The Prices are INSANE! │ RETRO GAME HUNTING in AKIHABARA │Tokyo, Japan 

In your next video can you show us a lot more psvita, that would be awesome

@@Fantictrash There will be more PSVita in future videos. I can promise that. Not sure if there is any in the next one though.

Finally somebody did the amazing job of putting a bit of the game in the corner of the screen. THANK YOU

@@salsichalivre5401 Glad to hear that you appreciate that!! I will continue with this!

you very kind! Thanks for the content. @@RetroMoments

Yea prices around that time was perfect! Before they hype of collecting retro games on YT. Ive had so many offers I turned down back in the days. But I did get some games that has skyrocketed as well.

We would have crossed eachother surely since I am in Japan since 2000 until now. Yes, they had baskets of ¥100 games like neogeo, pcengine, Famicom.. RU-vid killed the hobby frankly. But it took some times though. The smartest way to collect is to buy online. All these stores like super potato or beep are gaijin tourist traps.

@@supergrafxengine4620 Oh nice! In Tokyo? Even NEO-GEO and PC Engine games!? Must've been NGCD then. Never seen AES that cheap ever. Yea Yahoo Auction is way better if you are looking for thee best prices possible.

Thank you for watching! Really appriciate it. Awesome! Thats what my channel is all about. Enjoy!

Well thank you for watching it too! Oh yea, Akihabara at its peak!

Thank you for the support, man! Really appreciate it! There will be a lot more Japanese Exclusive games on the channel as it is mainly what Im looking for!!

Yea colorful and very organized to make us buy all the games haha! I agree that the big crowds are not the most satisfied thing. But its definitely worth visiting!

Totally! Its a joy just walking around and looking at everything. Hope you get to visit Japan again sometime. Thanks man! Great to see you in the comments!

I hope to visit here one day🙂

@@MikeJaun You definitely should!

Precis så, Bubba! Det är utvecklingen av Akihabara tyvärr. Dock är det fortfarande sjukt kul att bara gå runt och titta på allt. Ett ställe fyllt med magi! Tack! Uppskattar att du tittar!

Yea I agree with you. Common games were defintiely reasonable priced. Some of the rare games could be another story however… But I didnt know that they were fluent in English at the store. Thats very cool. Thank you for the information!

Thanks man! Really appriciate that someone took the time to mention the intro :D And yea prices in Akihabara these days... Its getting wild.

Maty! Nice to see you here! Thank you! 😃

​@@RetroMomentsI really miss you Adam

Miss you and Raškovice too! I hope you are fine and doing good in life!

​@@RetroMoments Things are good, thanks for asking! I hope it's the same for you😊

@@MatyTofel Yes, everything is going well, thanks! :D

Oh yea, dude! I definitely agree. Its just a good feeling walking around there checking out stores!

Yea definitely sad to see. I was a bit chocked after visiting Friends with those empty shelves. Something happened after the pandemic. Thats when I could clearly see a rise in the prices. Before that I saw fair prices everywhere. Yea, so even though the prices are high, people still buy it. Thats the problem. And yes, HARD OFF outside the bigger cities can be really good. Each HARD OFF is different so always worth visiting them.

Oh yea they are increasing, man! I mean, as long as people pay those prices I'm sure they're raising them bit by bit. Yea its kinda cool to see American games here. But the prices of those games are even crazier than in the states of course xD Yea PSP's are really well-built I have to say. Ahead of its time! The ones you saw in the bin were about 2-3000 yen. That's super cheap. But I have no nostalgia for PSP either. Thanks man! I was hoping someone would enjoy hearing our conversations in the video :D

Yea that was really sad to see honestly. So many empty shelves. But I get why it happened to them. Their prices are actually decent compared to many other stores in Akihabara.

Yea I definitely agree with you. Its a huge increase in prices compared to 2019! But the funny thing is, that even though the prices increased, retro games are still dissapearing from Akihabara! Imagine if they didnt increase, there would probably be even less games. Interesting to see whats going to happen in a few years…

Even in fcking Asakadai just on the borders of Saitama, Bookoff had blatantly nothing. A lot of old 80s CDs were gone too, something I collected.

@@jamesherman3750 Really!? I wouldn't expect that! But then again, it is pretty close to Tokyo still. The BOOK OFFs Ive been to in the middle of nowhere have some pretty good deals and still lots of games.

Thanks! Oh nice, thats going to be a real hot, but enjoyable summer for you then :D

I hope to buy some nice gems. 🙂@@RetroMoments

I hope you find some great games. My recommendations are Surugaya and Friends! Best places for sure.

Yeah yeah yea

Thanks a lot! 🙂@@RetroMoments

Thank you! Finally someone that understand how it works. People are so quick to blame RU-vidrs for the prices of retro games. Its so much bigger than that.

Oh yea! I loved seeing it too. First time I saw the Famicom version! And I agree with you. Its my favorite Famicom/NES game ever! I had Mr Gimmick when I was a kid, and I do own the Nordic version still to this day! Its great they re-released it on the Switch. I think it holds up so well.

Oh wow! Thats crazy. I cant imagine many collectors who would buy disc only games. And Mandarake to me has always been more expensive than other stores because of how picky they are with condition. Yea 2012 and anything before the pandemic was great. I found many really good deals in 2019 even. But after that the biggest rise in prices ever came. Its going to be interesting to see the evolution of prices in Akihabara and its retro games the coming few years...

Thanks Nicky! Yea 10k, its incredible. Very thankful people like you who has been here since the start are still here! ❤️

@@RetroMoments you welcome 🤗

Oh wow! Friends is a must! Second best prices after Surugaya I would say!

What's so hilarious? The people in the video have been in Japan for many years and are not only teachers. Its just a way in.

I enjoy the Italian scalpers the most 😅

Awesome! Thank you so much for the support man! Well, after the pandemic there has been a lot all year around, crazy enough!

Yea Brian! It sure is my man Scruffy!

You're right. But it also depends on who is doing it. I think Metal Jesus Rocks and BeatEmUps for example, have way more influence over that since they are huge channels. I've been mostly filming in Nagoya for years, and there are still as many games there, compared to a few years ago.

@@RetroMoments Oh yeah for sure, I wasn't really blaming you in general. It is indeed mostly those types of people with that kind of following. In the end, they've kind of ruined things for most people who are willing to collect or still even want to enter the hobby. I like your content over theirs without question, yours feels down to earth and not fake, nor are you trying to influence the market and I respect that.

When foreigners buy them home, the games are just out of circulation within Japan reducing the supply hence prices go up.

@joury900 Yea, no I got that. I was just giving you my two cents on the topic you started :) I totally agree with you on that. Most people who are getting into the hobby now are usually choosing a newer console to collect for, because of the prices. Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! I am trying to give the viewers more of a personal vlog when it comes to game hunting. I'm glad it comes through :)

@gmr2gnr Yea, couldnt have said it better. Thats how it goes.

Oh yea! Definitely a hidden gem. I shouldve bought it. Thanks for watching!

Oh yea, just the exchange rate is very nice right now. Definitely! They know about the hype and as long as people are buying the games, they will continue to raise the prices sadly.

Youre completely right. It was a big jump after the pandemic.

@@RetroMoments mostly because tourism resumed after it. But it also goes back to supply and demand as well. The Akihabara shops know this since Akihabara has been a tourist spot for more than ten years now for foreigners

Yea a lot of people just waiting for years to come back just to buy games. I can imagine that Akihabara pretty much control most of the market for prices of Japanese games.

Its coming soon. I promise! I found a crazy cheap Thrift store in Japan…

Oh yeah definitely! Akiba is mostly for the atmosphere nowadays. And treating the shops like a museum. However, I would say that its possible to find deals in Surugaya!

GleyLancer looks very cool! Ive never played it but definitely interested to try it out someday. Shooters are just so perfect on the Mega Drive!

Thank you so much Agustin! Haha believe me, I can easily spend hours in the stores... :D

Because they're so overpriced, it's not even worth it.

@@helgenx Check out all my pickups from all the videos. I find great deals in every video. Just saying.

Haha thats exactly what I was thinking looking at some games in Trader. I know Trader are known for having some of the highest prices in Akihabara, but this was crazy. But then again, most of the games were pretty much in mint condition and apparently thats the reason for the prices.

Great question, Björn! I would say that Akihabara definitely has higher prices than any other place in Japan. But at the same time I see prices climbing fast in Nagoya for example. So I wouldnt be too surprised if they are slowly going towards "Akihabara prices". I mean will see. If tourists keep buying the games for "the higher kind of prices", it will continue to increase...

I've been away from Japan since 2019 but went back earlier this year. I was kinda dreading to see how much prices had gone up but was pleasantly surprised - found it wasn't really that bad at all. Picked up a ton of nice Vita games for 330 yen each, and for example Sin & Punishment for N64 was 3900 CIB - cheaper than the loose cart in the video. This is in a non-touristy, industrial part of Shizuoka prefecture.

Yea, looking outside Akihabara and the bigger cities, its definitely possible to find deals in Japan still. Those are some great scores! Congrats! Was this Hard Off or what was the store you bought that stuff in?

@@RetroMoments A couple of local "used media warehouse" type stores like this one for example: maps.app.goo.gl/z7jb59KHUTAPW2Lv9 I have a route of 5 or so of these stores plus a couple of Hard-Off locations that I usually stop by whenever I go back.

Nice! Ill check it out. I also aim to visit some more local stores for better deals in the future. I have a few in the scope already!

Great question! I've never seen that game before. Hopefully some can help out with the title.

Super Famicom 「SM調教師 瞳」 English Translation → ″BDSM Trainer Hitomi″

Dude! I went to Sweden now haha! Oh nice choice for New Years. How long are you there!? Im coming back in March I hope.

Yes! Even in 2019 it was cheaper! After the pandemic something happened...

RU-vidrs with Millions of subs happened..... Sadly @@RetroMoments

@@jamesherman3750 Real influencers yes. But Akihabara has always been a famous destination for tourists. And many people buy overpriced games so prices keep going up year after year...

That is crazy good deal. And whats even crazier is, that it could work… Junk is never junk :D Just a section!

Hey Wicket :D Oh really? Did you clean the pins on the cartridge? How does it look in there? Oh yea definitely a tourist spot since Akihabara is so famous!

Haha yea, Im with you! Its all those americans doing it for years xD

Suuuuuugoi!

Hahah right! Akihabara is not for buying games anymore. Just looking and dreaming!

The sad thing is that the weak yen causes foreign tourists to think that they are getting a good deal. In reality their willingness to pay the absurd prices are encouraging those stores to keep pushing prices up.

​@@ericng5707 So true Eric! And when people buy these overpriced retro games, the value becomes higher...

Oh really!? I didn't know that. Talk about dedication running that store for such a long time.

Oj! Ja 10 år sen var det rena retrospelsparadiset i Japan! Bra priser och mycket grejer överallt! Yes, har några videos från Thrift affärer redan på kanalen. Och fler kommer det bli. Tack för att du tittar, Thomas! :)

@@RetroMoments gå även på loppisar. Gjorde massor med snes och nes fynd där. Men pruta inte det uppskattade inte när jag var där iaf.

Guld! Hoppas du har kvar spelen!

It really is! They will keep rising in prices as long as tourists buy them up. If people actually stopped buying overpriced games Im sure they would go down. They have to sell eventually as they are a business...

Its a classic. Tough but classic. Yea it full name for that game is actually: Gekikame Ninja Den Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

thats why i couldnt find it in my full famicom list, its in the G's LOL@@RetroMoments

@@BanditsBest686 Exactly lol

Haha I feel ya on this! Even though theres nothing that beats having the original cart. But at that price, no thanks xD

@@RetroMomentsFor sure, gotta be realistic especially with how high prices are these days in every region.

Right on. If people actually stopped paying these crazy prices, the stores would be forced to decrease the prices. But apparently, the games are still moving…

Yea difference can be quite huge too! Still amazing feeling walking around Akiba and just looking around. Treating it like a museum basically!

Haha yea that happens when the game is rare and really sought after, not released in high quantities…

About 2-3000 yen. Very cheap! Like 23 CAD! But its untested stuff. Could be worth taking a chance there! Yea thats whats its like to be an adult. And Curtis is a very hard working man. Oh nice! Best looking Famicom cartridge! Sin & Punishment is awesome! Both the N64 and Wii game!!

@@RetroMoments great price But would have to test it lol

@@segagirladventurespico Well, I mean you can always test it in the store of course. So I guess thats not an issue :D

Its always different. Theres a video from Sweden coming after Akihabara. Holidays are for home.

Well, the further you go outside Tokyo, the better the prices will be. Check local Thrift Stores and Hard Off’s. Always different prices in each store. If you stay in Akihabara your best bet is Surugaya!

@@RetroMoments I have heard of handoff. I don’t mind traveling a bit outside of Tokyo. We have a 2 day trip planned to hakone. So maybe on the way back I can look for a hard off. Thank you for the response.

Sounds like a good idea! Hard Off wont dissapoint! Good luck!

Tokyo is love!

Absolutely! Famicom version then of course. Around 7000 yen!

No, you actually cant. You can play them. Not get them. Not hold them. Not preserve them. Each to their own, but I prefer the original hardware as intended. And collecting games is so much fun!

@@RetroMoments I. Have no joke over 300,000 emulated games or more that says different (I’ve got the Singapore hook up). Now I live in Japan but I was flying missions here for 27yrs fell in love with the place retired and moved to Japan. What I noticed over the years mainly starting in 2004, the amount of Chinese buying old cartridge games, it was a lot ,I mean a lot. It was at the point we some used retailers were beginning to limit the used game one could buy. I was with a friend who was computer I.T. savvy he said “they are buying them to crack them”. I had no idea he explained the process. I absolutely understand the collectors mentality. My action figure and comic book collection are out of control. All I need is the Daiclone DX-100A and I am finished (by orders of my Japanese wife). As for my video game collection good god. Before Japan became the trendy tourist spot it is, there was my favorite used game store in Shinjuku 4 floors of paradise. The games were dirt cheap. I didn’t pay over the equivalent of $15 USD for a game so over 20yrs my collection grew when I visited Japan, On missions (Okinawa had a great spot it opened at 11pm to 5 pm I busted crew rest many a time). I just went to Hard off in Kichijoji, Damn! They wanted $150 for castlevania symphony of night. The cartridge games were as high also $400 up. I had most of them in emulation so I was good. I do have a spot in The Nerima district that keeps it real. I picked up a copy of Hagane (super famicon) that I wanted a physical copy of for $6. As for my console collection it’s huge as well, I actually had to put them in storage. My favorite is the Panasonic game cube. Unfortunately I just tried to use it and the Disc tray won’t open. So I’ll be doing some maintenance. Take care keep up the good work I will like and subscribe.

GEO Mobile! Its in the middle of Akihabara!

@@RetroMoments thanks . add planning into my trip. is that psp junk or working?

@@apadia8447 No problem! Great to hear that! PSP is untested. But very easy to just try them in the store!

Oh yeah!

Yea that SNES was waaaay overpriced, unless it was modded or something. All those PSPs were untested. So Im sure its possible to find one if you spend some time in the store.

Hahaha! Yea the excitement dies fast when looking at the pricetag! xD

@@RetroMoments feel ya xD

Nope. Sad to say they just dont have enough games in stock. With rising prices its crazy that this happens. But then again, prices looked pretty fair in Friends compared to some of the other stores.

@@RetroMoments I was there a year ago... it was starting to feel empty compared to my first time in 2019... then this video is scary empty. that's left was there a year ago. it seems they are just emptying the stocks before closing seriously... being a front store in Akiba they could refill all this in a day with common cheap SNES games or else, make a little profit at least

Another thing worth noting is the type of game that Japanese stores have started to put in their glass cases. These cases are supposed to be for the rarer/more expensive titles, but at Book Off/Hard Off you can see really common titles behind glass now because they have nothing better to put in there.

Where did you see it?

it's the one next to outrun2 at 2:10@@RetroMoments

Haha yea she doesn't speak English :D And yes, shes still there. FRIENDS is a family business :)

@@RetroMoments Amazing! No one understands me as I am Scottish (lol) but just a smile makes the difference!

@@indiaalphanovember8217 Friends always gets hit hard by the wave of tourists/collectors buying stuff it seems. The mother there is nice - the two brothers....well.....

Yea Ive had several people recommending me either a Vita or PSP for that. Its supposed to be a better experience than those portable chinese handhelds like Anbernic and so on.

I also have one of the Anbernics but when it comes to power and performance you get alot for your buck on a emulated buff PSP Vita. The only downside is finding a good condition one in the States, im sure thats no probs in Japan ✌@@RetroMoments

Gotcha! PS Vita it is then! Yea they are kind of common in Japan, so I will be able to pick one up sooner or later! Thanks.

@@RetroMoments yeah defo PS VIta, it does everything the PSP can do with the added bonus of larger screen and bluetooth for headphones. It is funny though, to play PS1 games on a Vita you emulate a PSP emulating a PS1, same for a lot of the other emulators which don't have native Vita support. You run them via the PSP emulation. Once set up though it seamless, just use 'adrenaline bubbles' and you can launch straight into stuff and forego browsing the PSP xmb.

@@lee3r24 Oh wow haha! The Vita must be really powerful then! Thats crazy! And the emulation works well too I suppose!?

Terrible. Right!? One day, this will all be gone...

@@RetroMoments yeah

Tourist prices you mean. Yea, business is business :/

Because people like to collect physical games. More fun to play on original hardware with original games & controllers. Some people are fine with just emulating though. Each to their own. Giving timeless games attention is the important part.

We are all aware of the better prices before the pandemic. And the people you see/hear in the video live in Japan. With that said, those are some crazy deals you got there for the consoles. You should be happy you picked them up at the right time because prices will probably go up even more as long as tourists keep buying em for the ridiculous prices. Because its not RU-vidrs fault. They just show the places. You can find out about these stores in many different ways. Its not hard and Akihabara has always been very popular for tourists. Its the fact people buy overpriced games there that makes them raise the prices even more.

Haha! Each to their own. Im just happy people are playing retro games. If you wanna play it with a potato, thats still better than nothing!

I used to do that before, but then people complained that the conversion rate was wrong because some time passed on. I'll see what I can do in the future. But I agree with you. Its better to have dollars I think.

Hahahaha thanks for making me laugh, dude! That was hilarious to read :D What set did you complete? And yea, other RU-vidrs have been making Akihabara content for years. Of course it wont last forever.

This ain't new, I used to live there and have got what I needed, going there recently, the price of one game was like a whole week of having a week of good times. I chose the good times. Thank you emulation and ODE's.

@@helgenx Great to hear! And theres nothing wrong with emulation! I like emulation too. But I see it as a different thing to collecting / getting physical games.

私たちは日本語が理解できないなんて誰が言ったの？

@@RetroMoments できるや！ それは失礼しました！

I know! But treating it like a museum or amusement parks works pretty good!

Which RU-vidrs are you talking about? Just curious. Akihabara has been famous for a long time. Good prices and lots of retro games couldnt last forever.

Japan has a reputation for wearing masks in public anyway. Especially if one is sick. I guess that trend only grew stronger after the pandemic.

Think about local habits/culture instead of assuming covid automatically. It's flu season here. lots of Japanese people wear masks every flu season and also in the spring for allergy season when the hinoki pollen is bad. In western parts of Japan, many people will wear masks when yellow sand blows over from China and the air quality gets bad.

@@ericng5707 not to forget about the respect of not wanting to spread their flue etc. to other ppl.

Shit doesn't do anything but ruin your own lungs @@retrogames_jp1404

They definitely did, man! Retro game collecting is also bigger than ever and they know it. Akihabara is a tourist spot, so overpriced games are kinda expected nowadays.