Where to buy PC Engine Games in Japan?

[gbapalyer]

hi,

as the title says iam looking for good shops in japan to buy pc engine titles from. i also found a small shop in akihabara where i bought super darius 2 for 2.400 yen back in 2010.
in akihabara i found super potatoe to be reliable and book off. does anybody know other stores as well?
any chances to find a copy of hi-leg fantasy there?

thanks
gbapalyer

[Duo_R]

Is it getter harder to find PCE in Japan?

[RegalSin]

Japan, is not what it was. Every Asian country think they are the Japanese  now. You need to go outside the city areas, into deep Japan, where the wild (cuntry_bumpkins ) people live. so I suggest packing your walking stick, or Train card. They have lots of game stuff in other nations, more or less. It seems when people do reviews, or something becomes popular all the cool stuff, keeps getting sntached.

How is the clean up efforts after the quake/title wave they had??? I think that would answer your question. That is the only that is holding them back, aside the job crisis. I was reading how Japan constructed
tankers, for another country.

Caving into outsiders, make Japan suck, along with small crapple computers.

[SuperDeadite]

If you can't find a copy of Hi Leg in Akiba, then you probably won't be able to find your own hotel either...

[Bardoly]

any chances to find a copy of hi-leg fantasy there?

thanks
gbapalyer

There have been at least 2 copies of Hi-Leg Fantasy posted up for sale and then sold here on this website within the last 2 months, I believe.  If you can't find one over there, then maybe another one will pop up here before too long.

[Yamazaki]

Akihabara is a good start for finding games.

You will most likely find everything you search for. But dont expect to find them cheap.

The Japanese are used know to foreigners scavenging for cheap titles. And places like Super Potato are fucking expensive even for non-japanese standards.

[gbapalyer]

@yamazaki: yeah, but super potatoe also had some decent deals back in 2010 (like startling odyssey or some other PCE rpgs for less than 8$ each).

maybe i will find everything iam looking for in akihabara. if not then we are also visiting osaka (den den town).^^
i think 3 weeks from tokyo to yakushima should be enough to find everything XD.

[Bardoly]

By the way, if you do come across decent deals, then don't hesitate to pick some extra stuff up for the rest of us who aren't really easily able to take a game-scavenging trip to Japan.  

[Samurai Ghost]

I found Retro Friends and Traders 2 to be the best for PCE stuff. Retro Friends especially. I usually bought stuff online though.

Hi Leg Fantasy happens to be pretty expensive even in Japan, but I have an extra copy if you are interested.

[kazekirifx]

I still find plenty of PC Engine stuff in Akihabara. When in Akihabara, or Nipponbashi in Osaka you can go to Trader and Super Potato, and a few other places nearby. It doesn't pay to check the back streets there anymore for retrogames. They don't have any.

Also check out Mandarake. There isn't one in Akihabara, but there are a few stores peppered throughout urban Japan. It's decent, and the prices and selection are similar to the Akihabara stores mentioned above.
http://www.mandarake.co.jp/shop/

But I think the best place overall in the whole country would have to be the HARD-OFF chain. They're mostly located out in the boondocks in places hard to reach without a car. There aren't any in central Tokyo - only the outskirts. Go to their "junk" sections and you'll find all kinds of cool old stuff. "Junk" means it may or may not be working, so buy at your own risk, but I've found tons of stuff in decent condition that works fine, and the prices tend to be low - sometimes practically free. Most of the locations I've been too were worth visiting, though it can be hit or miss. One of the ones in Fukuoka was too small, and didn't have enough game stuff (no PCE). The best one I've been to was in Yamaguchi City (the middle of absolutely nowhere, and totally not a place worth visiting if you're on a short stay in Japan), but then I haven't been to the ones in Kanto yet, and I've heard some good things about those too.
http://www.hardoff.co.jp/ichiran.php

[SuperDeadite]

Hard Off is great, but it's truly luck what you find.  Even my local one in Shiga has had some really crazy stuff at times, boxed NeoGeo AES's for 5,000.  LaserActives with both PACs for 20,000.  But, Hard Offs are always way off the beaten path, and take some time to get to.  If you are a tourist alone, I really think you'd be wasting your vacation time going to them which may have nothing of interest on that day.

I suppose it's worth it if you only come here for games, but I really think that is a poor use of one's vacation, since you'll spend way more on travel then you would buying it all off ebay.  Places like Akiba and Denden are pricey, but you can't miss them, and will have something you want for sure, without wasting any precious time.

[kazekirifx]

Yeah, I guess I have to agree with Deadite in the end. HARD-OFF is generally too out of the way to visit if you're on a short stay in Japan. Hell, I've been living in Tokyo over a year now, and I still haven't bothered getting out to the Kanto HARD-OFFs yet. It would use up too much of a day, and I might buy too much stuff to carry back to the nearest train station too.

Also, though you can make great finds, like Deadite said, HARD-OFF is all about luck what you find. So, could end up being a total waste of time too. (In my case, I still enjoy looking at all the old stereo equipment, PCs, musical instruments, laserdiscs even if there's no retrogames.)

Sorry to pretty much retract my whole previous post. Stick to the big retro shops in Akihabara and Denden. It's the best use of your time.... and spend the rest of your time seeing historical Japan!

Edit: There's also a HARD-OFF in Akihabara, but they don't have games there. If you can read Japanese, you can check the listings in the link I posted above to see which locations have the "game" logo.

[gbapalyer]

By the way, if you do come across decent deals, then don't hesitate to pick some extra stuff up for the rest of us who aren't really easily able to take a game-scavenging trip to Japan.  

the games are the positive side effect of my japan trip. ;)
visiting tokyo, nikko, kamakura, yokohama, yamadera, kyoto, naha, osaka, amanohashidate, hiroshima, miyajima, yamaguchi, shimonoseki, yakushima should be the real fun. *hehe*

if i come upon something interesting i will buy some more copies.

hope i can carry the somewhat around 90 games safely home XD.

@samurai ghost: please check your pms about hi-leg fantasy. does retro friends have a internet page? where to find it in akiba?

[SuperDeadite]

Yeah, I guess I have to agree with Deadite in the end. HARD-OFF is generally too out of the way to visit if you're on a short stay in Japan. Hell, I've been living in Tokyo over a year now, and I still haven't bothered getting out to the Kanto HARD-OFFs yet. It would use up too much of a day, and I might buy too much stuff to carry back to the nearest train station too.

Also, though you can make great finds, like Deadite said, HARD-OFF is all about luck what you find. So, could end up being a total waste of time too. (In my case, I still enjoy looking at all the old stereo equipment, PCs, musical instruments, laserdiscs even if there's no retrogames.)

Sorry to pretty much retract my whole previous post. Stick to the big retro shops in Akihabara and Denden. It's the best use of your time.... and spend the rest of your time seeing historical Japan!

Edit: There's also a HARD-OFF in Akihabara, but they don't have games there. If you can read Japanese, you can check the listings in the link I posted above to see which locations have the "game" logo.

The Akiba hard-off has no games, but I always visit that shop when i'm in tokyo.  Almost always has a nice stack of classic midi modules in the junk section.  I keep hoping to find an MU-2000EX one of these days...

[blowback]

Awesome thread guys. Heading to Tokyo in Feb for a game specific trip. Will also be checking out the Nakano Broadway mall, as well as the shops previously mentioned. As mentioned, we checked about Hard-off and it looks like its not easily accessible. Too bad, some of the vids on youtube make it look like a cool place to check out.

[kazekirifx]

Yeah. Looking at old electronics gives me a hard off.

[Ji-L87]

Yeah. Looking at old electronics gives me a hard off.

Mine goes in the other direction...

Still, I love watching Hard-Off vids on youtube, makes me so damn jelly. If I had the funds (and knowledge), I would very much like to open such a store.

[gbapalyer]

can somebody tell me where Retro Friends and Traders 2 are located in akihabara?

[Tatsujin]

u no need trader 2 anymore. u need trader honkan (main shop) nao

trader honkan is directly at the chuodoori (on the same side as hey arcade and sega club etc.), about 200m away from akiba JR station. just walk from the sega club about 200 meters, and check the bldg. to the left side.
walk about 200 meters more and you will arrive at the retro frinds (next to the cafe segafredo), in the 2nd floor.

[Nando]

China town in Yokohama was pretty fun when I was there.

[gbapalyer]

@tatsujin: and both shops offer much pc engine games? can i pay with credit card there? you mean i have to leave akiba station and then go to the street right in front of it and all the way right along the street?

[dshadoff]

Don't assume that you can pay for anything in Japan with credit cards.

Hotels - that is, "business hotels" or "western hotels", are fine.
Restaurants... are actually hit-and-miss.  Depends how "fancy" they are.
Department stores are probably fine, but not necessarily boutiques within department stores.
Minimum purchase amounts may apply.

Everything else, assume that you need to pay cash, so you won't be disappointed.

[gbapalyer]

Don't assume that you can pay for anything in Japan with credit cards.

Hotels - that is, "business hotels" or "western hotels", are fine.
Restaurants... are actually hit-and-miss.  Depends how "fancy" they are.
Department stores are probably fine, but not necessarily boutiques within department stores.
Minimum purchase amounts may apply.

Everything else, assume that you need to pay cash, so you won't be disappointed.

yeah thats true i only want to pay with credit card for my games i would like to buy at super potatoe, softmap, retro friends and so on...

[SuperDeadite]

Oh and don't miss Akiba's Mandarake.  It's a massive tower, beautiful store and very fair prices on most stuff.  Oddly, it's easy to miss, even though it's an 8 floor building all by itself lol.

[kazekirifx]

yeah thats true i only want to pay with credit card for my games i would like to buy at super potatoe, softmap, retro friends and so on...

He was talking about your games! Don't assume any of the above game stores accept credit cards. Some might, but I'd guess few or none of them do.

[gbapalyer]

then i will pay them with cash, no problem. ;)

[Nando]

Oh and don't miss Akiba's Mandarake.  It's a massive tower, beautiful store and very fair prices on most stuff.  Oddly, it's easy to miss, even though it's an 8 floor building all by itself lol.

Such a fun building to explore!!

[gbapalyer]

pc engine games seems to be really rare in akihabara this year...

i did not find retro friends either, can somebody explain to me where to find it? i found retro camp which has a good selection, but softmap does not have any pc engine games. or which softmap do you mean?

cant find a copy of basted...but did find anearth for 1700 yen.

[Tatsujin]

made you a very cheap map with the still alive shops which sells some pce. hope this will help you out

/akiba.png

btw. forgot to add media land. but that is still at the same place as for the past 15 years+..lol

btw2: the HEY arcade is only there for the orientation and because it has to be visited at least once. sure they do NOT sell any pce stuff

[kazekirifx]

They're very rare in Akihabara unless you go to the right stores.

I remember back in the early 2000's when you could still wander around aimlessly and find a few stores that sell them. Those days are gone.

[Tatsujin]

yeah, I remember well. back in 1998 I could walk into any stores and buy me some real deal sapphires for the cheap。

[gbapalyer]

@tatsujin: thanks a lot, where is media land located and do they sell PCE stuff?
super potatoe and tetro champ are the best stores so far. i have to check out those other ones. ;)

[Tatsujin]

updated medialand. they still have some pce and other retro stuff in 3F or so. and they are also quite cheap, if you have the chance to get some good stuff (f.e. they had a dracula x for below 4000JPY).

/akiba.png

btw. potato sure has the most stuff, but is also the expensive. champ is also very expensive compared. I woulnd't recommend to buy at champ anyway, unless they have some good bargain stuff.

please try mandarake and retro friends the next time. they have the best price vs. condition ration. trader honkan also is ok.

[gbapalyer]

retro friends was a cool shop but they did not ave basted or ko seiki beast...

today is my last day in tokyo, i will check out mandarake this day.
does anyone know if there are good retro game shops in osaka?

[Tatsujin]

Osaka has like 39'483 potatos. ask superdeadite for the details

[SuperDeadite]

Osaka has a few good places.  But honestly if you can't find very common PCE games like Basted! in Akiba, then you won't find shit here.

[kazekirifx]

I found a few games in Nipponbashi, Osaka last time I looked, but Akiba is better. Here's some links to stores there that sell retrogrames (can't confirm which have PCE), but if you go there everything is mostly on one street with a few alleyways, so you'll probably find the places just by walking around.

おじゃま館
http://www.ojamakan.com/
スーパーポテト
http://www.superpotato.com/
ゲーム探偵団
http://www.tanteidan.cc/index1.html
ａ－Ｔｏｏ 日本橋店
http://www.a-too.jp/

[gbapalyer]

thanks a lot.

i did find basted at mandarake in akiba.
now iam in kyoto and when i come to osaka after my 2 day hiroshima/3 day yakushima trip, then i will check those stores for KO beast.

[Nando]

Damn dude, nice gaming trip. Can't wait to see what all you hauled off. Got any cool pics too?

Best of luck on your hunting!

[gbapalyer]

off course. will post some when i return. ;)
hunting for games is a neat side effect of me and my girlfriends trip. we are visiting tokyo, kyoto, hiroshima and yakushima each place for a few days with more day trips to surrounding locations. 10 days tokyo are over and now we are staying the last night in kyoto before leaving to hiroshima tomorrow for 2 days, then yakushima 3 days and lastly 6 days kyoto again. ;)

[Nando]

Sounds like an awesome trip! Safe travels and happy PCE hunting!

[kazekirifx]

Lots of PCE games in Yakushima.

Nah, just kidding.

[gbapalyer]

these are all the games i bought in japan:

/kyl4uonb.jpg

[vxbinaca]

Well this place has them:

they were kind enough to put the sticker on the BACK of the case.

You selling any of those games you got?

[gbapalyer]

which is the place? sorry no selling. ;)

[Tatsujin]

lol, that's out in the super pampa called Ōami, in the heart of chiba. even it isn't super far away from tokyo, you need like 3927 hours to get there (if you ever will survive that trip).
And I bet the prices today will overtrump the ones from akiba & co.

[Nando]

these are all the games i bought in japan:

/kyl4uonb.jpg

Nice Haul!

[gbapalyer]

@Nando: thanks. i will buy the ones iam still missing this august during my third trip to japan.

@Tatsujin: i think i would survive it because iam pretty confident i can find out how to get to where i want to get to in japan.
been there 2 times now and i did find everything i wanted to see. also found jomon sugi on yakushima island. XD
but if the public transportation is bad i wont go there during my august trip...

[Nando]

so how much did you spend? give or take?

[gbapalyer]

@nando: i think i did spend around 600€ for the whole package of games.