Inside Japan's best game store chain!

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  • Опубліковано 31 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 89

  • @ferrarikangaroo9271
    @ferrarikangaroo9271 6 днів тому

    Thanks for the video mate. I just wish that it was longer! I hope you're doing well. Have a great weekend

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  5 днів тому

      Thanks for watching.
      There was loads more footage but due to it being mostly undercover stuff it's quite shaky with many scenes being out of frame. I ended up chopping most of it unfortunately. .

  • @Dan-Bartlett
    @Dan-Bartlett 8 годин тому

    I truly wish we had something like that here. All the old, decent game shops have long since closed down or turned into overpriced cafés or clothing departments, and the local CEX in town is just embarrassing. The shelves are full of dust and that's about it. Hardly any bargains or games to speak of, and the staff look as emotionless, sad and empty as the shelves!
    Thank you for showcasing these shops, it's always a pleasure to watch!

  • @garethskeg
    @garethskeg 11 днів тому +3

    My favorite videos you walking around

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  10 днів тому +1

      Glad you like them. They're also the easiest to make 👍

  • @Wompratz
    @Wompratz 11 днів тому +3

    “Big boobs and panties” good stuff Mark. I missed these types of videos. Thanks for sharing. 👍🏻

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому +1

      Yeah, it's good to see something a little more mature occasionally.😁

  • @krazycharlie
    @krazycharlie 11 днів тому +4

    1.200 Yen for Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere? That's an increbible bargain considering how good the game actually is, especially because it's the Japanese version, not the crappy one released in America and Europe. Go back and get it while it still has that price tag, Mark. Have a good one!

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  10 днів тому

      I didn't know it was that good. I may just do that 👍. Thanks for the heads up.

  • @ChaosZero.
    @ChaosZero. 11 днів тому +2

    I remember when around 2018-2019 I bought all five Japanese mainline Pokemon games on the GBA, all CIB, for 100. At the time I thought it was madness to pay that much for 5 games, but now I see individual games for well over 100. I'm not an investor, but good God have I got lucky. The market is out of control.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому

      Yeah, you bought at the right time 👍

  • @zexalsrevenge511
    @zexalsrevenge511 11 днів тому +2

    A reminder on why physical media is still thriving, even in Japan. I still go to my local game shop every now and then also. Going to your local game shop or online retailer is all the proof you need and just ignore those analysts who say bullshit otherwise.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому +1

      Digital software is the end of gaming IMO.

  • @thepeller210
    @thepeller210 11 днів тому +1

    I have a vast Japanese Megadrive collection that I built when my parents imported one for me here in Scotland back in 89/90. I could probably make money selling it back to the Japanese stores 😎

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому +1

      You easily could. I reckon that my Mega Drive collection would easily get me about 2. 5 million yen if I sold it at the prices seen in this store. I could buy a reasonable car for that.
      I own a lot of rare and expensive titles but many were bought in the late 80s and 90s and maybe a few in the last couple of years before prices went crazy. .

  • @Jamesfo8rf
    @Jamesfo8rf 11 днів тому +1

    Thanks for another shopping video. I spotted the pc engine arcade card at ¥18,000. Similar to U.K. prices. Hard justify to play small handful of games.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому +1

      Yeah, some prices are just crazy.

    • @Jamesfo8rf
      @Jamesfo8rf 10 днів тому +1

      @ I can only see prices going higher with a digital future.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  10 днів тому +1

      Same here 😢

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  10 днів тому +1

      I agree. So sad 😢

  • @thrillington2008
    @thrillington2008 11 днів тому +1

    I see Hatsune Miku and Super Sonico in some of those claw games. I won 2 Sonico figures and 2 of Nezuko Kamada via TokyoCatch on my phone. I love the Japanese arcades and game stores. The closest we have to Japanese game store here in the states are the smaller game stores (there's GameStop (unfortunately), 2nd & Charles, DK Oldies and everybody else).

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому +1

      Hatsune Miku I'm familiar with due to being a Sega IP but the others are all new to me.
      You know your stuff though 👍

  • @BRockin25
    @BRockin25 11 днів тому +1

    They are hiking prices to USA levels and beyond. A far cry from 5-7 years ago

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  10 днів тому

      Indeed 😢

    • @arashnikoubashman6946
      @arashnikoubashman6946 6 днів тому

      Yeah, I remember the prices 9 years ago when I visited Japan for the first time. The prices seem to have quadrupled at least

  • @topofbones
    @topofbones 11 днів тому +2

    Mmmm...🤔 Definitively, we don't have stores like this in Spain 😂

  • @SuperEarther
    @SuperEarther 11 днів тому +1

    thats a great price for kof on the neogeo aes! will send you the money haha i really need it!

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому

      Lol, yeah, I was surprised at the price being much lower than the ultra common Fatal Fury.

    • @SuperEarther
      @SuperEarther 11 днів тому

      @@RetroCore will send the money next week!

  • @birdchibis
    @birdchibis 11 днів тому +1

    So just paradise on earth. Прямо рай на земле

  • @WrightOffsGaming
    @WrightOffsGaming 10 днів тому +1

    Great vid as always thanks Mark, I did a quick currency to pounds check on 9000yen and shit those games are expensive, surely they can't be selling many of those glass cabinet titles being so ridiculously expensive. Tbh though amongst those psx games I would have bought a few, ray crisis was a fair price as well.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  10 днів тому

      I think we're now at a stage where only true collectors are buying games from before the 2000`s simply due to the high prices.
      Yeah, it's very hard to justify paying those prices when I know what they used to go for.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  10 днів тому

      I may go back and buy a few more PSX games. Someone in the comments recommended Air Combat 3

    • @arashnikoubashman6946
      @arashnikoubashman6946 6 днів тому

      I think these games are targeted for rich tourists or local collectors with deep pockets

  • @crunchinjelly
    @crunchinjelly 11 днів тому +1

    Spice orange GameCube 😍

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому

      I guess that's rare? I'm not up on the GameCube collecting.

  • @flink1231
    @flink1231 11 днів тому +1

    I love these videos you walk in Japan! I miss coming to Japan, hopefully I can go in a couple years again. By the prices I won't be coming home with a lot of games next time though. I'm glad I bought some stuff back in 2014 and 2018!!

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому +1

      Yeah, sadly the days of coming home with a case full of games are over.

  • @Lampiono69
    @Lampiono69 11 днів тому

    Interesting! Hard to find out some MD CD (Mega Cd ) games in Japan nowadays?

    • @Domspun
      @Domspun 11 днів тому +1

      In this video, there was a row of them above the cartridge ones.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому

      Ah, they're easy to find if you know where to look. There's some in this video by the Mega Drive games.

  • @mightyfilm
    @mightyfilm 11 днів тому +1

    They usually sell those kinds of anime statues they have in UFO catchers in anime import stores around here. Not sure if they sell all those erotic ones outside of a convention, as they usually deal in anime brands that are well known over here. I swear I've seen those more adult ones, but I'm only really interested in the shows I like. Even then, I only own like 2 JoJo statues and an Oolong from Dragonball, and they're in boxes in storage. Hey! Yatterman villain game. Now THAT is an erotic statue I'd sink money into. I find Doronjo sexy. She's basically a kid's cartoon character that wears bondage gear, after all.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  10 днів тому

      You certainly know your characters. I couldn't name any of the ones you mentioned. I trully have no idea about modern anime.

    • @mightyfilm
      @mightyfilm 9 днів тому

      @@RetroCore I only really know about Yatterman because, for some strange reason, they released the anniversary special on DVD over here (with a very lousy dub). That was sometime during the early 00's when the anime DVD market was hot in the US.

  • @mole28
    @mole28 11 днів тому +1

    Fun video! Japan always has such nice stores!
    The closest gamestore we've got (were i live in the Netherlands)is a hour away, and to be honest it is a good one. They have modern games in the shop but they've got an entire basement dedicated to retro games. You can find pretty much everything there and most for reasonable prices (except the rare stuff of course).

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому +1

      Glad you have a good game store you can access. It's rare to find quality game stores in the West that aren't just full of unboxed junk or scratched to death discs.

  • @vix_in_japan
    @vix_in_japan 11 днів тому +1

    Nice one Mark, Surugaya is great but their prices have crept up over the last 3-4 years, but I still have my 入荷リスト set up with them in case they get any of the rare bits and pieces I can't find anywhere else; and all but in one case I've been very happy with the quality of the goods. I recently found a copy of the rare Minuet version of Tetris for 220yen in the Kuwana branch in Mie (my closest Surugaya, even though that's over an hour away for me even by kousokudorou) and just put up a video on one of the best bargains I have ever found in Surugaya in Niigata City on a PC Engine game, and it wasn't meant to be as cheap as I paid for it. Anyway -- thanks as always for your awesome videos :)
    10:36 Raiden Project, great game, my copy cost me 108yen only a few years back.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому

      Oh yeah, tell me about the prices. These days it's crazy! I reckon my Mega Drive collection could easily get 3 million yen. Probably my SFC and Saturn collections too.
      To think 5 years ago I thought paying over 2000 yen was a rip off 😅
      You did well on those Surugaya scores you mentioned. There are some deals to be had but you really do need to look hard or be lucky.
      I don't visit this Surugaya much as I work near it but live in another city. I'm normally too busy to visit there on a work day.

  • @Colin_Ames
    @Colin_Ames 11 днів тому +1

    Always good to see these videos from you. Those games were definitely not cheap.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому

      Yeah, you're looking at a lot of money for some of those games! How prices have skyrocketed over thag past 5 years.

  • @oldskoolpaul77
    @oldskoolpaul77 11 днів тому +1

    Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому +1

      Thanks for watching!

  • @JustPeasant
    @JustPeasant 11 днів тому +2

    Japanese take a really good care of their stuff. If I buy a retro game on a CD/DVD (or a movie on a DVD) it looks like someone used it as a frisbee and played catch with his dog.
    Ok, at 1:03 are Hatsune Miku figures and at the end of the video (12:48) is a whole booth dedicated to Kimetsu no Yaiba. Two boys together (12:46) are Agatsuma Zen'itsu (yellow hair and coat; 我妻 善逸) & Hashibira Inosuke (boar head mask; 嘴平 伊之助). Boy in chequered coat with green & black pattern + hanafuda earrings is the series protagonist, Kamado Tanjirō (竈門 炭治郎), little further away is his sister, Nezuko and the rest are Kisatsutai members.

  • @Leahi84
    @Leahi84 11 днів тому +3

    Yeah, I've heard that retailers in Japan caught on to how much these old games are worth, especially to people from overseas, and started jacking up their prices. Too many collectors from the west going over there and buying everything up because of the exchange rate heavily favoring them. Really sad.

    • @TheFirstHunt
      @TheFirstHunt 11 днів тому +3

      That's one of the main reasons I'm pro-piracy. Not lining the pockets of loser collectors/scalpers or storefronts that artificially inflate prices.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому

      Scalpers can go and do one. They piss me off to no end.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому

      Not to worry, Yahoo Auctions is still cool for us living IN Japan. Scalpers can't profit much from Yahoo Auctions because 90% of Japanese sellers won't ship overseas because it's a pain in the arse plus they don't speak English.
      One of the rules of Yahoo Auctions is that users must speak Japanese.
      Using a proxy can help with the language but then they also have added costs 😁

  • @Bloodreign1
    @Bloodreign1 11 днів тому

    Otomedius, I pronounce it Oh Toe Me Dee Us myself, or the fake Parodius game Konami should've never done. Instead of giving us another Parodius, they gave gamers that garbage.
    Tokyo/Akihabara in general just seems to have games with the highest prices, outside of that area, prices tend to start dropping unless it's considered a rarer game.
    10:21 Twinbee Taisen Puzzle Dama, a game that a long time ago had an ISO that was impossible to find, after a friend got a copy for me, it started popping up like normal on those sites. Looks like the price is not too different in US dollars from what a friend paid for my copy years ago (about a decade and a half), they paid all of $10.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  10 днів тому

      I think you're pretty close with your pronunciation on that Konami shooter. I had both at one time on the 360 but sold them. I found them to be quite dull.

  • @Lofzy1
    @Lofzy1 11 днів тому

    5000¥ is approximately £26

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  10 днів тому

      The exchange rate is in you favour for sure.

  • @ericdanielski4802
    @ericdanielski4802 12 днів тому +4

    Nice video.

  • @geoserenity
    @geoserenity 11 днів тому +1

    It might have arcade games, but we all know the actual best game store chain is Hard Off...I mean, pfft, obviously...
    Also PLEASE tell me those game boxes were wrapped in plastic and the price stickers were not on the boxes themselves. Stores that do that are...well, I don't shop at them

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому +1

      Nah, Hard Off isn't even close to Surugaya. The best part about hard off is the junk section because you can get some real deals in there but as for variety over many systems and rare games it's not even in the same race.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому

      Of course all labels are on plastic. This isn't the West where they ruin you game boxes with big stupid stickers or write on the actual discs with a sharpie 😅

  • @johnsimon8457
    @johnsimon8457 11 днів тому

    I visit these otaku shops with all their figurines and I feel like a vegetarian at an all you can eat BBQ. It’s a shame because there’s SO MUCH OF IT. I figure some people collect one or two and some have cases and cases of wide eyed smiling anime gals.
    Regarding Wii U being out sold by X360 in Japan. Ouch. It’s not a virtual boy where one could say “This is a cute toy but not something to own for multiple years of a console lifespan.”
    I wonder how much the complete in box prices reflect the west vacuuming up the inventory from these shops. On the up side - at least this stuff is being sold. Owned once, sold as used and sitting on a shelf or in storage for decades. You can tile your walls with Final Fantasy 6 and Dragon Quest V cartridges.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому +1

      Yeah, the Wii U was a massive flop in Japan. It sold 3.4 million units in Japan. In the US is sold about 5 million.

  • @Angellmbrr
    @Angellmbrr 11 днів тому

    So, "Game Tourism" has inflated prices in the past years...

  • @AfterBurnerTeirusu128
    @AfterBurnerTeirusu128 11 днів тому

    You haven't played the Sega Hatsune Miku arcade games? They are excellent rhythm games. (even if you are not into the genre) And yes, they will also get you addicted into collecting those figures...

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому +3

      Back in the late 90s and early 2000s I was well in to the rhythm games but I'm too old now and can't keep up. 😅

  • @TheDemoniusX
    @TheDemoniusX 10 днів тому

    went the everdrive route.. yeah I know, but when I want something to play I am not paying a premium just to own it, not worth it to me. also if you have a softmod wii with nintendon't you can enjoy GC titles. No ED required just a SD card. I miss collecting, but it's just not fun anymore.

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  10 днів тому +1

      I can understand the appeal of Ever Drives, I have a few myself for the SFC, MD, PCE, N64, GB and GBA. But, I still buy games as I'm a sucker for physical media.

  • @BeanoTubes
    @BeanoTubes 11 днів тому +1

    Thanks for your time and effort! Another great video, cheers!

  • @SomeDudeSomewhere
    @SomeDudeSomewhere 11 днів тому

    Could you do more videos like this one but with older stuff like MSX, PC88 and PC98?
    I would love to shop for MSX stuff in Japan 😛
    Cool video btw!

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому

      Ah, I'd like to but computer games are hard to find as they're mostly hoarded by those tourist trap shops in Tokyo and so on.
      I could do a Yahoo Auctions special I guess but is that fun just looking at Web pages?

    • @johnsimon8457
      @johnsimon8457 10 днів тому

      @@SomeDudeSomewhere Basement Brothers is a UA-cam channel that covers the japanese PCs and their elaborate original packaging.
      40 year old magnetic media makes me hold my breath, like the bits will fly off the plastic as soon as I look at it

    • @SomeDudeSomewhere
      @SomeDudeSomewhere 10 днів тому +1

      @@RetroCore Oh, I didn't know that! I thought old Japanese computers would be more niche than consoles!
      Anyway, thanks for your videos, I like them a lot 🙂

  • @stewsretroreviews
    @stewsretroreviews 11 днів тому

    Nice shop there dude, spoilt for choice lol

    • @RetroCore
      @RetroCore  11 днів тому +1

      Tell me about it. But you would need deep pockets to pay for it all.