a fun atmosphere for people of all genders. These days there are a huge variety of cafes like butler cafes that are more popular with girls and ones with farm animals you can pet so now theme cafes come in a lot of flavors.

You're going to have a great time JessicaWolf! Plan your days carefully.

[syobonaction]

If you want coffee or snacks one day, might I suggest hitting up Pico Pico Cafe in Kichijouji?
It's a tiny game centered cafe run by New Zealand game developer Joseph White and his wife. The atmosphere is really nice and they are super kind as well. Plus you'll probably get to see him coding his new game, Voxatron.
They also have some Famicom and SuperFami games to play there on a little TV. 

http://www.picopicocafe.com/

[senseiman]

Unfortunately I am not familiar with Tokyo`s retro game stores, but in general:

Mandarake is always worth a visit.  I have been to their stores in Fukuoka, Osaka and Nagoya and all of them have an excellent selection of retro games and systems for fair prices.  I think they have a couple of locations in Tokyo and while I haven`t been to them, based on what I`ve seen at their other stores I would highly recommend a visit.

Book Off/ Hard Off - these stores can sometimes turn up amazing deals (someone on here bought copies of Gimmick and Hebereke for 100 yen each at one), but be warned that they are very hit and miss and can be quite frustrating.  Probably 80% of Book Offs don`t even have retro games  and of the ones that do most have been heavily picked over.  Hard Offs are a bit better, but a lot of them just have bins full of sports games and not much else.  If you have limited time on a trip, I only recommend visiting specific Book Offs/ Hard Offs which people have suggested because they are known to have decent retro game sections or ones which you happen to spot while you are walking down the street.  In other words, don`t look all of them up on Google maps and make trips out to random Book-Offs/ Hard Offs, unless you want to spend a day doing something very frustrating and time consuming (I am speaking from experience here).

Super Potato - I have visited their Osaka store and as people have said, the prices are on the high side.  Definitely worth a visit though just to see all the stuff they have - it is almost like a Famicom museum.

[JessicaWolf]

Ok, new update looking for new suggestions! I have a couple day trips planned on the shinkansen to Osaka and will visit Den-Den Town (日本橋) at least once. Are there any recommended game shops within the area that might be worth going to?

[L___E___T]

Just saw on Instagram there are some great deals at Omoshiro-Ichiba Aomori!  Wish I could go there myself.