Going to Japan in April. Where to buy NeoGeo/retro stuff?

rodolfocm

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Hey folks! I'm going to Japan for the second time, staying few days in Tokyo and Osaka, but doing side trips to Kyoto and Kobe. I was wondering if anyone can suggest stores to go and check for NeoGeo and other retrograming items. I'm expecting to buy 1 or 2 cheaper AES games (such as Samurai Spirits 2) but would love to see what they have. Also looking for some Japan-exclusive PS3/PS4/Switch games so any suggestion is appreciated.

Let me know which stores are the best ones to visit! Thanks for the help!
 

Yamazaki

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get ready to lube your butthole - and I mean lots of lube....the good stuff!


low-level stuff like SS2 etc are cheap compared to eBay.

the heavy hitters sold at the usual suspects like Mandarake, Surugaya or Super Potato are often more expensive then buying outside of Japan...

unfortunately...


most of the better deals are done in private, Mericari (which also turns to shit from what I hear) and sometimes at Book Off or Hard Off.


Don't expect to find an expensive AES game in the wild for cheap though. chances are dim...
 

rodolfocm

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get ready to lube your butthole - and I mean lots of lube....the good stuff!


low-level stuff like SS2 etc are cheap compared to eBay.

the heavy hitters sold at the usual suspects like Mandarake, Surugaya or Super Potato are often more expensive then buying outside of Japan...

unfortunately...


most of the better deals are done in private, Mericari (which also turns to shit from what I hear) and sometimes at Book Off or Hard Off.


Don't expect to find an expensive AES game in the wild for cheap though. chances are dim...

Thanks for the tips! How do you deal in private? Is there a website or app that people use? Also, what's "Mericari"? I found something called Mercari on Google, not sure it's the same thing though.
 

[OCEAN]

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What Yamazaki said. The only decent deals you'll find in Japan are, maybe, in Yahoo auctions.

Hard Offs and similar stores, where you could find good deals a few years ago, have their own online shops now (so prices aren't good anymore) and their junk sections are raided on a daily basis by Yahoo/eBay power sellers. For common games, just avoid Mandarake, Super Potato and, most of all, Retro Game Camp and you'll maybe find some decent deals when you visit Akiba, Den Den Town or Center Plaza.

On the other hand, PS3/4 games have really good price points now. For these, I'd suggest taking a look in GEO stores (which are all over Japan) and Trader in Akiba.
 

Yamazaki

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lol - so far I have never heard of anybody ever saying anything good about Retro Game Camp xD

no foreign buyer or even the Japanese xD
 

Neo Alec

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Go to Hard Off in a small town off the beaten path instead of Tokyo.
 

RAZO

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I figured that. Yaj is also a indicator that the prices aren't much different. Good for the Japanese.
 

BlackaneseNiNjA

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Yamazaki nailed it. With so many power sellers and more people in general traveling to japan and raiding the well known tokyo shops, the days of getting rare retro games that are also in high global demand ended a while ago.

If you’re looking for rare titles with heavy japanese text that foreigners/english speakers can’t really enjoy, then you’re still in luck. Unless you’re looking for awesome deals on the Tengai Makyou rpg series, everything isn’t priced too far off from what you’d find online these days.
 
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RAZO

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You could still find Nissan Skylines for solid prices though. Lol
 

wataru330

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Hit the thrift stores and midori marts and trash nights (you can score hardware on unburnable trash night) in well heeled neighborhoods like jiyugaoka, or get up to atami and do the same.

Gotta think outside the box to score; walking into a shop and landing deals is a thing of the past.
 

ChopstickSamurai

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I haven’t been to Japan for 10 years but a lot of stores I visited had Junk Boxes. These are games or consoles that are either untested or have cosmetic problems. Lots of deals to be had if you’re not too picky. But I haven’t been there in 10 years so YMMV.

This guy’s videos are good primers on video game shopping in Japan:

 
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rodolfocm

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Hit the thrift stores and midori marts and trash nights (you can score hardware on unburnable trash night) in well heeled neighborhoods like jiyugaoka, or get up to atami and do the same.

Gotta think outside the box to score; walking into a shop and landing deals is a thing of the past.

What's a "Midori Mart" and " trash nights"?


Thanks a lot for all the answer, guys. First time I was in Japan (2015) I actually didn't find good deals, but I was wondering if I missed something or if anything changed. Seems like it's the same, but I really appreciate the tips.
 

Yamazaki

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Unfortunately it's getting worse every year.

I remember back in 2003-2005 you could find things like Ninja Masters, Magical Drop 3 or MS3 for like 200-300$ each...

Metal Slug 1 and Chibi Maruko were the heavy hitters with 1000 - 1500 $ LOL





now it's basically full with French and Spanish resellers getting everything translated in the shops by their Japanese girlfriends....

or regular retro tourists that are looking for HIDDEN GEMS™ in secret shops that even your grandma knows about thanks to YouTube and Co....




I mean there are downloadable map apps that have all the old and new shops registered in them!!



and from what I see and hear on Twitter - even the Japanese gave up on trying to find good deals when it comes to Neo Geo..
 

rodolfocm

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Unfortunately it's getting worse every year.

I remember back in 2003-2005 you could find things like Ninja Masters, Magical Drop 3 or MS3 for like 200-300$ each...

Metal Slug 1 and Chibi Maruko were the heavy hitters with 1000 - 1500 $ LOL





now it's basically full with French and Spanish resellers getting everything translated in the shops by their Japanese girlfriends....

or regular retro tourists that are looking for HIDDEN GEMS™ in secret shops that even your grandma knows about thanks to YouTube and Co....




I mean there are downloadable map apps that have all the old and new shops registered in them!!



and from what I see and hear on Twitter - even the Japanese gave up on trying to find good deals when it comes to Neo Geo..

NeoGeo is basically the real estate of gaming: affordable for those who were able to buy it decades ago and a distant dream for newer people.
 

Dr Shroom

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lol - so far I have never heard of anybody ever saying anything good about Retro Game Camp xD

no foreign buyer or even the Japanese xD

Because it's a tourist trap. I think I went in there twice. Nothing is sorted, cramped as fuck, everything is too expensive, some prices make Super Potato's prices look like bargains.

Please don't go to Japan just for buying videogames you will never play.
 
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Heinz

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The retro game shops in Akiba would have to be the most boring part of akiba. There's too many button eyed fucks in Akiba as it is, branch out ffs.
 

Dr Shroom

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(also get a JR Rail Pass if you plan to travel around alot and/or use the semi-fast Hikari Shinkansen, you can save some money there)
 

Ajax

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The best deals I ever managed to find were at recycle shops. Search for an Otakara shop (I don't know that this is a national chain, but they're definitely all over east Japan) or an A Too in a less populated area. From my experience, this will be your best option. Nothing insane, but got a NGCD for like ¥7,000, NGCD controllers for basically nothing. Got a bean stick for ¥300 once (still have it, with that price tag). Plus, recycle shops are fun to browse for all sorts of other things too.
 

NeoSneth

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Stuff in their "broken" or "junk" bin typically just means it has a light scuff or they didn't clean it. It usually works just fine.
 

LoneSage

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It's 2020, broheme. The glory days of getting good deals was 15 years ago.

Get a JR Pass and enjoy Japan.
 

Lord Igniz

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Hey folks! I'm going to Japan for the second time, staying few days in Tokyo and Osaka, but doing side trips to Kyoto and Kobe. I was wondering if anyone can suggest stores to go and check for NeoGeo and other retrograming items. I'm expecting to buy 1 or 2 cheaper AES games (such as Samurai Spirits 2) but would love to see what they have. Also looking for some Japan-exclusive PS3/PS4/Switch games so any suggestion is appreciated.

Let me know which stores are the best ones to visit! Thanks for the help!
I've been to Japan a few times in the last couple years. First time was sensory overload, but since you're going back a second time I think you'll enjoy it much more. Anyways, gaming suggestions:
1. DO NOT shop in Akihabara in Tokyo. Prices are super overpriced, especially places like Super Potato. DenDen town in Osaka is a much better location if you're looking for the rare stuff, I found pretty much everything they have in Akihabara but at a lower price over there. My favorite store in DenDen town is called "Surigaya speciality shop" (I believe that's the name). Really hard to miss but they have an incredible selection of rare stuff in good shape and very reasonable prices.
2. Book-Off and Hard-Off are your friends! The "Goodwill" of Japan, everything I bought from those stores was in amazing condition, and even the stuff in the "junk" section was in relatively good shape and all worked! Main issue is that you probably won't find any Neo Geo stuff there, it's all second hand stuff that people donated or traded in, so the real rare and expensive stuff isn't always around, but you might get lucky.
3. Go to some of the smaller, less touristy cities or areas of a city. When you start seeing that everyone around you is Japanese, that's a good sign. I've stumbled upon some mom-and-pop game stores in more suburban areas that had really good prices and things weren't so picked over like they were in main parts of Tokyo and Osaka.
4. Remember to bring your passport wherever you go. Most stores in Japan offer you to pay everything tax-free if you spend over 5,000 yen, so that's 10% off. Quite a savings.

Enjoy your time in Japan, hope I was able to help a bit!

P.S: Don't forget to check out the nature and countryside of that beatiful country. The big cities are overrated, going through a forest during a typhoon- that is my favorite Japan experience.
 
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