http://nintendoage.com/forum/ -Sqooner http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=188660 2019-10-01T14:41:40 -05.00 Visc 15
https://tokyocheapo.com/shopping-2/fashion/top-tokyo-flea-markets/ ]]> http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=188660 2019-09-13T00:40:50 -05.00 Visc 15 Originally posted by: Kobun Heat

Here's a guide I wrote to shopping in Akihabara!

http://www.chriskohler.biz/retro-...

A few tips:

- DON'T miss Mandarake in Akihabara. A lot of first-timers skip it because there are so many other game stores right on the main street, and because you can't see video games from the outside. It's a big 8-floor shiny black monolith of a building with nerd stuff on every floor. Games are on the 6th floor and it can be a great place to buy rare stuff at low prices because the Mandarake staff can be really particular about condition, and will mark the price down lower for a small issue. ALSO, they do tax-free shopping, which most Akihabara game stores do not do! So you'll get money back if you bring your passport and present it at the register. Sales tax is 10%, so it's significant! ALSO: Don't forget the "boy's toys" floor in Mandarake! There's a whole glass case full of Japanese Nintendo toys. I found the original 1970s "Duck Hunt" mechanical toy in that case, the last time I went, for a really low price.

- DON'T miss Beep and Surugaya, which are helpfully located right next to each other but again, ever so slightly off the beaten path. Beep specializes in vintage Japanese computers and PC games, which, even if you don't want to buy any of it, are super cool to look at! But Beep also has console stuff, and it's usually much cheaper there. Surugaya, right next to it, is an amazing store with a huge selection, lots of discount bins full of great low-priced stuff, and lower prices than Super Potato etc.

- DO go to Friends, but know that their selection has been dwindling a bit since their heyday, and also they're cash-only, so bring cash!

If you're able to do another shopping trip, I would say for sure take your wife to Nakano Broadway. It's just a few stops away from Shinjuku. The main attraction is a huge shopping mall that has tons of Harajuku-style fashion stuff for her and lots of great game shopping for you! The Mandarake there has a HUGE game soundtrack selection, and a great game section too.

Let's talk about soundtracks specifically now.

- Super Potato: They do have some, but I've never bought any there - prices pretty high.
- Trader: The big Trader on the main Akihabara street has a decent selection of soundtracks and they tend to be pretty cheap.
- Surugaya: The video game Surugaya next to Beep *doesn't* have game soundtracks - the soundtracks are in another Surugaya, the one close to the JR Akihabara station entrance! Definitely go there.
- Friends: Has a very good selection of rare soundtracks on the upper floor. Again - cash only.
- Mandarake in Akihabara: Good selection of soundtracks, on the same floor as the games.

Google Map links and other links to everything is in the guide I linked! Good luck!

Bookmarked. Your guide is FANTASTIC for me. ]]> http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=188660 2019-09-13T00:24:46 -05.00 Visc 15 Originally posted by: Kobun Heat

- DO go to Friends, but know that their selection has been dwindling a bit since their heyday, and also they're cash-only, so bring cash! https://youtu.be/SCQGnVrTsAM ]]> http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=188660 2019-09-12T23:13:58 -05.00 Visc 15
http://www.chriskohler.biz/retro-game-shops-japan/

A few tips:

- DON'T miss Mandarake in Akihabara. A lot of first-timers skip it because there are so many other game stores right on the main street, and because you can't see video games from the outside. It's a big 8-floor shiny black monolith of a building with nerd stuff on every floor. Games are on the 6th floor and it can be a great place to buy rare stuff at low prices because the Mandarake staff can be really particular about condition, and will mark the price down lower for a small issue. ALSO, they do tax-free shopping, which most Akihabara game stores do not do! So you'll get money back if you bring your passport and present it at the register. Sales tax is 10%, so it's significant! ALSO: Don't forget the "boy's toys" floor in Mandarake! There's a whole glass case full of Japanese Nintendo toys. I found the original 1970s "Duck Hunt" mechanical toy in that case, the last time I went, for a really low price.

- DON'T miss Beep and Surugaya, which are helpfully located right next to each other but again, ever so slightly off the beaten path. Beep specializes in vintage Japanese computers and PC games, which, even if you don't want to buy any of it, are super cool to look at! But Beep also has console stuff, and it's usually much cheaper there. Surugaya, right next to it, is an amazing store with a huge selection, lots of discount bins full of great low-priced stuff, and lower prices than Super Potato etc.

- DO go to Friends, but know that their selection has been dwindling a bit since their heyday, and also they're cash-only, so bring cash!

If you're able to do another shopping trip, I would say for sure take your wife to Nakano Broadway. It's just a few stops away from Shinjuku. The main attraction is a huge shopping mall that has tons of Harajuku-style fashion stuff for her and lots of great game shopping for you! The Mandarake there has a HUGE game soundtrack selection, and a great game section too.

Let's talk about soundtracks specifically now.

- Super Potato: They do have some, but I've never bought any there - prices pretty high.
- Trader: The big Trader on the main Akihabara street has a decent selection of soundtracks and they tend to be pretty cheap.
- Surugaya: The video game Surugaya next to Beep *doesn't* have game soundtracks - the soundtracks are in another Surugaya, the one close to the JR Akihabara station entrance! Definitely go there.
- Friends: Has a very good selection of rare soundtracks on the upper floor. Again - cash only.
- Mandarake in Akihabara: Good selection of soundtracks, on the same floor as the games.

Google Map links and other links to everything is in the guide I linked! Good luck! ]]> http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=188660 2019-09-12T22:22:06 -05.00 Visc 15
Friends had some unique things but is definitely on the smaller side, Google took me around the block a few times before I noticed the entrance up a random staircase.

Also recommend retro game camp and traders (book off as mentioned above has some sweet deals--picked up a horri rap4 for 360 for like $25 if I recall). ]]> http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=188660 2019-09-12T14:05:20 -05.00 Visc 15 Super Potato is cool and a must-go place to visit but I expected more from the selection. The prices are also on the higher side, as already said in this thread.
But I found a few games that I wanted there and since I was already at the store, I bought them. I remember that a lot of the customers were from abroad so it's was easy to walk through the store speaking in English but the cashier didn't speak English.

A store that I liked was Mandarake.
As Super Potato, it isn't a cheap store but there was a lot of hard-to-find stuff there.
I bought F-Zero Climax for the GBA there since it was the only store that I found this game during my whole trip (Tokyo and Kyoto).
It's definitely worth going.

There are also a lot of small stores that you can go to.
One thing that I didn't know was that on Sundays they close the streets so there are no cars there. ]]> http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=188660 2019-09-11T20:54:54 -05.00 Visc 15 http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=188660 2019-09-11T20:28:37 -05.00 Visc 15 http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=188660 2019-09-11T18:13:12 -05.00 Visc 15
https://youtu.be/d1EddNCr4zI
https://youtu.be/NIsInb2geaQ

Oh even better still, visit Aoshima Island!

https://youtu.be/rHLLDOyZepY

Hello Kitty...pleeez, who needs some anime/stuffed toy make-believe cat (if she even is a cat) when you can play with all these REAL kitties in Japan? ^^

And this looks like a neat place too; BTW if she had her hands all over me like that, I would be so blushing and turning red...

https://youtu.be/C0X3CLJVMJU

Cute kitties, cute girls, what more could you ask for?   ]]> http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=188660 2019-09-11T14:23:13 -05.00 Visc 15