Yeah, I went on vacation last year to Japan and I agree on several points. The conversion rate was ¥ 131 >>> € 1, but I did know that Super Patato is fun to browse, not the ideal place to spend money. It was also packed with tourists when I visited mostly because SP is schown as a hotspot in several guides.
Retro Gamecamp was a cool spot; it was the only place I visited with a normal price for Mother 3 (roughly € 47 for just the cart which I got) and I bought other several things there: Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Starfy 2, Ultimate Jump Super Stars and Resident Evil for PlayStation. Those were about € 30~ish all together. And in great condition.
Beep I can recommend as well! Such an unique store with awesome stuff I have only seen there. Even saw Chronotrigger for just ¥ 500 haha. Surugaya was a bit of a bust, because it had a lower selection back then. Trader was fun to walk through. Book-off has an amazing selection of DS games. Got A.S.H. from Mistwalker for ¥ 900. Lots of DS games at affordable prices, from ¥ 500 to 1500.
The coolest place I have been was a store somewhere in the center of Kobe. Was there to get me some Kobe beef, on the way there I came across a retro game store which sold boxed Super Famicom games starting at ¥ 1300. I got a copy of Final Fantasy VI for ¥ 1800 in a great condition. The store owner wasnt happy to see me at first, but seeing how excited I was at the time she warmed up to me ha.
Been to the one in Tokyo and Osaka last year. Kyoto wasn’t finished yet.
Tokyo was fun, but the Osaka one was more spacious and relaxed to walk into. The vibe in the store is pleasant though. Visiting the stores on a Saturday or Sunday is absolutely bonkers. You got time slots as well and well… let’s just say you can come back in about three hours. Got myself a TotK towel which wasn’t super expensive and a few other little things. They love Pikmin over there.
The Capcom store in Osaka was cool too, they had those cute little deformed Capcom plushies which I had to get of Wesker and Lady Dimitrescu.
Considering what Oliver mentions, I can definitely confirm from my own experiences. Last year September it was the first time ever I visited Japan, something I have always wanted to do since I was a kid. I'll definitely be going back and I'm working on a second trip, in a few years.
While I was in Japan to experience the culture, the cities, the nature, the food and the many many things Japan is famous for, I can't deny I did bring along some neat stuff back home.
The thing that really surprised me was the bizarre lower value of the Yen and the amount of stores offering tax free shopping. Even if you have paid the taxes, lots of things in Japan, if you keep an eye out, you can make a vacation to Japan quite affordable. I'm shocked to see that the yen devalued even more, because last year € 1 was worth about ¥ 131.
That's not to say that Japan can still be expensive. Oh it certainly can be, I assure you. I see Akihabara being mentioned and I concur; if you have stores like the Super Potato, that's a place that's fully focussed on emptying your pockets. However even in Akihabara there are places where you can a good deals. Last year during a smallish typhoon my plans in Tokyo were a bit ruined, so I decided to relax in the afternoon in Akihabara and came across some stores with a great selection of games. And honestly, I was surprised by some of them.
To be fair, I had one big wish for games on my list when I was in Japan and that was to get a copy of Mother 3. Which was the only purchase I did for which I had to hand over some cash, which was roughly € 48. It was cart only, but during my stroll through Akihabra it was only one of three copies I could find. Great condition btw.
In Kobe I even came across a store and there I saw something I think I would never see again in my life; boxed SNES games, some a bit faded, some treated with a lot of care between ¥ 1500 and 3500. As a fun souvenir I bought a complete, boxed copy of Final Fantasy VI for just ¥ 1800. Seeing how Oliver mentions that in the smaller cities or small towns you will even find better deals, this was an absolute win for me. If I want a boxed EU version of the same game... I shudder to think what I have to pay. Even the GBA version of VI is like over € 100. A boxed FF VI for just € 12, insanity. I also came across Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land for ¥ 780, couldn't pas that up either.
Especially with the maddness of the EU retromarket, it was refreshing to pay about € 60-ish (My Mother 3 purchase excluded) for two Super Famicom games, a PSone title, two DS games, a GBA game and GB game. And really, just walking through the stores and seeing the selections they have is a treat in itself. I do remember that one of the employees at the place where I bought Mother 3 for example and a few others liking my child-like enthousiasm when I bought them. She did ask if we do not have these types of stores in the Netherlands; "not like this" I answered.
Comments 3
Re: Best Of 2024: 3 Cities, 17 Stores – Our Epic Retro Gaming Hunt Across Japan
Yeah, I went on vacation last year to Japan and I agree on several points. The conversion rate was ¥ 131 >>> € 1, but I did know that Super Patato is fun to browse, not the ideal place to spend money. It was also packed with tourists when I visited mostly because SP is schown as a hotspot in several guides.
Retro Gamecamp was a cool spot; it was the only place I visited with a normal price for Mother 3 (roughly € 47 for just the cart which I got) and I bought other several things there: Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Starfy 2, Ultimate Jump Super Stars and Resident Evil for PlayStation. Those were about € 30~ish all together. And in great condition.
Beep I can recommend as well! Such an unique store with awesome stuff I have only seen there. Even saw Chronotrigger for just ¥ 500 haha. Surugaya was a bit of a bust, because it had a lower selection back then. Trader was fun to walk through. Book-off has an amazing selection of DS games. Got A.S.H. from Mistwalker for ¥ 900. Lots of DS games at affordable prices, from ¥ 500 to 1500.
The coolest place I have been was a store somewhere in the center of Kobe. Was there to get me some Kobe beef, on the way there I came across a retro game store which sold boxed Super Famicom games starting at ¥ 1300. I got a copy of Final Fantasy VI for ¥ 1800 in a great condition. The store owner wasnt happy to see me at first, but seeing how excited I was at the time she warmed up to me ha.
Re: Retail Therapy: Nintendo Stores, Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto)
Been to the one in Tokyo and Osaka last year. Kyoto wasn’t finished yet.
Tokyo was fun, but the Osaka one was more spacious and relaxed to walk into. The vibe in the store is pleasant though. Visiting the stores on a Saturday or Sunday is absolutely bonkers. You got time slots as well and well… let’s just say you can come back in about three hours. Got myself a TotK towel which wasn’t super expensive and a few other little things. They love Pikmin over there.
The Capcom store in Osaka was cool too, they had those cute little deformed Capcom plushies which I had to get of Wesker and Lady Dimitrescu.
Re: The Truth About Retro Game Hunting In A Post-Pandemic Japan
Considering what Oliver mentions, I can definitely confirm from my own experiences. Last year September it was the first time ever I visited Japan, something I have always wanted to do since I was a kid. I'll definitely be going back and I'm working on a second trip, in a few years.
While I was in Japan to experience the culture, the cities, the nature, the food and the many many things Japan is famous for, I can't deny I did bring along some neat stuff back home.
The thing that really surprised me was the bizarre lower value of the Yen and the amount of stores offering tax free shopping. Even if you have paid the taxes, lots of things in Japan, if you keep an eye out, you can make a vacation to Japan quite affordable. I'm shocked to see that the yen devalued even more, because last year € 1 was worth about ¥ 131.
That's not to say that Japan can still be expensive. Oh it certainly can be, I assure you. I see Akihabara being mentioned and I concur; if you have stores like the Super Potato, that's a place that's fully focussed on emptying your pockets. However even in Akihabara there are places where you can a good deals. Last year during a smallish typhoon my plans in Tokyo were a bit ruined, so I decided to relax in the afternoon in Akihabara and came across some stores with a great selection of games. And honestly, I was surprised by some of them.
To be fair, I had one big wish for games on my list when I was in Japan and that was to get a copy of Mother 3. Which was the only purchase I did for which I had to hand over some cash, which was roughly € 48. It was cart only, but during my stroll through Akihabra it was only one of three copies I could find. Great condition btw.
In Kobe I even came across a store and there I saw something I think I would never see again in my life; boxed SNES games, some a bit faded, some treated with a lot of care between ¥ 1500 and 3500. As a fun souvenir I bought a complete, boxed copy of Final Fantasy VI for just ¥ 1800. Seeing how Oliver mentions that in the smaller cities or small towns you will even find better deals, this was an absolute win for me. If I want a boxed EU version of the same game... I shudder to think what I have to pay. Even the GBA version of VI is like over € 100. A boxed FF VI for just € 12, insanity. I also came across Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land for ¥ 780, couldn't pas that up either.
Especially with the maddness of the EU retromarket, it was refreshing to pay about € 60-ish (My Mother 3 purchase excluded) for two Super Famicom games, a PSone title, two DS games, a GBA game and GB game. And really, just walking through the stores and seeing the selections they have is a treat in itself. I do remember that one of the employees at the place where I bought Mother 3 for example and a few others liking my child-like enthousiasm when I bought them. She did ask if we do not have these types of stores in the Netherlands; "not like this" I answered.