Retro pickups in Japan

Mr.Fantastic

Hey just wondering anyone any suggestions for any retro pickups in Japan ,

Lucky enough work are flying me out for a week in october. I was lucky enough to spend 16 days in may 2023 around Japan and picked up an oled switch and a really good 3ds LL.

Was thinking of picking up a dreamcast maybe or a Saturn? the latter from videos doesn't really pique my interest would also be looking into modding them.

On my first trip was kinda overwhelmed nearly picked up a famicom aswell but went against it due to voltage issues.

Appreciate any suggestions of anything I am missing about picking up.

Retr0gamer

Id recommend a Saturn over a Dreamcast. Love the DC but the Saturn has the better library and I had so much fun finding new games on it. The Saroo cart makes that even cheaper.

I have heard most of the big retro stores have been cleaned out by tourists since I was there. I found Osakas super potato and game detective way better for game selection than Tokyo's retro stores if that's any help.

o1s1n

Check out Retro Game Camp if you're wandering around in Akihabara. They had some very good prices on stuff compared to places like Super Potato.

Honestly if I were in the market for a Dreamcast or a Saturn I'd just pick them up on Ebay. They can both be had fairly cheap and it would save you lugging them around Japan. The only things I'd be picking up over there these days would be really obscure items that cost a fortune to import.

As Retro said, you can just get a Saroo cartridge for the Saturn now and fill it with games. Easy peasy.

Can pick up a Dreamcast on ebay with a GDEMU drive already installed to get backup going with that too.

johnny_ultimate

I'm going during the summer and while I don't have much of a shopping list, I have heard Trader in Akihabara a few times as somewhere you can grab a few cheap games. I think the OG Trader (there's a Trader 2 and 3 as well) is the flagship one for games.

I presume Taito Hey is the de facto arcade of choice these days?

dav09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122249471#Comment_122249471

For arcades, likely Genda Gigo (took over Sega Arcade's in Japan) and Round 1, along with independent ones. Be prepared for a lot of grabbers mixed with rhythm games, and the odd flavoring of Initial D, Wangan Midnight 6RR and some other interesting bits.

Colonel Panic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122249282#Comment_122249282

That's the little place in in the basement, right?

I think I bought a Famicom and a bunch of games from there when I was in Japan in 2019.

Also grabbed some random Super Famicom games from a Super Potato in Osaka.

There was only so much I could buy and bring home, really, I was on honeymoon, not shopping! :D

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122249471#Comment_122249471

If you can get out to Mikado definitely do, was one of the highlights of my last trip. I walked there from my hotel in Shinjuku in about 25 minutes.

Takadanobaba Mikado Game Center, 4 Chome-5-10 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 169-0075, Japan

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122249935#Comment_122249935

Ah very handy, I'm staying in Shinjuku too (have mostly stayed in Asakusa in the past) so that'd be nice and easy. Thanks for the tip!

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122249907#Comment_122249907

It's a little on street place with a second floor. Nintendo on the ground floor, Sega upstairs. You'd walk straight by it without knowing it's there. I only actually noticed it as I was on the lookout for a Café and the bins of consoles outside caught my eye.

I honestly did not buy a single videogame related item while I was there. It was mad! Spent my life dreaming about wandering around all these spots hoovering things up and then when I was finally there I was happy just window shopping.

One thing I did mean to do was to go to MAK and pick up an arcade PCB but felt like my missus was starting to get a little jaded at that point 😂

Mr.Fantastic

Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far!

And to echo you retro , when I was in osaka i found the same way better selection and price for games. Its where I got both the 3ds and the oled switch. EBAY might be a shout so, I am currently living on oz so might wait until we move back.

I didn't make retro game camp last time , did a lot of traders and suragaya aswell.

The boxed super famicom carts art is unreal.

johnny_ultimate

Thanks to @o1s1n for recommending Takadanobaba Mikado Game Center. Popped out earlier today for an hour and it’s a delightful spot. Feels stuck in a perpetual 90s / early 00s in the best possible way, a few more modern machines here and there excepted.

Starblade was a particular highlight - the buttons were a bit worse for wear, but the experience was immense even now.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122354594#Comment_122354594

Glad to hear you made it in the end! It's definitely worth the visit alright. As you said, a real snippet of an era of Japanese arcade gaming.

It was the first time I'd played a Darius Burst EX cabinet, monster of a yolk!

dav09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122360164#Comment_122360164

We used to have a Darius Burst EX Another Chronicle Japanese imported cabinet in Limerick for about a year, a monster of a yoke, I'll never forget loading it off the tail lift, whole lift was buckling as was the pallet truck it was on, I was keeping a hand on it trying to stop it from falling, weighted a tone.

geotrig

Ah bollocks ,why didnt i know about that never got into the ashbrook venue so missed it :(

dav09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122367984#Comment_122367984

That was the peak of the Jap era lol, back when it had 6 Blast Cities, 6 Namco Noirs, Vewlix's, Cho Chabuddi Gashi (Table flip), Museca, Music Gun Gun 2, Elevator Action Death Parade (with the doors), Dariusburst Ex, DDR, Groovecoaster, Taiko, Mai Mai, Initial D, Maximum Tune 3, along with a lot of classics and a few modern bits mixed in, was very happy with that lineup myself for an arcade in a relatively small city. Don't think you'll ever see a lineup like that again in this country.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122370634#Comment_122370634

We will when you decide to do it all again, right? right? 😁

Where'd the Darius Burst Ex head off to? Cant even imagine the hassle in trying to ship something that big.

dav09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122370774#Comment_122370774

Haha we can dream. I have approx 50 cabinets stored so there will be something but I can't see a Japanese lineup that good here again although you'd never know. Would like to do a container again before the next project which will be free play, but financially I don't know how possible that will be. Ideally would get a Maximum Tune 6RR, Initial D The Arcade, Sound Voltex, Chunithm, Dancerush Stardom would also like something different either a Elevator Action, Bishi Bashi, Point Blank X or some Dariusburst EX too along with some candies on top of the stuff I already have, but probably just a pipe dream getting a full container. Maybe getting one or two bits from Ronnie is more realistic.

As for the Dariusburst think it went to play leisure or a distributor in the end who had a truck, it does split nicely into two parts but I dont think the buy who shipped it here initially knew that.

johnny_ultimate

Had a chill day in Osaka so headed to The Silver Ball Planet on a whim, based on a few Reddit threads. Absolutely delightful surprise: dozens of pristinely maintained pinball machines, new and old, in one place. Very clever layout too - some old machines and their modern counterparts right next to each other (eg OG Jurassic Park and the fancy modern one, four Star Wars machines lined up, and even a wall of musician-themed machines).

Great seeing some of the oldies, but was also a treat seeing some of the new fancy Stern machines all in the same place - Stranger Things was a surprising highlight.

TheIrishGrover

Oh my God, look at all those tables. Fantastic. I've not been able to find anywhere with tables in Tokyo. Loads of games, sure. But not tables (Mind you, a quick google turned up a few places). Will be in Osaka next year. Must check that out. Like the look of that Mario Bros one.

Mr.Fantastic

Sorry to resurrect this thread again just back from my work trip to Tokyo and I managed to pick up a saturn for 100 aud! not bad. Gonna change the power supply as Aus same as home is 240v. Was gonna pick up a dreamcast aswell but they were all quite sun damaged and hefty enough prices.