Here is the difference between Akihabara and outside Tokyo

I never really buy retro games in Akiba, the prices are ludicrous.

Here is an example.

Same item.
Both in good, working condition.

Akihabara price - 9,980 yen (about $100 USD)






Inaka price (countryside) - 525 yen (About $5.30 USD)

 

Yeah, Gameboy Lights are very common examples which can be found for dirty cheap outside of Akiba. You don't even have to go so deep into "inaka".
Atm. I've got about 3 lose GBL's at home for about the same price each (315 to 525JPY), plus one CIB/NEW which I got for about 1500JPY. All found in Yokohama.

That NEW one must go for a ridiculous price in Akiba if it were for sale :biggrin-new:

But nevertheless, they are not that easy to find and thought after items all around the world.

 

Yeah, and also a lot of people don't know there are TWO Super Potato stores in Tokyo.
The one in Akihabara has a lot of foreign customers so they price accordingly.
The Super Potato is Ikebukuro is a bit cheaper and they have a larger selection of rarities.

 

Problem is - most people visit Tokyo and stay there for a week or two at max.

Which is not enough time to tingle around inaka and other obscure places in order to find good deals.

and most people also want to see something. they dont go on a shopping tour only.

there aren't many people like me who fly to Japan only for the sake of buying stuff.

 

Akihabara used to be so much better in the 90's but now I wouldn't even waste my time going there. many game shops have been changed in to maid cafes or porn shops.

hashiriya1, good point on the prices. Places outside of Tokyo are way cheaper. Still, the good stuff can still cost a pretty penny.

 

I wouldn't demonize akiba that much as it can still be a very decent place to get a lots of goods, in an unbelievable condition and for a reasonable price (considering what a resonable price is today) at some places.

Annoying and dull made cafe and AKB48 stuff aside, when you know were to go, akiba can still be a funny place to be and meet friends for some collective shoppings with subsequent Game-bar/izakaya etc."festivities".

Beside, inaka shops, especially chains, also have become quite expensive during the past years since they're googling up every price now. I have examples were diverse shops, out in the pampa carry games for far more what akiba ever would ask for, and in a far worse condition. Don't ask me were they do get certain price indications sometimes?
Most good thing are solo recycle stores, which most of the time have no clue what stuff could be worth out in the world. Those are also the most fun to discover and visit.

And face the fact, regarding retro stuff Japan will soon be completely grazed by all the invasions happening daily. Where can you still find some decent deals on the better Neo Geo AES games? Why can't I go in a game shop and buy me some x68k, Marty etc. 2nd hand stuff with ease? Moste stuff is gone, and can best be found on auctions only these days.

 

Unless they come from Frenchland nthego:

 

That's so true. When I lived in Tokyo back in 1998 I saw many people from France walking around stores in Akihabara with clipboards pricing everything up. Yep, the French are really hardcore when it comes to finding those deals. Actually, some of the biggest collectors here on ASSEMbler are French.

 

Akihabara seems to cater to tourists these days, at least in terms of pricing.

It's the one district every visiting tourist knows.

 

I shop mostly in Miyagi, Iwate, Ishikawa and Fukui prefectures. In Aomori, especially up in the northern part (Goshogawara area)...I don't think they have heard of Google yet. :lol: The prices there are crazy cheap, but I don't go up that far too often.

I would say Fukui and Ishikawa prefectures are the cheapest. Every time I go to Fukui I spend so much money, it's always a gold mine there.
My fiance's parents' house (in Ishikawa) is only 40 minutes from Fukui by car. Every time we go see her parents I take her dad's car then go on a shopping spree. Miyagi Prefecture was great when I lived there but I noticed a lot of the old shops I used to go to aren't really stocking retro stuff anymore. It's frightening and sad at the same time.

I think GEO nationwide just gave up on retro games. They used to have tons of stuff, but now they only go as far back as PS1.

BTW, Toyama prefecture sucks. I think every shop in Toyama calls shops in Akiba for their prices then says "Oh yeah, we can sell it higher than that!"

 

Yeah, the GEO chain threw out all retro stuff few years ago. At least here in Yokohama. They were great before, now its only shit left

But at least I could made some good bargains when they started to cleaning out everything.

 

Vintage gaming is getting too trendy. All the bargains will disappear before long, no matter where on Earth you are.

 

that has started already years ago I'd say.

I remember Akihabara and Den Den Town crawling with french people and their japanese girlfriends buying shitloads of stuff of which 99% will end up on Ebay...

BUT directly buying in Akihabara or Den Den Town still BEATS buying from retro shops on Ebay in most cases!

I paid like 90€ for my copy of Contra Hard Corps at A-Too - Ebay folks want up to 160€ for it in crap condition.

 

Retro gaming is gradually be phased out with online downloads, christ, even the legendary AKiba Trader store seems to be finally removing the remains of their retro stuff out.

 

It is a mere shadow of what it once was, and has been for the last 6-7 years. Once they moved the remnants of Trader 2's retro stuff to the shop under the tracks, it was all over, IMHO.