TONS of links to stuff in the description, so check there if you wanna know where these places are *exactly*. I didn't feature all of the popular shops (Notably: Trader & Retro Game Camp), sorry if I missed your favorites!
As a retro collector myself I can tell you that NTSC-J Consoles and Games aren‘t nearly as popular or expensive in the retro community. You need to pay upwards of 150$ for a dragon quest 5 ds US/EUR. Meanwhile a japanese copy is around 20 bucks
That is absolutely true. That said, I kinda like my Japanese Famicom games the best out of all the things I've collected. The colors for the carts just look great :)
Value is in the eye of the beholder. A high-quality, sealed japanese game means nothing to an English speaker who wants games they can actually play. The cost of cheap games is learning 日本語. It's honestly extremely obvious why games from foreign countries would obviously be more unknown outside of their respective countries. (It still seems stupid though. Summon night 5 and class of heroes 2g are some of the rarest PSP and PS3 games while you can buy every game in their respective series in japanese for cheaper.)
@@theluminousone5883 and that's amplified even more to some countries that are not part of the western world In my country, DS and PS3 anime games are often incredibly rare, it is normal for them to be like, only 2 for the a whole avito, with a huge price of dozens of dollars Meanwhile on ebay, there always are lots of them available, often 2x to 4x cheaper
Regarding "Mandrake". It is Mandarake, not Mandrake. "Man" is short for "manga" and "darake" is grammar that expresses a lot of something. Essentially "full of manga". (I've been living in Japan since the late 90s.)
Man, this would have been a perfect video for when I was preparing my trip in Japan back in July. I went for a few Super potatoes and the Retro Game Camp of Akihabara. For someone who had never been in a retro game shop, this was like a wet dream!
As somone who lives in Osaka, I can't agree more about what you said about Book Off. Honestly, I never really go to Den Den town, or Super Potato. Yes, they have all the pokemon games in stock, but it's always like you show. They have hundreds of copies for prices that are a bit outrageous in my eyes. It feels like the horde all the copies they can get and jack the price up, and I hate this practice. If you go 3 or 4 Book Offs, you can usually find the same games you're looking for for half the price. I think my greatest deals I've gotten at Book Off are an original Playstation complete with power, controller and audio visual cables all for just 500 Yen. I also picked up Pokemon crystal and Yellow btoh with with dead batteries for 300 or so yen, which I was easily able to get back up and running by just switching out battery.
With how low the yen is in autumn 2023, foreign tourists think they are getting a good deal even though they are actually getting ripped off by the tourist trap places like Super Potato. When looking at Book Offs, it's also worth noting that the ones in popular Tokyo areas like Shinjuku and Ikebukuro have higher prices than Book Offs that are out in the suburbs.
I'm no expert on YT titles and thumbs(though I try to get better) but I think this video's low performance(compared to most of your others) is that the title doesn't have anything intriguing nor does it even really tell me what the video is about(aside from "Retro games in japan".. but what does that really mean about the video?) and the thumbnail is a very recognizable megaman cover, I would probably have picked a particularly funny/weird/quirky Japanese game cover to use. Something that would make a person wonder what it is. I can't really recommend a "best" thumb or title, but you've done it with your other vids, something that makes a person see it and wonder "hmmm that looks cool, I wonder what it's about" Side note: I actually love that you made this vid 7:16 and didn't artificially inflate it to be 8 min(like 8:02 which is the worst) for midroll ads
Maybe, the composition of the thumbnail is quite good in comparison to my other videos. As far as the title is concerned it was originally called “Where I buy Retro Games in Japan” which is more descriptive. I honestly think that the video isn’t doing well since it’s outside the interest of my core audience. I wanted to try doing a video that was adjacent to my main topics (software hacking, hardware, and CS) to see if others found it interesting. I think a subset of the audience does, but I imagine most folks would rather see or expect something about programming or game design from me 😂 Also: I was very aggressive about editing this one. The original was twelve minutes long but it was a worse video in my opinion.
@@NesHacker It is possible about the subject matter, though the best indicator would be how it has performed compared to similar-length videos. If it has done just as well, then it's a title/thumb problem. But if it's just doing poorly overall then yeah, a change wouldn't help. As for the thumbnail, I don't mean to say its quality is poor, but rather just that I don't think it jumps out to anyone other than hardcore fans of that particular game(contrasting when I see your other thumbs, they seem to be able to intrigue a wider audience). But yeah, if the video itself isn't performing well then it's just an issue of the audience not being as into it
I would really like if you made a video showing how NES games were programmed at that time. Showing the computer, OS and how they build, tested and shipped the code
I would too, it’s pretty tough to find reliable information on that stuff but I can keep looking. I can kinda guess how it must have been done based on the hardware that was available at the time. This is a really good video suggestion!
One thing I've noticed in videos people made of used game stores in Japan is you see quite a bit of Neo Geo AES in them and that's something you practically never see in the US
Yeah, there are a wild variety of systems and games for said systems. I've spent many... many hours just browsing old tech amazed since it's so rare to find such a concentration in the states.
I was familiar with a videogame store owner, and when I was buying the SNK Arcade Classic Vol 1 he mentioned that he collected those AES Neo Geo carts, until he sold it off because of how generally fire collecting these carts are today. I can only imagine how much money he put in towards the platform compared to me getting a PS2 compilation disc for $25.
@@noahboat580 Dude there was a time when MVS cartridges were cheap, I scored a windjammers on ebay (I checked the boards they're legit) for 30 bucks or something unheard of now, crazy how times change the prices
Another place to be aware of is the giant Mandarake in Nakano Broadway shopping mall. Also, bring earplugs for any trip to Hard Off, their theme music will drill itself into your brain.
I never thought one day I would buy NTSC-J games but as I started to collect games I found myself wanting to buy Japanese versions one or two of my favorite games even though I don't have the means to play them due to lack of compatible hardware (or if it's compatible, I can't speak the language). I have a Japanese copy of: Final Fantasy VIII - PS1 Nier (Replicant) - PS3 Fatal Frame - Mask of the Lunar Eclipse - Wii No More Heroes RED ZONE - PS3 Silent Hill - PS1 Photo Kano Kiss - PSP Yakuza 1-2 HD - PS3 Yakuza Kenzan - PS3 Yakuza Ishin - PS3 Valkyria Chronicles 3 - PSP and the two PSP Yakuza games And for some odd reason I want to get a couple more just to own them, like the Trauma Center games. BTW: Don't go to SuperPotato, it's overhyped and the prices went up accordingly. There are dozens of other stores that sell the same but cheaper. And don't remove my comment just because you don't agree.
Super Potato is way more about the experience in my opinion. Also they sometimes have very specific items that other shops lack, but you’ll have to pay 😂
Great video, thank you! I'm going in October, I'll be there for a month, 1-21 in Tokyo and 21-30 in Osaka. Do you think I should spend more time in Osaka? Also, what would you say is the best retro game shop in Tokyo, and do you know which is the biggest or best Hard-Off in Tokyo? Thank you
I think it’s worth visiting game shops in both cities, but I wish I would have spent more time exploring den den town. As far as Hardoff is concerned the Akihabara branch by Mandrake is the largest I seen… I’d say definitely check out the BOOKOFF locations in Shinjuku station as well as the one in Ikebukuro, they were bothered very impressive!
Japan tends to treat video games like any other type of physical media where as if you were to go to shops in the United States they're treated like collectables. I've been collecting Japanese games for over 3 years, primarily Famicom games. Famicom collecting for me is very fun as not a ton of folks in the west know a whole lot about the Famicom in comparison to the NES, so collecting for the Famicom is a fun learning experience (not to mention its a heck of a lot cheaper). Although due to that western unfamiliarity it makes trying to research what you're buying to be a chore as an English speaker, so much of a chore that I ended up founding a Famicom wiki site a few months back just so others don't have to go through the same pain I had to when researching. One of these days I would really like to take a trip to Japan and I'd probably would need to bring an empty suitcase for the possible hundreds of games I would end up buying.
I went to Japan this past summer and this brings so many memories. I even bought the same bowser figurine that you show in 4:48. Great video and even greater recommendations!!! PD: Sorry If I have made a grammar mistake in the comment above. My native tongue is not English.
I m in japan currently, and browsing at times for some games from the 16 bits area. What surprised me the most, is while there are lots of cheap super famicom games, megadrive (genesis) games are much harder to find. The ones available are in very good condition, but then they are much or same pricey than in my own country.
I miss my time in Akiba... oh god, it will be 10 years at the end of the month. 😵💫 I think it was in Nakano Broadway where I found a 3DS LL for 30% off the price of Akiba.
Hi! I really hope you answer this. My sister is going to japan in a few months and i´d love to buy some retro games in japan and deliver to her hotel. I know there are some great retro shops like HArdOff, Superpotato etc... but i dont think they deliver nor have shop online. Can you recommend a website where I can order to deliver retro games to a hotel in tokyo? Thank you! I will appreciate a lot!
Heya, yeah I don’t think any of those stores will do delivery like that sadly. You might try asking on some expat forums to see if there are couriers who could arrange it, but I’m not sure you’d be able to buy the games online to have them delivered in the first place :(
TONS of links to stuff in the description, so check there if you wanna know where these places are *exactly*. I didn't feature all of the popular shops (Notably: Trader & Retro Game Camp), sorry if I missed your favorites!
I got final fantasy for the famicom way back when no one wanted it for 5 dollars .
As a retro collector myself I can tell you that NTSC-J Consoles and Games aren‘t nearly as popular or expensive in the retro community. You need to pay upwards of 150$ for a dragon quest 5 ds US/EUR. Meanwhile a japanese copy is around 20 bucks
That is absolutely true. That said, I kinda like my Japanese Famicom games the best out of all the things I've collected. The colors for the carts just look great :)
Value is in the eye of the beholder.
A high-quality, sealed japanese game means nothing to an English speaker who wants games they can actually play.
The cost of cheap games is learning 日本語.
It's honestly extremely obvious why games from foreign countries would obviously be more unknown outside of their respective countries.
(It still seems stupid though. Summon night 5 and class of heroes 2g are some of the rarest PSP and PS3 games while you can buy every game in their respective series in japanese for cheaper.)
@@theluminousone5883 and that's amplified even more to some countries that are not part of the western world
In my country, DS and PS3 anime games are often incredibly rare, it is normal for them to be like, only 2 for the a whole avito, with a huge price of dozens of dollars
Meanwhile on ebay, there always are lots of them available, often 2x to 4x cheaper
Regarding "Mandrake". It is Mandarake, not Mandrake. "Man" is short for "manga" and "darake" is grammar that expresses a lot of something. Essentially "full of manga". (I've been living in Japan since the late 90s.)
Noted! I mess up most things in Japanese with my midwestern Americanness, sorry about that 😂
Man, this would have been a perfect video for when I was preparing my trip in Japan back in July. I went for a few Super potatoes and the Retro Game Camp of Akihabara. For someone who had never been in a retro game shop, this was like a wet dream!
It really is quite fun, especially the first time ya visit these kind of shops
As somone who lives in Osaka, I can't agree more about what you said about Book Off. Honestly, I never really go to Den Den town, or Super Potato. Yes, they have all the pokemon games in stock, but it's always like you show. They have hundreds of copies for prices that are a bit outrageous in my eyes. It feels like the horde all the copies they can get and jack the price up, and I hate this practice.
If you go 3 or 4 Book Offs, you can usually find the same games you're looking for for half the price. I think my greatest deals I've gotten at Book Off are an original Playstation complete with power, controller and audio visual cables all for just 500 Yen. I also picked up Pokemon crystal and Yellow btoh with with dead batteries for 300 or so yen, which I was easily able to get back up and running by just switching out battery.
That’s a huge deal on the PSX 😂
With how low the yen is in autumn 2023, foreign tourists think they are getting a good deal even though they are actually getting ripped off by the tourist trap places like Super Potato. When looking at Book Offs, it's also worth noting that the ones in popular Tokyo areas like Shinjuku and Ikebukuro have higher prices than Book Offs that are out in the suburbs.
Wait its pronounced Man drake!? I thought it was "Mon dah Rock eh"
I'm no expert on YT titles and thumbs(though I try to get better) but I think this video's low performance(compared to most of your others) is that the title doesn't have anything intriguing nor does it even really tell me what the video is about(aside from "Retro games in japan".. but what does that really mean about the video?) and the thumbnail is a very recognizable megaman cover, I would probably have picked a particularly funny/weird/quirky Japanese game cover to use. Something that would make a person wonder what it is. I can't really recommend a "best" thumb or title, but you've done it with your other vids, something that makes a person see it and wonder "hmmm that looks cool, I wonder what it's about"
Side note: I actually love that you made this vid 7:16 and didn't artificially inflate it to be 8 min(like 8:02 which is the worst) for midroll ads
Maybe, the composition of the thumbnail is quite good in comparison to my other videos. As far as the title is concerned it was originally called “Where I buy Retro Games in Japan” which is more descriptive.
I honestly think that the video isn’t doing well since it’s outside the interest of my core audience. I wanted to try doing a video that was adjacent to my main topics (software hacking, hardware, and CS) to see if others found it interesting. I think a subset of the audience does, but I imagine most folks would rather see or expect something about programming or game design from me 😂
Also: I was very aggressive about editing this one. The original was twelve minutes long but it was a worse video in my opinion.
@@NesHacker It is possible about the subject matter, though the best indicator would be how it has performed compared to similar-length videos. If it has done just as well, then it's a title/thumb problem. But if it's just doing poorly overall then yeah, a change wouldn't help.
As for the thumbnail, I don't mean to say its quality is poor, but rather just that I don't think it jumps out to anyone other than hardcore fans of that particular game(contrasting when I see your other thumbs, they seem to be able to intrigue a wider audience). But yeah, if the video itself isn't performing well then it's just an issue of the audience not being as into it
Paradise for retrogamers.
Very much so, some shops are almost overwhelming
FÜRDI? Is this german or turkish?
I have no idea xD
I would really like if you made a video showing how NES games were programmed at that time. Showing the computer, OS and how they build, tested and shipped the code
I would too, it’s pretty tough to find reliable information on that stuff but I can keep looking. I can kinda guess how it must have been done based on the hardware that was available at the time. This is a really good video suggestion!
I'm backing this up as well. Would love a video of this from you NES Hacker.
A sealed game in Japan is more expensive than my house.
The price of these games will probably only go up over time tbh
I love book off! A great place to buy games and books!
Ahh this would've helped me two months ago. I went for a month to Japan in June and just went to Super potato. What a phenomenal trip I had.
Darn, too bad I didn't get it out sooner... though I didn't go until July of this year so that would have been quite difficult xD
One thing I've noticed in videos people made of used game stores in Japan is you see quite a bit of Neo Geo AES in them and that's something you practically never see in the US
Yeah, there are a wild variety of systems and games for said systems. I've spent many... many hours just browsing old tech amazed since it's so rare to find such a concentration in the states.
I was familiar with a videogame store owner, and when I was buying the SNK Arcade Classic Vol 1 he mentioned that he collected those AES Neo Geo carts, until he sold it off because of how generally fire collecting these carts are today. I can only imagine how much money he put in towards the platform compared to me getting a PS2 compilation disc for $25.
@@noahboat580 Dude there was a time when MVS cartridges were cheap, I scored a windjammers on ebay (I checked the boards they're legit) for 30 bucks or something unheard of now, crazy how times change the prices
where coudl I find Exclusive Japanese Steelbooks of Video Games like Resident Evil, Armored Core VI, Etc...?
I have been enjoying your NES videos and I had no idea you were in Japan. I live in Akihabara and go to all these shops almost daily!
That’s awesome. I was there back in July… Ya know, when it was 35 C for weeks on end 😂 🥵
Another place to be aware of is the giant Mandarake in Nakano Broadway shopping mall. Also, bring earplugs for any trip to Hard Off, their theme music will drill itself into your brain.
Absolutely, the people are rarely noisy... but the music and the displays in some of these places are on full blast.
I never thought one day I would buy NTSC-J games but as I started to collect games I found myself wanting to buy Japanese versions one or two of my favorite games even though I don't have the means to play them due to lack of compatible hardware (or if it's compatible, I can't speak the language).
I have a Japanese copy of:
Final Fantasy VIII - PS1
Nier (Replicant) - PS3
Fatal Frame - Mask of the Lunar Eclipse - Wii
No More Heroes RED ZONE - PS3
Silent Hill - PS1
Photo Kano Kiss - PSP
Yakuza 1-2 HD - PS3
Yakuza Kenzan - PS3
Yakuza Ishin - PS3
Valkyria Chronicles 3 - PSP
and the two PSP Yakuza games
And for some odd reason I want to get a couple more just to own them, like the Trauma Center games.
BTW: Don't go to SuperPotato, it's overhyped and the prices went up accordingly. There are dozens of other stores that sell the same but cheaper. And don't remove my comment just because you don't agree.
Super Potato is way more about the experience in my opinion. Also they sometimes have very specific items that other shops lack, but you’ll have to pay 😂
Did you find any Fire Emblem games? Specifically, the higher priced games such as Path of Radiance or 776?
I wasn’t on the look out for them in particular, so I may have… but it flew over my head cause I didn’t purposefully focus on reading the katakana
I recently was in Japan and i saw the exact same copy from the 1st megaman game. Its like almost impossible to buy 😅
Right? It’s kinda absurd…
Great video, thank you! I'm going in October, I'll be there for a month, 1-21 in Tokyo and 21-30 in Osaka. Do you think I should spend more time in Osaka? Also, what would you say is the best retro game shop in Tokyo, and do you know which is the biggest or best Hard-Off in Tokyo? Thank you
I think it’s worth visiting game shops in both cities, but I wish I would have spent more time exploring den den town. As far as Hardoff is concerned the Akihabara branch by Mandrake is the largest I seen… I’d say definitely check out the BOOKOFF locations in Shinjuku station as well as the one in Ikebukuro, they were bothered very impressive!
Thank you! I'll do that@@NesHacker
Japan tends to treat video games like any other type of physical media where as if you were to go to shops in the United States they're treated like collectables.
I've been collecting Japanese games for over 3 years, primarily Famicom games. Famicom collecting for me is very fun as not a ton of folks in the west know a whole lot about the Famicom in comparison to the NES, so collecting for the Famicom is a fun learning experience (not to mention its a heck of a lot cheaper). Although due to that western unfamiliarity it makes trying to research what you're buying to be a chore as an English speaker, so much of a chore that I ended up founding a Famicom wiki site a few months back just so others don't have to go through the same pain I had to when researching.
One of these days I would really like to take a trip to Japan and I'd probably would need to bring an empty suitcase for the possible hundreds of games I would end up buying.
I very much enjoy your self-deprecating sense of humor.
Thanks, it’s been well honed through years of failure 😂
I went to Japan this past summer and this brings so many memories. I even bought the same bowser figurine that you show in 4:48. Great video and even greater recommendations!!!
PD: Sorry If I have made a grammar mistake in the comment above. My native tongue is not English.
height would be the only problem
I m in japan currently, and browsing at times for some games from the 16 bits area. What surprised me the most, is while there are lots of cheap super famicom games, megadrive (genesis) games are much harder to find. The ones available are in very good condition, but then they are much or same pricey than in my own country.
I miss my time in Akiba... oh god, it will be 10 years at the end of the month. 😵💫
I think it was in Nakano Broadway where I found a 3DS LL for 30% off the price of Akiba.
It is such a fun neighborhood, I've met so many interesting people while just out grabbing a bite or browsing some games.
Your videos are great, I have hit the bell to be noticed about your videos. Good job!
I just binged your entire channel
Woah, awesome! I take you liked my videos?
Hi! I really hope you answer this.
My sister is going to japan in a few months and i´d love to buy some retro games in japan and deliver to her hotel. I know there are some great retro shops like HArdOff, Superpotato etc... but i dont think they deliver nor have shop online.
Can you recommend a website where I can order to deliver retro games to a hotel in tokyo?
Thank you! I will appreciate a lot!
Mandarake seems a nice option. Id love to hear your thoughts on this.
Heya, yeah I don’t think any of those stores will do delivery like that sadly. You might try asking on some expat forums to see if there are couriers who could arrange it, but I’m not sure you’d be able to buy the games online to have them delivered in the first place :(
@@NesHacker Thanks! I´ll look into it! Thanks for taking your time to answer!
An awesome travel guide.
Thanks so much
Perfect timing I'm in tokyo right now
Will make some time and check them out
Nice! Enjoy your time and I hope this helps
My local Hard Off has a boxed copy of ぼくってウパ for 176,000yen.
I don't think it is going to sell any time soon.
One: lol that’s outrageously expensive. Two: is it disk system or cart?
@@NesHacker I think it is the cartridge version.
Love seeing this stuff so well preserved