"Tokyo Retro Game Tour: A Special Day at RetroGameCorps and Hard Off"
日本語版はこちら
One day, a delightful proposal came out of the blue.
It came through a DM from Russ at Retro Game Corps, and his proposal led to us meeting in Japan.
☑︎ Russ's YouTube channel
Planning the agenda for the day! Hand-picking Hard Off stores.
I'm thrilled that Russ included me on his list of people he wanted to meet in Japan! Wanting to make it a special day for him, I planned a tour of Hard Off stores for collecting retro games. I consulted several followers who were familiar with Hard Off stores beforehand, and conducted thorough research to carefully select the best areas. Due to the high prices of retro games and the already elevated cost of living within the 23 wards of Tokyo, I decided to exclude areas like Akihabara from the plan. While convenient and nearby, I didn't want to recommend them due to their higher prices. Instead, I considered stores that were affordable and had a good selection of items.
Among the Hard-Off stores I have been to, the Higashi-Murayama store left a strong impression on me with its wide range of products, and it was surrounded by several other stores worth exploring. Therefore, I chose that area. We visited three stores: Hard Off Higashi-Murayama, Hard Off Hanakoganei, and Hard Off Mitaka Fukudaiji, spending ample time browsing each one. Although stores like Nishi-Tokorozawa and Higashi-Yamato were also considered, we received feedback that their selections weren't as good, so we excluded them from the list.
The term "Hard Off" is a play on words in Japanese. It's a combination of "hard" (which could refer to durable goods like electronics) and "off" (implying second-hand or discounted). So, "Hard Off" suggests items that are still in good condition but being sold at a discount because they are second-hand or used.
March 23rd: "Nice to meet you!"
For this trip, Tim, a friend of Russ, and etlandxoxo, who I invited as an interpreter, joined me in my car. We met up at Russ' accommodation in Ikebukuro. Since I couldn't speak English and we were all meeting for the first time, and I also had the respon sibility as the planner to make today a success, I felt quite nervous being in such a significant po sition. I tried to remain calm, especially while driving, but when I met the three of them, the gift exchang e began, and I immediately regretted not preparing anything due to my nervousness! Lol.
I started driving from Ikebukuro to the Hard Off area, which was 31km away. As the distance turned out to be longer than expected and the meetup was scheduled for just before n oon, we decided to take a lunch break midway. Seeing a sign for Kura Sushi, I suggested sushi, but with over an hour wait, we reluctantly ended up dining at the Bikkuri Donkey next door. The journey was hampered by traffic on the way, and despite the time passing considerably, we hadn't visited a single Hard Off store yet, which increased my pressure to the highest level, haha! Still, somehow we managed to reach the first Hard Off store.
The first store we visited was the Higashimurayama store, which remained vivid in my memory. I was impressed by the extensive selection of retro games, both hardware and software, which met my expectations. I was a bit concerned about the fluctuating inventory at Hard Off stores, but the selection was well maintained.
SFC's Donkey Kong 2 and 3
The second store we visited was the Hanakoganei store. Here, like the Higashimurayama store, the selection was excellent. Upon the recommendation of etlandxoxo, I purchased "Katamari Damashi" for PS2, and on Tim's suggestion, I also bought "Front Mission 4" for PS2.
What impressed me about Russ's shopping was that when he found a boxed Donkey Kong for the Super Nintendo, he did not hesitate to put it in his shopping basket, and when he found a Ninja Ryukenden at a store he later visited, he happily picked it up and was satisfied with its cheap price. It seems there's a Hard Off in Hawaii as well, but the prices for retro games are reportedly several times higher than in Japan, which may have made the difference even more noticeable. He also mentioned he was looking for a charger for the Game Boy Micro.
Ninja Ryukenden of Famicom
Donkey Kong on Super Nintendo purchased the day before.
My first retro game shopping experience in Japan so far, about $120 for the whole collection. Not bad, especially compared to Hawaii prices! pic.twitter.com/E4qDvpkGT1
— Retro Game Corps (@RetroGameCorps) March 20, 2024
This is the first store off the hard drive, and it's a great 1.2.3 complete!
The final stop on our Hard Off tour was the Mitaka Jindaiji store, which a follower recommended to u s. The selection seemed a bit calmer, perhaps due to fluctuations in inventory. Still, we managed to find the Game Boy Micro charger that Russ was looking for, and I also stumbled upon and purchased Grandia III for PS2.
Russ told me that during this visit to Hard Off he bought a lot of games, about 60% of the games he bought during his stay in Japan.
Tim bought Dance Central, and etlandxoxo bought a GB Card Capture Sakura, a Digimon game for WonderS wan and a cute Card Captor Sakura plush toy.
Due to time constraints, we returned to Ikebukuro and parted ways with etlandxoxo, while Russ, Tim a nd I strolled around Ikebukuro in search of dinner. I had a request for ramen, so I looked for a highly rated restaurant, but there were lines everywher e we went. So, we paid a visit to the nearby Tokyo Tonkotsu Ramen Bankara Ikebukuro East Exit Branch. As it turned out, it was very tasty, and he even Russ enjoyed the soup, which was a relief.
At Tim's suggestion, we went to ROUND1 in Ikebukuro to go to Spo-cha... However, this ROUND1 does not have Spo-cha in it! So, we decided to enjoy arcade games in the amusement area instead.
First up was Taiko Drum Master!
Although I love it, I hesitated to play because I'm not very good. However, hearing that Russ was also playing for the first time motivated me, haha! Since you can play three songs in one go, we started with an anime song, followed by a game music tr ack, and finished with a song from Mario Brothers. In the end, Russ, who was playing for the first time, turned out to be much better than me from the second song onwards!
And of course, we couldn't resist playing Mario Kart together, haha. Laughing and competing against each other in Mario Kart was probably the highlight of the day; it was so much fun. Mario games are always a blast!
I had a great time, and my initial reservations about meeting up with him were quickly dispelled!
Russ also made time to meet with me, and I got to know his friend Tim, and I'm glad I was able to provide an opportunity for etlandxoxo to connect with him as well.
I may add more later, but for now, that's all for today. Thanks for a great day!
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