Northern Japan - Best kept secret in Retro Gaming? [56K VERY NO]

[Epicenter]

Now, I'm not a 'collector'. I enjoy having a stash of all the games I like to play, in their real boxes/cases with their manuals if possible, and I like to put system boxes on display. But I don't just buy an armload of games I won't play for the sake of having them. That said, in the 6 months I've been in Northern Japan I've found an unbelievable amount of games/systems that are long-time favorites of mine, for excellent prices, within driving distance of where I live. Much of which are even games I grew up with.

 

Have a look:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is perhaps 50% of what I've found so far ... just what I had photos of onhand. Things not pictured include a stack of 6 Super Famicoms I got for ~$3 apiece, 2 Saturns for $4, a PC-FX that was ~$35, another boxed MegaDrive that was ~$24, etc.

 

I'll add more photos to this thread later; including a store I located (it looked like an arcade, turns out it's a gigantic used games, dvd and hobby shop) that has an entire 2 WALLS just covered with Famicom carts, SFC carts, another wall that's entirely boxed MD, SFC, Saturn, Mega CD, Dreamcast, and PC Engine stuff, also some scattered NG MVS/AES, boxed FC carts, several bookcases stuffed with 8 to 32bit gaming magazines and guides ... it's unreal.

 

Forget thrift stores, little game stores and FUCK GameStop (r.i.p. funcoland). This place is awesome. (my poor wallet) I'm extremely grateful that Japanese store owners never forget to tailor to niches, including those who like classic games, rather than tossing out all their stuff older than the Dreamcast in favor of prettier graphics and more polygons .. and don't have the mentality that "Oh, you want that SMB/Duck Hunt cart? well it's vintage so it'll cost you. How's $45 sound?"

Edited April 26, 2007 by Epicenter

[Lauren Tyler]

Now that's some nice stuff. If only we could have stores like that here in the US.

[Technosis]

Yeah is seems like the Land of the Rising Sun is gamer heaven!

[spacecadet]

I don't think there's anything about Northern Japan specifically that's great for gaming... "Eastern" Japan (as it's called) is just as good, and Western Japan probably is too. It's everywhere.

 

Every time I go there, I end up having to put back stuff that I had no plans to buy but just couldn't resist taking up to the register. I never have enough room to carry all the stuff I want, though. Last time, I put back a FamiCom that was priced at 100 yen! That's like 80 cents.

 

But I've actually bought about half the stuff in the photos above too

[Epicenter]

Well, the areas I visit in particular don't seem to be big hits with the younger gaming crowd so that might explain why it's easier to find a lot of good classic stuff at non-opportunistic prices.

[christianscott27]

Thats living the dream in some ways Congrats and fill your luggage full. Any luck finding game and watch type stuff? I always figure the games arent much different but boy the Japanese understand cool packaging.

[keilbaca]

That's nothing.

 

There's several places near tokyo that I was at, that I seen all of that stuff and a lot, lot more. Mainly, Super Potato in Akiabara.

 

I just wish I still would have picked up that Famicom New when I seen it...

 

What the amusing thing about Super Potato is, is that they always had Moonwalker playing in the genesis as a display, and it was there when i went there a year later, still being played. So, if you go to Super Potato, don't be surprised if you see Moonwalker being displayed.

Edited April 26, 2007 by keilbaca

[ApolloBoy]

Holy crap! I gotta go to Japan one of these days...

[Epicenter]

I'm glad I don't have to worry about luggage as I physically live here rather than just vacationing. I didn't see ANYTHING like what I find here on vacation a few years ago; at which time I went to Tokyo incl. Akihabara, Hiroshima and Kyoto (the anagram-lover's Tokyo.)

 

If I did find a new Famicom anywhere it'd probably cost a fortune. I bet Super Potato wanted a pretty penny for it (or a pretty yenny oh god did I just say that) I don't mind my systems being used so long as they're in good shape, which all of these have been. Even the ones left for dead in the Junk section of Hard-Off.

 

What really surprises me is what a ripoff sellers from Japan are most of the time. I mean, I looked up my PC-FX ($35, 'CIB') on eBay and found similar were auctioned for $115 and up, often $130 and up. That's BEFORE shipping! Sure, $30+ airmail out of Japan for a reasonably heavy package is reasonable; I just mailed a 12 pound box for $33-- but the value a lot of people seem to attach to shit just because IT'S FROM JAPAN OMG OMG OMG is ridiculous.

 

I'm going to be in an odd situation when I come back to the states, though-- "import-modding" my consoles to play US games rather than the other way around. As it stands 90% of my video game stuff is now Japanese.

Edited April 26, 2007 by Epicenter

[gdement]

Wow - Japan is colorful.

[Epicenter]

Another photo .. my FC collection as of last week. (It has since grown 10 carts.) The thing on top's an FDS copy of Zelda (~$3.50). I still need to get an FDS.

 

[y-bot]

I'm glad I don't have to worry about luggage as I physically live here rather than just vacationing. I didn't see ANYTHING like what I find here on vacation a few years ago; at which time I went to Tokyo incl. Akihabara, Hiroshima and Kyoto (the anagram-lover's Tokyo.)

 

If I did find a new Famicom anywhere it'd probably cost a fortune. I bet Super Potato wanted a pretty penny for it (or a pretty yenny oh god did I just say that) I don't mind my systems being used so long as they're in good shape, which all of these have been. Even the ones left for dead in the Junk section of Hard-Off.

 

What really surprises me is what a ripoff sellers from Japan are most of the time. I mean, I looked up my PC-FX ($35, 'CIB') on eBay and found similar were auctioned for $115 and up, often $130 and up. That's BEFORE shipping! Sure, $30+ airmail out of Japan for a reasonably heavy package is reasonable; I just mailed a 12 pound box for $33-- but the value a lot of people seem to attach to shit just because IT'S FROM JAPAN OMG OMG OMG is ridiculous.

 

I'm going to be in an odd situation when I come back to the states, though-- "import-modding" my consoles to play US games rather than the other way around. As it stands 90% of my video game stuff is now Japanese.

 

Hard Off rules for cheap common stuff. Super Potato is a nice place to look around and there are some deals but most of their prices are high. I like Traders in Akihabara and Mandarake is Shibuya & Nakano. There's another store I don't the name of in Akihabara that is good too. They have the original boxes for cases of Game & Watches above their displays and it's on two floors several floors above street level. Last time I was there they had a bunch of rare stuff that wasn't for sale because the boss wasn't in but the time before I got a boxed Bandai Intellivision for $30. I mostly look for 1985 and older stuff for myself and cheap 80's/90's stuff to resell. Old stuff is hard to find in Tokyo. I thin most of it ends up on Yahoo.

 

y-bot

[Epicenter]

The only bit of retro gaming stuff I found in a week in Tokyo was a boxed SFC2. Hardly a rarity. Though I haven't seen another since, I wouldn't call a reissued SFC particularly impressive a find, especially with no cartridges in sight.

[spacecadet]

The only bit of retro gaming stuff I found in a week in Tokyo was a boxed SFC2. Hardly a rarity. Though I haven't seen another since, I wouldn't call a reissued SFC particularly impressive a find, especially with no cartridges in sight.

 

I dunno, you're not looking in the right places then. Even the big chains like WonderGoo carry used retro gaming stuff. That's where I found the 100 yen Famicom that I put back. Almost every decent store carries used FC, SFC and MegaDrive games and accessories. Most carry SG-1000, MSX, NeoGeo and others too.

 

I don't just mean Akihabara either. You can throw a rock and hit a store like this in the Tokyo area. Last time I was there, I literally stumbled upon probably half a dozen used game stores in various neighborhoods; didn't buy much because I'm not a big expert in the classic era in Japan, but I like to gawk, at least. And I do buy a lot of stuff from the Saturn era on up - that stuff's all like a buck now. I bought two of the black stunner guns for Saturn there for 200 yen two trips ago! (That was at WonderGoo in Ibaraki.) Also bought a V-Saturn on the same trip for 1,780 yen.

 

My first trip to Tokyo seven or eight years ago, Traders had a boxed Atari 2800 sitting in the middle of the floor and I didn't buy it. (It wasn't cheap, but cheaper than you can buy them for here - I think it was something like 24,000 yen.) I've also seen top-loading Famicoms for 3800 yen new, boxed NeoGeo AES's for 8800 yen, boxed regular Famicoms for 2800 yen, and of course my pride and joy Derby Stallion Sega Saturn for 4800 yen new. Bought three of those DOA2 SE's for Dreamcast on one trip for 2300 yen each, and sold two for more than $100! (I hit that at just the right time.)

 

Great thing about Japan is that stores often won't carry things that aren't in basically perfect shape. If they do, they mark stuff like that down humongously because nobody wants it.

[Epicenter]

There's a Wonder Goo nearby I got a lot of cheap Famicom carts at, and also some Saturn games. No good selections of systems, though, unless I really wanted to buy an SFC. Their loose SFCs with no accessories were 5 times what they cost at Hard-Off though (300 yen).