How accurate is this Article?

http://www.t3.com/features/made-in-...e-retro-gaming-and-technology-market-in-japan

First red flag:
NO Mention at all of Hard-off/Book-off

But since I'm not in Japan I can't really comment on the accuracy of this article SO I bring it before you Assembler ex-pats, what say you?

 

From what I understand because of their prime locations and the influx of Westerners going to Den Den Town and Nippon Bashi, retro stores there do run much closer to "eBay prices". But deals can be had the further you look outside of these areas. For one of those anecdotal cases Adam Koralik recently scored a Crystal White GameCube for like $20 from a Book Off. So much like anywhere in the world deals can be had, you just have to know where to look for them. It's like going to a thrift shop vs. going to a local used games store, thrift shop you might get some deals but at a local games store you know you're going to be paying at least close to the price online.

 

For real Japan that article is bollocks. That's written with the idea everyone is living in Tokyo or Osaka and shopping in tourist traps.
I can buy loads of Retro games for peanuts. Just look at my latest gaming pick up video where every PS2 game was 200 yen or less and in perfect condition.

 

Well, to be fair, a huge chunk of the country does live in Tokyo or Osaka. Some 25% in Kanto, and gonna take a stab and say 10% in Kansai. That's not many people to cover the rest.... and the percentage grows every year as every single city depopulates except for Tokyo.

However, the article is still way late to the party. Dig through this forum since it's inception and you'll see trends. Just b/c a game is retro it does not demand a high price. Premium titles, however, (especially shooters these days) are pretty much higher than they've ever been by a factor of 2 or 3. There was some rise and fall, but for the most part, Akihabara and to a lesser extent Den Den Town have been aimed at tourists and haven't been competitively priced in well over 10 years. Maybe closer to 15 now.

 

Based on what I've seen in You Tube the best Super Potato is in Nagoya that's where the deals are.

I just found out there's a US Book Off branch.... Pardon me while I go nuts.

 

Well he kind of lost me early on with this: "the Den Den town of Akihabara (in Tokyo) and Nippon Bashi (in Osaka)."

There are a lot of different kinds of game shops. Super Potato and Mandarake are great, but the real gems, and Yakumo will probably back me on this, are shops like Manga Souko. They don't have much in terms of glass case items but they have a massive collection of software and regular consoles for good prices. This is where you can get the most bang for your buck.

The writer also doesn't take into account that a lot of shops use the glass case items to show inventory. At some shops they won't even sell them to you; it's just for advertisement. If they get their price then great, otherwise, great, it will draw people in anyway. And people will take a picture and post it on internet blogs.

And finally, I think we know it's worth it since people go to Tokyo and report back on message boards with their finds. People post a lot of stuff. How often so you see someone say, "I went to Tokyo, the game shops sucked, regret going."?

 

Keep in mind the rent difference between Nagoya and Akihabara is gonna be a factor of about 3 or 4.

It's quite lame for the most part.

 

VERY small game selection on their Amazon store. Still, Japanese "Mario Collection" and Puyo Puyo 2 remix. I'll grab those.

I've pretty much resolved to not go game hunting in Tokyo if I ever do take a trip to Japan. I HAVE to see Nakano Broadway, could care less about Akihabara. It really does seem like all the good game deals are outside the bigger cities, and no blogger is going to mention that, and I don't think the average tourist is going to want to venture outside of the "Nerd heaven of Tokyo"

 

The best time to go game hunting g in Akihabara was in the late 90's. Then you had everything up to Saturn and PlayStation and prices were still very good. In fact you could contribute the fall of the once mecha of Akihabara to the PS2. The PS2 helped in making Dvd's hugely popular in Japan. Many great game stores became DVD store or porn DVD stores. Then the whole creepy ass maid Caffè bollocks came in turning Akihabara even more in to a seedy overpriced dump.
By 2005 there was nothing left worth visiting in Akihabara. So those who have visited since then and think Super Potatoes blew them away probably would have had a heart attack back in the late 90's.

 

I can finally pitch in having been to nagoya, tokyo and osaka for retro game hunting on my last trip.
Nagoya and the osu district was definitely the best (mainly akamon dori), I've seen things waaay below ebay prices which I am now regretting not picking up. Oh well, I had to pace myself with spending too much, too early.

Best Retro gaming oriented store in Nagoya? Meikoya, definitely. There was a loose famitsu GB pocket for 4000 yen (regrets!), super famicom boxed games for less than 200 yen, which weren't sports and pachinko titles. The hard off and book offs were much better than tokyo. Standard hard off/book off SFC game price in Nagoya was 500, tokyo was 950. Osaka was pretty much in between these two, leaning more towards the tokyo pricing. but still I was amazed by the Super Potato in Akihabara, I've found multiple deals in there: Super Metroid boxed, complete in good condition for 4000 jpy, while they run at least 65-70usd on ebay + shipping. A loose space funky b.o.b. for 400 yen. If only I hadn't lost my printed out map, and had more time then I would've gone to more stores (missed Friends in Akihabara for example).

But to be honest, book offs and especially hard offs are the best deals you're gonna get. rockman x2 and x3 loose, 1000 yen each (ebay 20-30USD+)

 

Im afraid that isn't cheap. Super Metro I'd is a very common game. 2000 yen is the going price for a boxed one. I guess 4000 yen may seem cheap seeing that in the states people pay stupid money for crap unboxed and dirty. I find it mind blowing people pay 10 dollars for Unboxed NES games that look nasty and aren't even slightly uncommon. Different world out there compared to Japan I guess.

 

Keep in mind that Akihabara is an amazing place to visit just as a tourist. There's a lot to see there that's right up our alley even if you're not game hunting (video here). You can also get lost by exploring the smaller buildings where you'll find Mom and Pop shops that aren't famous selling really niche things. I remember stumbling across a shop that sold US import video games which was cool to walk through.

I remember hitting a shop in Den Den Town in Osaka probably around 2003. Just stacks and stacks of new and unused Super Famicoms for 15,000 yen. I thought, "Eh, too expensive." heh. I arrived in Japan in 2000 and it kills me that I could have mailed away for a new Nintendo 64DD for 20,000 yen. Just kills me.

 

That's cute. what do you think us previous Cave collectors feel now. :|

 

As I always buy on ebay, this was cheap for me. If you want to go scrap hunting in some unknown place in the depths of some hardoff in a small japanese town, then be my guest. Don't assume everyone is in the states.

I've been pleasantly surprised with Tokyo, seeing as I've read so many stories from seasoned people here and there which really know their stuff. Just don't hope for any good deals in retro game camp

 

Back end of nowhere in rural Japan or Osaka/Tokyo, all the shops check the online prices before putting items out on the shelf these days.
There were bargains to be had in suburban shops 15 years ago but I have found little to no variation in prices for anything even remotely collectable in the past 5 years and it is only getting worse with the steady closure of suburban recycle shops.

There is a big Hard Off beside my house and it is crap too. All just yahoo auctions/amazon seller prices or "junk" consoles that are beyond gross, covered in mysterious slime etc.

There is a differece between the Den Den Town prices and the book off prices for some common games, but to call those bargains seems a stretch.

 

While I agree that Super Potato is a trap because its popularity it doesnt mean all games are overpriced. Sure, go looking for some popular-rare game and you can forget about any decent deals. You wanna buy .....i donno.....all gran turismo games before GTS and prices are like $5 a piece.

Doesnt matter if you in Tokyo or some country side, if they are in the business of selling games they will check prices online first before putting their pricing. You will get dirt cheap deals on rare games nowdays only if somebody is clearing their closet or "outgrew" their games and now its junk to them.