Will you be visiting this year!? And yes, I love film cameras. The other day I saw a medium format Mamiya camera in the Hard Off showcase! Lots of great treasures!
I just got back from Japan a couple weeks ago and had a great time finding stuff around Tokyo. Love your videos and hope to make it outside the cities to these rural stores soon. I think my brother in law will be moving to Japan this year so may have a good connection on a place to stay on return trips. I think my best score was a very mint condition Saturn at Mandarake Nakano Broadway for about 12,000 yen. When I got back to our apt and was able to look at it closer, I'm not sure if this Saturn was ever used. The cable ties were done so well and placed in their respective plastic sleeve that it seems factory fresh. I couldn't find a single mark or scuff anywhere on anything!
Awesome! Was it a model 1 or 2 Saturn? I recently acquired a similar score: a beautiful Model 2 Sega Saturn. It even smelled new, haha! Come to think of it, I've never been to Galaxy Mandarake in Nakano! I've been in the building, just never visited the shop. Did they have a good selection of Super Famicom and Saturn titles?
@@RetroReWire it was a model 2! From 1997 the white model. I had planned on getting a Model 1 Gray but all the ones I saw were pretty banged up and more expensive than the one I ended up buying.
@@RetroReWire and yes the Galaxy Mandarake has a fantastic Saturn and Super Famicom selection. I scooped up Area 88 for the Super Famicom and just about every Saturn SNK title I could find for really reasonable prices. It's a lot smaller than their video game floor at Mandarake Complex but really stellar selection.
Been watching your videos all day ! keep up the great collections ! Been collecting the Launch gameboy colors . Just need a berry red console. Then next the translucent models.
I'm definitely downsizing and curating my collection to better suite my personal tastes. Garou here I come, haha! I'm happy with my Marty pickup. Have you seen many out in Nagoya?
Yeah, that's something I been wanting to do for quite some time. It's really interesting to see what others collect, especially those that don't publish on social media. Cheers!
Your point about transportation costs potentially canceling out the deals you get outside of Tokyo is a valid one. But an equally valid point is that going out and seeing different parts of everyday Japan can be a nice experience in and of itself. A 1000-2000 yen train ride and you're in what could be called more "normal" Japan compared to the neon lights of Shinjuku. And you're probably not going out there just for one store anyway. If you do your research properly, you can often hit multiple bookoff, hardoff, etc. locations in the same area or along the same train line to spread the per-store transportation cost out.
Most of the time a train ride is actually not that expensive. You can get out of the major Tokyo areas for less than 1000 yen usually, so as long as you aren't going too far you can usually spend less than 2000 yen round trip which is pretty cheap.
Hey JJ! So looking forward to your channel updates/changes. Id love to see/hear more about your collection. For example why did you offload all those consoles? Just physical space issues? Anyway, keep em coming bro!
Great video mate. I came back from Japan (Kyoto and Osaka - and an Ojamakan in Kobe) a week ago with a 23kg bag full of games and I already can see I overpaid for most of stuff 🥲 Started saving straight away to go again next year, next time more knowledgeable reagrding prices hahahaha
@@RetroReWire definitely Super Mario World complete in box, not in a mint condition tho. I know it's not rare or anything. But since I grew up in Brazil (very hard and expensive to have original games there) and I'm living in Ireland for a couple of years now (expensive to buy snes games here hahahaha) I couldn't miss the opportunity to bring one to display front and center in the collection 😁
I'm currently in Japan and purchased a super famicom and about 15 games. Some complete some just carts. Going to Osaka and Kyoto in the next few days to do some more hunting. Thinking about getting a ps1 or ps2 but I won't be able to get games for it in America when I go back since they are region locked 😮💨
They’re mostly inexpensive, but the hardware will eat up valuable space in your luggage. Quite a few games are also inexpensive, too. Do any local game shops on your area stock JP PS1/2 games?
Loved the video. Seeing Minidisc players and people shopping basket are my new favorite things. Is that a PlayStation Tv in the background of your apartment? I have one too. A nice TV, but the reflections and speakers are the only downside.
Yes and yes! People were loading up on games and junk. I have a few stereos with built-in minidisc, but a portable option would be sweet! I agree about the PS 3DTVs sound. I use it for PS3, 360 and Switch gaming and Blu-ray flicks. Cheers!
Hey! Great video, love the way you film the different shelves. Is it possible to have the address for this Hardoff? I’m going in 2 weeks to Japan and can’t find it on Maps
@@RetroReWire Thanks for that! Saved it to my list. I'm staying in Akihabara for the first couple days, to get a general sense of everything, then travelling for a bit to the south. Will probably try to hit some hardoffs a bit farther away to Tokyo center. Love your content, keep it up!
Bro, I love your videos, I will do a trip to Japan in may 27 until june 16. I will stay in Tokyo all the time, and one day in Nagoya for the Ghibli park. Any tips for the best places to buy games? Most of it will be second hand hahaha Also, I don't remember you going to a 2nd street shop, maybe some good quality things there? I will try to visit a lot of those stores. Nice video, as always
Awesome! Will you have lots of time to dedicate for game hunting? I do hit up 2nd street occasionally, but it’s always a bust. Hopefully one day I find a score at their shop(s).
@@RetroReWire Well, I'm thinking 4 days of semi hunting, or 2 days of full hunts. I'm looking for a DS, 3DS (+ games), switch oled and a lite, a ps5 disc edition, and the rest is a bonus. I saw some ps4 pro with 2 TB, for 20k approximately, and that looks awesome(would love a white ps4) I will stay in Kawaguchi 🤞
A hint, if you wanna a Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive or Master System you can import from Brazil, here a company called Tech Toy (Sega's partner) releases new official versions till this day, some even are themed, and they are super cheap and some of then even comes with games inside it, but still read cartridges.
A few months ago, I saw an original TEC Toy Mega drive model in Akiba. It was CIB! The price was crazy, however. Tec Toy reminds me of how Majesco distributed Sega Genesis 3 and Game Gear hardware in the states. I believe they also distributed a few games.
You are probably aware, but in Japan, it is illegal to film or take pictures in stores, restaurants, transportation, and people without consent. It's considered harassment.
20 year resident here. You have no idea what you're talking about. Just think about what you said. Just 10 seconds of critical thinking, and you can work this out on your own. You say it's ILLEGAL to take pictures in restaurants. Really? So anniversaries or birthday celebrations are a no-go? There are signs all over Hard Off telling people "Please post pics on Tik Tok or Instagram!" Are they encouraging illegal behavior? There is an entire industry devoted to recording video from trains, and selling the DVDs or videos here for train nerds. Are those all illegal too? I just.... Wow. Delete your account and start over. Why would you even say this as if you're an authority? edit: In fact, at 6:31 in this video on the left side (the white piece of paper taped to the cabinet) you can see one of the signs that says "It's OK to take pictures in here!"
i can't wait to go to japan and hit Hard off, because of your videos I'm super pumped! show more film cameras! super cool keep it up
Will you be visiting this year!? And yes, I love film cameras. The other day I saw a medium format Mamiya camera in the Hard Off showcase! Lots of great treasures!
@@RetroReWire Yes! hopefully this September🙏 already have tons of hard off routes in my itinerary😂
I just got back from Japan a couple weeks ago and had a great time finding stuff around Tokyo. Love your videos and hope to make it outside the cities to these rural stores soon. I think my brother in law will be moving to Japan this year so may have a good connection on a place to stay on return trips.
I think my best score was a very mint condition Saturn at Mandarake Nakano Broadway for about 12,000 yen. When I got back to our apt and was able to look at it closer, I'm not sure if this Saturn was ever used. The cable ties were done so well and placed in their respective plastic sleeve that it seems factory fresh. I couldn't find a single mark or scuff anywhere on anything!
Awesome! Was it a model 1 or 2 Saturn? I recently acquired a similar score: a beautiful Model 2 Sega Saturn. It even smelled new, haha!
Come to think of it, I've never been to Galaxy Mandarake in Nakano! I've been in the building, just never visited the shop. Did they have a good selection of Super Famicom and Saturn titles?
@@RetroReWire it was a model 2! From 1997 the white model. I had planned on getting a Model 1 Gray but all the ones I saw were pretty banged up and more expensive than the one I ended up buying.
@@RetroReWire and yes the Galaxy Mandarake has a fantastic Saturn and Super Famicom selection. I scooped up Area 88 for the Super Famicom and just about every Saturn SNK title I could find for really reasonable prices. It's a lot smaller than their video game floor at Mandarake Complex but really stellar selection.
The white Saturn has a sleek allure. I really dig its color scheme. @@CrawlingPanther
I'm gonna have to pay them a visit!@@CrawlingPanther
Nice video!!!! Hello from Spain!!!! I’ll go on May to Japan and i’ve watched all your recent videos, really good job!!!
I hear Spain has some really nice video game shops. I am hoping to visit sometime in the near future. Cheers!
Been watching your videos all day !
keep up the great collections !
Been collecting the Launch gameboy colors . Just need a berry red console. Then next the translucent models.
I seen that red DMG a few months ago. It was super tempting!
@@RetroReWire after my collection of translucent Game Boy colors I’m definitely gonna start considering the DMG Game Boy consoles.
JJ is back! Great video! I'm downsizing a bit as well. Less is more!
But now I really want to find an FM Towns Marty as well.
I'm definitely downsizing and curating my collection to better suite my personal tastes. Garou here I come, haha!
I'm happy with my Marty pickup. Have you seen many out in Nagoya?
“babe wake up, retro rewire just posted”
Haha! Cheers!
its nice to see their baskets, its even better if you can interview them about it and just put subtitles
Yeah, that's something I been wanting to do for quite some time. It's really interesting to see what others collect, especially those that don't publish on social media. Cheers!
Your point about transportation costs potentially canceling out the deals you get outside of Tokyo is a valid one. But an equally valid point is that going out and seeing different parts of everyday Japan can be a nice experience in and of itself. A 1000-2000 yen train ride and you're in what could be called more "normal" Japan compared to the neon lights of Shinjuku. And you're probably not going out there just for one store anyway. If you do your research properly, you can often hit multiple bookoff, hardoff, etc. locations in the same area or along the same train line to spread the per-store transportation cost out.
Some valid points all around, cheers!
Most of the time a train ride is actually not that expensive. You can get out of the major Tokyo areas for less than 1000 yen usually, so as long as you aren't going too far you can usually spend less than 2000 yen round trip which is pretty cheap.
Hey JJ! So looking forward to your channel updates/changes. Id love to see/hear more about your collection. For example why did you offload all those consoles? Just physical space issues?
Anyway, keep em coming bro!
I'll definitely do a video covering my collection and more. Stay tuned, cheers!
Awesome man, been eagerly awaiting. Hows the retro toy section ?
It was packed with people! The toy hunt is real and possibly bigger than the retro game scene.
@@RetroReWire sweet dude, glad to hear it. Ive been hitting it hard here.
10:23 what an awesome tune. What game is it from?
Here you go:
ua-cam.com/video/_4ZXJ3LKGK8/v-deo.htmlsi=uoSyavpnAf_I9eeD
Enjoy!
@@RetroReWire great! Thank you
Great video mate.
I came back from Japan (Kyoto and Osaka - and an Ojamakan in Kobe) a week ago with a 23kg bag full of games and I already can see I overpaid for most of stuff 🥲
Started saving straight away to go again next year, next time more knowledgeable reagrding prices hahahaha
I know that feeling all too well! It can sting a bit, haha. And 23kg of games is a great haul! What was your favorite score?
@@RetroReWire definitely Super Mario World complete in box, not in a mint condition tho.
I know it's not rare or anything.
But since I grew up in Brazil (very hard and expensive to have original games there) and I'm living in Ireland for a couple of years now (expensive to buy snes games here hahahaha)
I couldn't miss the opportunity to bring one to display front and center in the collection 😁
Super Mario World is an essential title!@@nikolasdj33
I'm currently in Japan and purchased a super famicom and about 15 games. Some complete some just carts. Going to Osaka and Kyoto in the next few days to do some more hunting. Thinking about getting a ps1 or ps2 but I won't be able to get games for it in America when I go back since they are region locked 😮💨
They’re mostly inexpensive, but the hardware will eat up valuable space in your luggage. Quite a few games are also inexpensive, too. Do any local game shops on your area stock JP PS1/2 games?
Loved the video. Seeing Minidisc players and people shopping basket are my new favorite things.
Is that a PlayStation Tv in the background of your apartment? I have one too. A nice TV, but the reflections and speakers are the only downside.
Yes and yes! People were loading up on games and junk. I have a few stereos with built-in minidisc, but a portable option would be sweet!
I agree about the PS 3DTVs sound. I use it for PS3, 360 and Switch gaming and Blu-ray flicks. Cheers!
@@RetroReWirefinding used stereos with built in minidisc here in the U.S. is like winning the lottery. 😅
"...space is an issue"
I feel that man.
Absolutely, all the fluff has to go. haha, cheers!
Hey! Great video, love the way you film the different shelves.
Is it possible to have the address for this Hardoff? I’m going in 2 weeks to Japan and can’t find it on Maps
Very cool, how many days do you plan to game hunt while you're in Japan?
Here is the store's address:
maps.app.goo.gl/HQYB8FceSwJ23KNU8
Cheers!
@@RetroReWire Thanks for that! Saved it to my list.
I'm staying in Akihabara for the first couple days, to get a general sense of everything, then travelling for a bit to the south. Will probably try to hit some hardoffs a bit farther away to Tokyo center.
Love your content, keep it up!
Bro, I love your videos, I will do a trip to Japan in may 27 until june 16.
I will stay in Tokyo all the time, and one day in Nagoya for the Ghibli park.
Any tips for the best places to buy games? Most of it will be second hand hahaha
Also, I don't remember you going to a 2nd street shop, maybe some good quality things there? I will try to visit a lot of those stores.
Nice video, as always
Awesome! Will you have lots of time to dedicate for game hunting?
I do hit up 2nd street occasionally, but it’s always a bust. Hopefully one day I find a score at their shop(s).
@@RetroReWire Well, I'm thinking 4 days of semi hunting, or 2 days of full hunts.
I'm looking for a DS, 3DS (+ games), switch oled and a lite, a ps5 disc edition, and the rest is a bonus.
I saw some ps4 pro with 2 TB, for 20k approximately, and that looks awesome(would love a white ps4)
I will stay in Kawaguchi 🤞
Go with the 2 full days option. West Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa and Akiba are calling!
A hint, if you wanna a Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive or Master System you can import from Brazil, here a company called Tech Toy (Sega's partner) releases new official versions till this day, some even are themed, and they are super cheap and some of then even comes with games inside it, but still read cartridges.
A few months ago, I saw an original TEC Toy Mega drive model in Akiba. It was CIB! The price was crazy, however.
Tec Toy reminds me of how Majesco distributed Sega Genesis 3 and Game Gear hardware in the states. I believe they also distributed a few games.
@@RetroReWire Same in here, but it's weird that the price is so high outside BR.
I got a PS4 slim at a hard off for 4400 yen in the junk section yesterday! Only thing wrong is it doesn't have a hard drive.
Sweet!! That’s a killer deal!
That mega drive that you showed the HAA-2510 ❤️❤️❤️ i think it can read all regions without any mod 😭😭 will try to get me one of those in March 😁
It's a launch model, and one that has seen very little use!
@@RetroReWire I will try to pick it up if it’s still there when I go 😁
What game or soundtrack is at the beginning of 10:19.?
Here you go:
ua-cam.com/video/_4ZXJ3LKGK8/v-deo.htmlsi=mD42HF-tnfaMdcl-
Enjoy, cheers!
Where do you sell your consoles on eBay, yahoo auctions, or you just sell it back to hard off/book off?
Recently I have sold the majority of my spare hardware to the shops in Akiba. I'll be looking at other options for the rest. Cheers!
Hope you do a psvita video!!
I’ll cover the vita in a future video. Cheers!
@@RetroReWire Awsome! My step dad loves your videos because we are going to japan in September, what ps3 and vita and ps2 games should I get?
My collection has loads of fighting games and classic shooters.
Be sure to have plenty of luggage space as ps3 games are quite inexpensive, haha!
@@RetroReWire yea i will probably get a big suitcase
custers revenge is a porn atari game..lol..cool hunt btw..welcome back!
Haha, I think I’ve heard of that game before. Cheers!
You are probably aware, but in Japan, it is illegal to film or take pictures in stores, restaurants, transportation, and people without consent. It's considered harassment.
I appreciate your concern. I obtain permission to film in-store beforehand whenever necessary. Cool screen name by the way, haha!
20 year resident here. You have no idea what you're talking about. Just think about what you said. Just 10 seconds of critical thinking, and you can work this out on your own.
You say it's ILLEGAL to take pictures in restaurants. Really? So anniversaries or birthday celebrations are a no-go? There are signs all over Hard Off telling people "Please post pics on Tik Tok or Instagram!" Are they encouraging illegal behavior? There is an entire industry devoted to recording video from trains, and selling the DVDs or videos here for train nerds. Are those all illegal too? I just.... Wow. Delete your account and start over. Why would you even say this as if you're an authority?
edit: In fact, at 6:31 in this video on the left side (the white piece of paper taped to the cabinet) you can see one of the signs that says "It's OK to take pictures in here!"
Nope, I didn't delete your comment. Let me check to see what happened. @@jct903
I can see your comment, but I have no options to enable or unhide it. It seems Big Brother is in control unfortunately.@@jct903