Thanks for watching, everyone! I left a link to the other channel I'm working on in the description, feel free to have a look and subscribe if you like what you see. Also, there's a link to the Surugaya online store AND a track list in case you'd like to listen to any of the music you heard in this video. Thanks again!
Thanks for the links Jim. Surugaya is well known here in Europe, it was possible to buy directly from them 10 years ago without any proxy through Rakuten. I'll have a look at your second channel, thanks for sharing this with us. Cheers. Greg
Recently visited Japan with retro game shopping on the to do list. My partner, a friend and I were out in Shinjuku to explore. They don't really have an interest in retro games, so I went to book off alone. I got a call from them saying that they went into this building looking for a bathroom and came across this cool shop I might like. It turned out to be that awesome Surugaya. Needless to say I was like O.O when I stepped inside. Nice vid! Ugh makes me wanna go back!
Jim, both my kids love watching your exploration videos to wind down at night. It chills them out to wander Tokyo and game hunt with you. Thanks for all the great videos!
Jim your content is overflowing with brilliance, l could watch you stroll around Tokyo for hours just talking about videogames ,the music is the icing on the cake chap. Long time fan from England. Oh and the Japanese adverts l really dig em!!!
Fantastic: it feels like we are with you in the streets of Shinjuku! That reminds me of my 2 years in Japan and of when I was 10 and watching the french version of City Hunter!
That was amazing! Your videos will help me a lot in Tokyo and I’ll absolutely stop by at Surugaya when I’m in Shinjuku! Great selection judging from the look of this video, lots of games even for older systems. Probably skip most Book Off:s since I’m mostly after games from the PlayStation era and older. Still, that last Book Off seemed to have a decent shelf of Super Famicom. Prices on those loose Famicom carts weren’t that hot, I’ll try to hit a Hard Off instead.
Oh the memories, I actually went to this Wendy's a few time, my hotel was close to there . I also bought Mario RPG from this book off but on my last visit they had quite a lot of game soundtrack for cheap so I decided grow my collection a bit . And this is the exact same Surugaya I went on my last trip, awesome finds I got Ys 1,2 and 3 for pc (old floppy disc) and tons of other stuff . This where I saw Chi No Rondo for like 120 bucks and regret not getting :(
Whaoo 🤤 can't believe you bought cosmic smash! I've wanted that game forever. It's like a futuristic squash game Sega released it on their naomi cabinet,. Very sweet.. Very jealous
Another great video! Next time try going to a few of the Mandarake Stores. They have a ton of used stuff including a dedicated Video section. I hear you can find some pretty good retro games there as well.
Nakano Broadway. Such an awesome place for game shopping and shopping in general, lots of little knick knack stores that sell the weirdest things. Looking forward to that video 👍
okay wow the tsurugaya was *glorious*! I mean I even saw a section for MSX stuff! always love these walking around japan videos. Also I don't have too much trouble with landing the plane in Top Gun. :P
There's a pretty good Book off the opposite way you went on the same side of the road as Wendy's towards the Cocoon building direction. Surugaya is my favorite store in Tokyo fullstop, we found it by accident and went back there three times, so many good figures, statues and games.
Great video and thanks for the info. I'll be treading these streets in a few days. In Osaka at the moment and avoiding the temptation to visit Super Potato Namba!
Hey love your videos was wondering next time when u go shopping could u hold up some the games to see the prices and systems I love looking at the detail they provide in Japan that we don't have in the states. Love your channel and happy hunting!!
I love persona 4 sound track..one of my favourite games..wish they would port it to ps4 already..give me a excuse to play again..it's great when you find a new place to spend your hard earned cash...
i also liked maximum impact as well, i know the 3D graphics are not the best but the gameplay was solid and you had some pretty good cast of characters. yeah i try and do the same thing in the past few years where i dont try to get an overload because i know it will take me forever to get to some games haha
More pls That place at 0101 looks pricey. Looks like you would be paying a premium because of the location. Any chance of hitting the more traditional joints, smaller stores? Think I prefer to see those rather than that upmarket place tbh.
Hah, I was in the area a couple of weeks ago, picked up Darius 30th Anniversary PS4 in the BookOff south of Shinjuku St, was pretty stoked to find it there.
Love your videos dude! Plus I seen in one of your videos you have a municipal waste shirt. You know of any good Japanese thrash/metal/punk bands? I'd be interested lol.
Aren't those things really obvious though? It's OK, I don't mind if people see me with my camera, lots of vloggers in Tokyo anyway so it's not uncommon to see people walking around filming random things.
ive been wanting to go to Japan for awhile now, but not only do i wanna know the best game shops, but how about some manga shops? can you find some of those?
That Surugaya looks great, quite open and spacious for a game shop. Is Trader still open near the West exit? It was closed for renovation the last time I was there.
How does bookoff get so much used merchandise in good condition? Do people trade in stuff like gamestop? I also noticed that every used game is in a plastic bag and not layered 6 deep in stickers. Do the japanese really take care of their stuff better? I mean the used games at gamestop would be considered junk in japan...
Hey dude any chance you'll make some more vids on the metal scene in Japan would love to see some stuff about Live house or bars ,good vid as always (y)
Is there much variation in price between individual book/hard offs. I’m on holiday to Tokyo in April and am wondering if it’s worth looking at many different outlets. Great vid as always by the way!
How easy is it for an English speaker to navigate the street signs and train stations in Tokyo without reading Japanse? I want to go to Japan but i am worried I would need a tour guide since I can't read Japanse and would probably get lost
theres a surugaya in ikebukuro too. do you ever go to mandarake too for retro games? i live out in the rural area of chiba and sometimes the hard off here has some interesting selections. Geo too.
I'll be going to the Surugaya in Ikebukuro in the next week or so. I sometimes go to Mandarake in Akiba and Nakano, they have a ton of games but the prices are pretty steep.
@@MadPanicGaming ya its close to the animate i believe. i went there few months ago. i hardly ever go to ikebukuro. what about nakano? do they have good retro game selections? im no collector but i love nostalgia so just even looking through the showcases brings back memories. that surugaya in OIOI (pronounced Marui btw) is a great one.
Im going to Tokyo next week. Im looking to buy a PSP Go, a 2DS and a PS Vita 2000. Where should I look in Tokyo? I want to play the cheapest posible. Im also going to stay three days in Kyoto and three days in Osaka.
Your video's give me the motivation to keep living, I need to get to Japan for my final check on my bucket list. I have been planning this for so long yet failed every time. I am 25 yet been wanting to go since I was like 16. I need to get there soon I know I might be able to make it there in August but I can't wait till after 2020 It's just too long. I know prices will go up next year... I have lived long enough I need to get there soon.
Kiki Kaikai PC Engine (14:31) being almost $80 is a crying shame. I know the entire series is expensive now (this one, the 2 SNES/SFC Kiki Kaikai/Pocky and Rocky games, and the GBA Kiki Kaikai/Pocky and Rocky game). The PCE port is pretty damned nice too for it's time, thankfully Taito gave it to us on Taito Legends 2 on PS2, and on one of the 4 Taito Memories compilations on the Japanese PS2 (Pro Tip: I have all 4, loads of gaming goodness on them). The polar opposite is Valis III (14:39) on the PCE CD, and it's actual priced quite fairly too. It too is a fantastic game. 15:11 A Taito Memories volume (Eternal Hits version, all 4 of mine are these re-releases), a KoF 02 Unlimited Match Tougeki version (sells for big money online sadly), and 2 copies of Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon. I also spot a Battle Garegga, a Time Gal/Ninja Hayate pack, and 2 copies of Batsugun, these sadly are far too expensive to add to my modest 53 game Saturn collection.
Do you mind if I ask how you live here? Did you have to get top tier grades in high school to get to a japanese college? I’d really like to know , I’m interested in going to college in japan. Thanks!
Japan likes to recycle a lot of things, small island, good infrastructure which makes it possible. Plus gamestop is all over the world. If its the USA, its just too huge, business's wont survive much.
Thanks for watching, everyone! I left a link to the other channel I'm working on in the description, feel free to have a look and subscribe if you like what you see. Also, there's a link to the Surugaya online store AND a track list in case you'd like to listen to any of the music you heard in this video. Thanks again!
Thanks for the links Jim. Surugaya is well known here in Europe, it was possible to buy directly from them 10 years ago without any proxy through Rakuten. I'll have a look at your second channel, thanks for sharing this with us. Cheers. Greg
once again,great video!!!
yeah I buy thank you
They don't have PC games over there?
hey what's up guys yeah. Why did he leave the you are the morning
Awesome video, Jim! Dont know how I missed it. A good pace and you make 30 min of this interesting of every minute.
Good taste in video game music : ). When I heard that MVC it brought me back to my childhood in the arcades all day (MARVELOUS!) Good stuff.
Lol “not talking to u lady”
Thanks for taking us on another adventure, looking forward to the next one.
Recently visited Japan with retro game shopping on the to do list. My partner, a friend and I were out in Shinjuku to explore. They don't really have an interest in retro games, so I went to book off alone. I got a call from them saying that they went into this building looking for a bathroom and came across this cool shop I might like. It turned out to be that awesome Surugaya. Needless to say I was like O.O when I stepped inside. Nice vid! Ugh makes me wanna go back!
Jim, both my kids love watching your exploration videos to wind down at night. It chills them out to wander Tokyo and game hunt with you. Thanks for all the great videos!
Love your videos, great quality, me and my brother are 80's kids and grew up on the good stuff, we love Japanese toys, games, keep it up!
Oh and I subscribed to your channel
Jim your content is overflowing with brilliance, l could watch you stroll around Tokyo for hours just talking about videogames ,the music is the icing on the cake chap. Long time fan from England.
Oh and the Japanese adverts l really dig em!!!
Fantastic: it feels like we are with you in the streets of Shinjuku! That reminds me of my 2 years in Japan and of when I was 10 and watching the french version of City Hunter!
your videos give me such peace of mind! great work and thanks, greetings from a fan in Germany
That was amazing! Your videos will help me a lot in Tokyo and I’ll absolutely stop by at Surugaya when I’m in Shinjuku! Great selection judging from the look of this video, lots of games even for older systems.
Probably skip most Book Off:s since I’m mostly after games from the PlayStation era and older. Still, that last Book Off seemed to have a decent shelf of Super Famicom. Prices on those loose Famicom carts weren’t that hot, I’ll try to hit a Hard Off instead.
Oh the memories, I actually went to this Wendy's a few time, my hotel was close to there .
I also bought Mario RPG from this book off but on my last visit they had quite a lot of game soundtrack for cheap so I decided grow my collection a bit .
And this is the exact same Surugaya I went on my last trip, awesome finds I got Ys 1,2 and 3 for pc (old floppy disc) and tons of other stuff .
This where I saw Chi No Rondo for like 120 bucks and regret not getting :(
Please keep these videos of Japan coming! I look forward to these.
Plenty more on the way.
that third strike music!! killing it bro
at which minute?
Thanks! You can never go wrong with 3rd Strike.
It's always great to watch a new video from you. It's like going on a journey! Keep up the good work.
Whaoo 🤤 can't believe you bought cosmic smash! I've wanted that game forever. It's like a futuristic squash game Sega released it on their naomi cabinet,. Very sweet.. Very jealous
Thanks for Shinjuku guide tour!
I literally started playing Persona 4 yesterday for the 1st time and now you put it in ur vid tripped me out lol. Great vids tho keep it up!
Awesome man. Used to go to that Book-Off a lot since I lived in that area of Shinjuku 1-chome. Always great memories! LOL
Your taste in music is impeccable
My fav Channel along with happy console gamer
That is high praise indeed. Thank you!
Always enjoy these videos! 🙂👍 thanks for making them Jim 🙏😇 Cheers!
Awesome video, love your channel and enjoying seeing Japan via your P.O.V.
Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying my vids.
Another great video! Next time try going to a few of the Mandarake Stores. They have a ton of used stuff including a dedicated Video section. I hear you can find some pretty good retro games there as well.
I'm planning to do a video on Nakano Broadway sometime soon, I'll go through the Mandarake in there.
@@MadPanicGaming I do believe Mandarake's biggest store is in Akihabara.
Nakano Broadway. Such an awesome place for game shopping and shopping in general, lots of little knick knack stores that sell the weirdest things. Looking forward to that video 👍
okay wow the tsurugaya was *glorious*! I mean I even saw a section for MSX stuff! always love these walking around japan videos. Also I don't have too much trouble with landing the plane in Top Gun. :P
"OK.. Not talking to you lady!"LOL
There's a pretty good Book off the opposite way you went on the same side of the road as Wendy's towards the Cocoon building direction. Surugaya is my favorite store in Tokyo fullstop, we found it by accident and went back there three times, so many good figures, statues and games.
Wow at 4:45 I saw that some has already traded in their copy of Catherine Full Body. It only came about on 14/02/19.
Great video! I love the music on your videos.
I love Jazzy NYC but Good Fighter is my favorite SFIII track honestly.
Love the videos my man! thanks for making them
My pleasure. :)
Great video, hopefully someday I will be able to go to Japan and do some game hunting.
Great video and thanks for the info. I'll be treading these streets in a few days. In Osaka at the moment and avoiding the temptation to visit Super Potato Namba!
eh wow city hunter, such memories, has the best male jp voice actor in business.
For the carrier landing in Top Gun you just gotta match up with the numbers on the left of the screen. The instructions are misleading.
October 2022 - The Suit Company Building is empty (all floors). Visiting Japan in Nov. 2023. Might take a walk and see what replaced it.
Half an hour game hunting vid, Christmas in February indeed.
Hey love your videos was wondering next time when u go shopping could u hold up some the games to see the prices and systems I love looking at the detail they provide in Japan that we don't have in the states. Love your channel and happy hunting!!
PRIMAL RAGE YES. I played Primal Rage 2 at Galloping Ghost arcade in Chicago.
The small Book-Off near Ito Yokado is pretty decent. I like it.
In every city I go I look for book off in Japan. But you should travel more and go to game shop in country side, it’s cheaper and lot of rare games.
I love persona 4 sound track..one of my favourite games..wish they would port it to ps4 already..give me a excuse to play again..it's great when you find a new place to spend your hard earned cash...
was there in january 2019, not much retro stuff back then (that first bookoff)
glad to hear that, i loved the MI kof too, i found them much better than kof 14 any day
do they also have pc games in that Annex store?
Aside from the retro PC games I showed I didn't see any.
Great intro and music! 💪
Cool videos Jim; was good meeting you at Sam's farewell a few weeks ago. Keep on keeping on
Peace
Thanks man. Just hit me up if you ever want to grab a beer or something.
i also liked maximum impact as well, i know the 3D graphics are not the best but the gameplay was solid and you had some pretty good cast of characters.
yeah i try and do the same thing in the past few years where i dont try to get an overload because i know it will take me forever to get to some games haha
at least in MI Kyo looks like Kyo. In kof 14 kyo looks like a 12 years old
More pls
That place at 0101 looks pricey. Looks like you would be paying a premium because of the location.
Any chance of hitting the more traditional joints, smaller stores? Think I prefer to see those rather than that upmarket place tbh.
When I have the time I plan to go to more small shops and Hard Offs.
Hah, I was in the area a couple of weeks ago, picked up Darius 30th Anniversary PS4 in the BookOff south of Shinjuku St, was pretty stoked to find it there.
I’ve always wondered what are some rare games in japan?
Actually, some of the rarest are Japanese ports of western games like Comix Zone and WWF Raw. At least as far as I know.
Love your videos dude! Plus I seen in one of your videos you have a municipal waste shirt. You know of any good Japanese thrash/metal/punk bands? I'd be interested lol.
I go to see local bands a lot, usually when my friends are playing as well. Honestly though I'm totally out of the loop with the metal scene here.
In the mood for game hunting? Hell yeah!
Dude you should buy some of those spy glasses with the hd camera in them. Incognito bro.
Aren't those things really obvious though? It's OK, I don't mind if people see me with my camera, lots of vloggers in Tokyo anyway so it's not uncommon to see people walking around filming random things.
That's the one I went to last September. After visiting the Animate Cafe when they were doing a cross-promotion for My Hero Academia.
nice like seeing diff countries
ive been wanting to go to Japan for awhile now, but not only do i wanna know the best game shops, but how about some manga shops? can you find some of those?
I can certainly try.
That Surugaya looks great, quite open and spacious for a game shop. Is Trader still open near the West exit? It was closed for renovation the last time I was there.
How does bookoff get so much used merchandise in good condition? Do people trade in stuff like gamestop? I also noticed that every used game is in a plastic bag and not layered 6 deep in stickers. Do the japanese really take care of their stuff better? I mean the used games at gamestop would be considered junk in japan...
Hey dude any chance you'll make some more vids on the metal scene in Japan would love to see some stuff about Live house or bars ,good vid as always (y)
I've been wanting to make a vid when I go to shows but just haven't gotten around to it yet.
Curious, what are my chances of getting some Samba de Amigo Maracas in Tokyo? Or a classic Gameboy for a decent price?
Those things aren't so hard to come by, just try a few game shops or Hard Off.
pause on 13:21 -what is the orange cat game (top right)?
I've always wanted to play a game as Jesus. Turning all the water into wine, and stumbling around drunk the entire game.
Actuall, funny enough, it's a rip off of Alien. No idea why they decided to title it Jesus.
Is there much variation in price between individual book/hard offs. I’m on holiday to Tokyo in April and am wondering if it’s worth looking at many different outlets. Great vid as always by the way!
How easy is it for an English speaker to navigate the street signs and train stations in Tokyo without reading Japanse? I want to go to Japan but i am worried I would need a tour guide since I can't read Japanse and would probably get lost
I never knew there are game shops in shinjuku...wow thx
theres a surugaya in ikebukuro too. do you ever go to mandarake too for retro games? i live out in the rural area of chiba and sometimes the hard off here has some interesting selections. Geo too.
I'll be going to the Surugaya in Ikebukuro in the next week or so. I sometimes go to Mandarake in Akiba and Nakano, they have a ton of games but the prices are pretty steep.
@@MadPanicGaming ya its close to the animate i believe. i went there few months ago. i hardly ever go to ikebukuro. what about nakano? do they have good retro game selections? im no collector but i love nostalgia so just even looking through the showcases brings back memories. that surugaya in OIOI (pronounced Marui btw) is a great one.
@@jaysato Yeah, they've got plenty of retro games. It's located on the third floor of Nakano Broadway I believe.
@@MadPanicGaming You ever been to Osaka? i used to live there, and though its not as big, Nipponbashi/Ebisucho there is like their version of Akiba
@@jaysato nope, still haven't been to Osaka yet.
The Streets of Japan are the Cleanest of any City I Ever been at!
I can confirm this!
Im going to Tokyo next week. Im looking to buy a PSP Go, a 2DS and a PS Vita 2000. Where should I look in Tokyo? I want to play the cheapest posible. Im also going to stay three days in Kyoto and three days in Osaka.
The Persona music is so fucking perfect in that shop
Your video's give me the motivation to keep living, I need to get to Japan for my final check on my bucket list. I have been planning this for so long yet failed every time. I am 25 yet been wanting to go since I was like 16. I need to get there soon I know I might be able to make it there in August but I can't wait till after 2020 It's just too long. I know prices will go up next year... I have lived long enough I need to get there soon.
How much are the used Nintendo Switches going for?
i was wondering how rare are mvs carts have you come by any ?
Music at 13:20 is awwwesome ;-)
Awesome
One day I picked up GB Batman game for 100 yen at eastern side BOOKOFF in Shinjuku!
That place sometimes has some quality games for low price!
Match the Alt and Speed to land in Top Gun
Cosmic Smash!!! Great game.
hi, names of the shops?
I would literally go broke if I was in Japan. So much stuff!!! 😅
Super close to my house in Shinjuku!
One of these days, I got to meet up with Jim and do all these awesome hunting with him. 8^)
Anthony..
Whats the song at 9:30? It’s a tune!
Damn, megaman 2 soundtrack was a perfect fit.
Kiki Kaikai PC Engine (14:31) being almost $80 is a crying shame. I know the entire series is expensive now (this one, the 2 SNES/SFC Kiki Kaikai/Pocky and Rocky games, and the GBA Kiki Kaikai/Pocky and Rocky game). The PCE port is pretty damned nice too for it's time, thankfully Taito gave it to us on Taito Legends 2 on PS2, and on one of the 4 Taito Memories compilations on the Japanese PS2 (Pro Tip: I have all 4, loads of gaming goodness on them).
The polar opposite is Valis III (14:39) on the PCE CD, and it's actual priced quite fairly too. It too is a fantastic game.
15:11 A Taito Memories volume (Eternal Hits version, all 4 of mine are these re-releases), a KoF 02 Unlimited Match Tougeki version (sells for big money online sadly), and 2 copies of Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon. I also spot a Battle Garegga, a Time Gal/Ninja Hayate pack, and 2 copies of Batsugun, these sadly are far too expensive to add to my modest 53 game Saturn collection.
Man those commecials are sick
Never knew Book-Off had a commercial
They have a lot actually.
@@MadPanicGaming oh nice! Thanks for sharing bro!
Can anybody share the address of the shops he went to? Going to stay there for a few days and would like to check them out next month. Please :D
Do you mind if I ask how you live here? Did you have to get top tier grades in high school to get to a japanese college? I’d really like to know , I’m interested in going to college in japan. Thanks!
That Jesus game always makes me laugh
Me too. Every time I see it on a shelf I yell JEEEEEEESUS!
Shinjuku is so cool
Primal Rage was on playstation!? :O
Great vid, man
This so a great video. What camera are you using? The quality looks 4k
Just a Sony HD Handy Cam, I do some things in my editor to clean the picture up a bit though and make it pop.
that annext building showing "0101" , you pronounce "Marui". i dont know why. but true. :)
Meanwhile Gamestop are going out of business... ☺ ♥ 🇯🇵
Japan likes to recycle a lot of things, small island, good infrastructure which makes it possible. Plus gamestop is all over the world. If its the USA, its just too huge, business's wont survive much.
Now, fight a new rival!
I buy a game player long time ago. I watching this video.
Dope vid
Hey brother how are you doing?
Doing great, thanks!
Yo Jim, when are we gonna get to see your face on-camera? :D
Whenever I get a camera assistant.