I’ve only been to Super Potato so far. I remember that when I posted some pictures in the old retrogaming subreddit from my visit, quite a few people said that SP is overpriced and for tourists.
So for my next visit I’m trying to do some research. Does anybody have any recommendations for retro gaming stores in Tokyo or anywhere in Japan for that matter?
Surugaya and Hard off are pretty popular. I also saw someone do a video on Beep. Lotsa Japanese YouTube collectors road trip around going to Hard offs.
Perfect, thanks! I’ve added them all to my list. Hard Off seems to have multiple branches, so I guess I’ll have to check them all 😁
Hard Off and Book Off are great if you want good prices. They are thrift stores, and tend to price with that in mind. Of course rarity does apply but I’ve never spent more than 3000y on a single item at my local location. Pricing does differ from place to place, and the rural ones tend to be cheaper.
Also from my memory, the Akiba Super Potato are way over priced, but the one in Ikebukuro tends to have better deals.
I haven’t been myself, but sometimes I like to watch YouTube videos of people going retro shopping in Japan. It seems like Hard Off is a good bet. Akihabara shops are cool and you can find something there and are definitely worth visiting, but the best prices are at smaller shops in Tokyo. Best deals are if you can take a train trip out of Tokyo to a hard off in a smaller area.
From what I’ve seen, (YouTube videos, never been myself) some of the better experiences are at hard off. Super Potato tends to be WAYYY overpriced
