Retro shopping in Japan... Success!

[Flak Beard]

I want to thank everyone who posted in this topic and helped me single out the best stores to visit in Akihabara. I didn't come back with as much as I thought I would, but just the experience of walking through and seeing the sites was the best part.

I managed to pick up a few games I've been wanting, including Einhander, IQ Final, Jumping Flash (no long box yay!), Do Re Mi Fantasy, Parodius Da and Super Bombliss. Everything was surprisingly cheap and I got this whole lot for under $50 total. I also managed to spend around $30 just on capsule machines, buying the Mario sound toys for just about everyone I know. Now at work I'll hear the sound of Mario going down a pipe, or the opening tune for when you start the game, just out of nowhere. People love them here, but I've created a monster! My fiancee picked up the PSP version of Echochrome, which was good because we found out it was going to be a PSN download only in the US when we got back. I also got to play DoDonPachi at a 24 hour arcade and our hotel was right next door to the Konami building in midtown Tokyo!

Some of the things I wanted were a little too expensive for my tastes. The only place I could find a PCE Core Grafx was Super Potato and they were around $80. Also, Harmful Park is up there in the $100 - $150 range. The cheapest I saw it was for $118, and it was somewhat beat up.

Anyway, I'll post some pics from the trip when I get a chance. I need to resize them in Photoshop, because they are huge right now. Thanks again to everyone who provided info. It was the trip of my life.

[grittykitty]

i visited akiba twice in the summer, and there's a new retro game store along the strip. i forgot what it was called, but it had an english name and it was next to "gamers" i believe. if you're coming from the main exit of the JR station and going "up" the street, it'll be on the right side after a few blocks. it's really crowded, but the upstairs is a goldmine for 16-bit games! don't forget to check out liberty! i believe the cd/video/gaming location is on the left side (near a side street) and one of the entrances is across from a long row of vending machines

oh, there's a chain store (i think it was gamers, or game trader) with a location near shinjuku station that had some awesome deals (ex. kof 95 for saturn complete with ram cart for less than a dollar!). it's one block to the right from the east exit of shinjuku station (i think first kitchen is across the street)

[aaron]

maybe someday...

good luck!

[Gamerforlife]

Actually, getting the import versions of some of those games isn't such a bad idea. Aside from good prices(I would think), Astal has its intro song intact in the Japanese version. I doubt Nights is in any way different than the US version and Dynamite Deka is pretty much exactly like the US version(including english voices)

[ImportBoy]

Don't forget about Hard-Off / Book-Off stores. Not sure where they are in Tokyo though but I found some great finds in both of those further north.

[D.D.D.]

TRADER, Medialand, SofMap, and Super Potato all places that are good - and all on the main street (except Potato, on the backstreet behind the main drag).
If you really want to go to the better place for used games, go to Den Den Town in Osaka. Akihabara used to be better but then all the anime and maid cafe crap rolled in (pardon me if that's your cup of tea) and rent got hiked up so the majority of the used stores moved elsewhere (but I don't know where they all went in Tokyo).
Any specific Qs, hit me up.

[ott0bot]

TRADER, Medialand, SofMap, and Super Potato all places that are good - and all on the main street (except Potato, on the backstreet behind the main drag).
If you really want to go to the better place for used games, go to Den Den Town in Osaka. Akihabara used to be better but then all the anime and maid cafe crap rolled in (pardon me if that's your cup of tea) and rent got hiked up so the majority of the used stores moved elsewhere (but I don't know where they all went in Tokyo).
Any specific Qs, hit me up.

We were having a debate on another thread, and since you live in Japan, maybe you can help us out. My friend lived in China for several years and she said that it was cheaper and easier to find consules and games in China rather than Japan. I know they have alot of pirated stuff, but she said they had alot of legit stuff as well. Plus she said it was cheaper to travel and rent a room. What is you experience?
Have you ever compared prices in China and Japan on retro games and consules?

[Flak Beard]

TRADER, Medialand, SofMap, and Super Potato all places that are good - and all on the main street (except Potato, on the backstreet behind the main drag).
If you really want to go to the better place for used games, go to Den Den Town in Osaka. Akihabara used to be better but then all the anime and maid cafe crap rolled in (pardon me if that's your cup of tea) and rent got hiked up so the majority of the used stores moved elsewhere (but I don't know where they all went in Tokyo).
Any specific Qs, hit me up.

I'll definitely look out for all four of those shops. Do you know if Medialand is a chain? I think my friend mentioned there being one near his house in Hiroshima. Also, what kind of prices can I expect to see on the stuff I want?

Anime and maid cafes are what I'm trying to avoid, so if I can isolate the shops I want to visit, I should be good to avoid those things.

[selfdestroyer]

This looks like the strip that D.D.D is writing about..

http://akiba.ascii24.com/akiba/news/200 ... 4-001.html

[extrarice]

Don't forget about Hard-Off / Book-Off stores. Not sure where they are in Tokyo though but I found some great finds in both of those further north.

I second this advice. Great stores.