Kyoto

a-Too

Address: 65 Hirano Miyanishicho, Kita Ward, Kyoto, 603-8357, Japan

a-Too is the first of two stores I came across completely by accident while visiting Kyoto, as it didn't turn up in any of my search results back when I was initially planning the trip. It belongs to a chain of hobby stores that has locations across Japan and is operated by the same company as Surugaya.

I stumbled across it when I was doing the walk from Kinkaku-Ji down to Emmachi Station (to get the train to Saga-Arashiyama) and noticed its retro sign, which proudly announced that the store sold games for the Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and Super Famicom.

After that, I later ended up revisiting the store a few more times during my stay in Kyoto (as it was only minutes away from my accommodation), and almost every time I entered, it was completely deserted, save for myself and its two extremely helpful staff members.

The shop only has a single floor, but has an incredible amount of stock for a variety of retro machines. These include those we mentioned above (that were listed on the sign) as well as titles for the Sega Dreamcast, Sega Mega Drive, PS2, Nintendo Famicom, Nintendo DS, Switch, and Game Boy Advance. All of these were priced fairly reasonably, so I ended up buying most of the old Goemon games for the Famicom and Super Famicom, as well as the Goemon spiritual successor Otogi Katsugeki Mameda no Bakeru: Oracle Saitarou no Sainan!! for Switch.

Furuhon Ichiba

Address: Japan, 〒602-8442 Kyoto, Kamigyo Ward, Yakushicho, 226-2

Above, I said that there were two stores I came across at random, and this is the other one. Furuhon Ichiba in Kamigyo Ward belongs to a chain of charity shops that typically sells items like books, games, and DVDs, and was located on the short walk from my accommodation to Shiramine Shrine (a small-ish shrine dedicated to the Shinto god of ball games and sports).

Again, this didn't come up in my initial Googling before travelling to Japan but seemed to be a pretty decent spot to pick up games. The store sold games for a variety of modern consoles like the Nintendo Switch and PS5, as well as titles for a large number of older machines, including the Super Famicom, Sony PlayStation, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Sega Dreamcast, PS3, PS4, and more. Before leaving, I ended up buying a copy of Ganbare Goemon: Sarawareta Ebisumaru! for the Nintendo Game Boy.

Ganbare Goemon: Sarawareta Ebisumaru!
Image: Jack Yarwood / Time Extension

Mandarake

Address: Japan, 〒600-8002 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Shincho, 52 京都髙島屋S.C. T8 4階

Mandarake's Kyoto store opened in October 2023 and is situated in the Kyoto Takashimaya S.C. mall on the fourth floor (three floors below the Nintendo Kyoto store).

Much like its other branches, which are located all across Japan, it sells a range of used goods and collectibles including nostalgic toys, statues, music, and games. However, this store's video game section was pretty paltry.

It essentially comprised of one case, which contained multiple copies of Akumajō Densetsu, Super Contra: The Alien Strikes Back, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Manhattan Project, as well as boxed versions of Kid Dracula, Bucky O'Hare, and Sweet Home. All of these were a tad too expensive for me, so I ended up leaving with nothing.

Surugaya

Address: 534-2 Ebisunocho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8033, Japan

This Surugaya location in Kyoto was slightly larger than the one in Akihabara and was spread across multiple floors. It was pretty easy to get to, being located in Shimogyo Ward not too far from Kyoto Takashimaya S.C (which is where Nintendo Kyoto and Mandarake are located), and was stocked with a pretty good mix of PC Engine games, as well as titles for the Famicom, Super Famicom, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, and more.

From what I've been told, the section covering games used to extend to the second floor, but now the upstairs is where you'll mostly find a bunch of model kits and video game soundtracks. It was here that I picked up a fairly pricey copy of EGG Music Records' Ganbare Goemon Original Soundtrack Box.

Goemon Soundtrack
Image: Jack Yarwood / Time Extension

Book Off

Address: 97 Nishikujo Gawarajocho, Minami Ward, Kyoto, 601-8424, Japan

After visiting the Book Off location in Akihabara, I was encouraged to travel to the Minami Ward store in Kyoto, to give it a look. The store is located close to Tōji-Temple with its impressive 5-story pagoda and is roughly 20 minutes away from Kyoto Station on foot.

Much like the Akihabara store, the first floor of the store was where all of the games were located, but it was clear almost immediately that I was in for disappointment. Whereas the other store had whole sections dedicated to individual platforms, most of the games here had simply been thrown together — likely to make up for a lack of stock.

Some of these items included old Pokémon games, as well as items for the PS4, Famicom, and Super Famicom. There were also a couple of console peripherals located nearby, like a Sega Saturn steering wheel and a Taiko no Tatsujin drum for the Nintendo Wii, but all in all, it was a pretty poor selection. The only saving grace was its collection of video game guides for series like Animal Crossing and Kingdom Hearts.