Want something from Akihabara? (Only a few hours left to make requests!)

[Sensei]

Ok, my friend and business partner Alex will be in Akihabara tomorrow.  He asked me to ask you guys if you had any requests.  He will only be there for a few hours so he can't check everywhere, but if there is something you are looking for, we might be able to get it.

Here's what I need for you to do if you want to request:


1. Item name
2. Boxed or loose?
3. price range you are willing to pay.

For example:

1. Devil World
2. Boxed
3. $15-$25

or

1. Akumajō Densetsu (Castlevania III)
2. Either is fine
3. $20-$30 (loose) $30-$45 (boxed)


If he finds it in the price range and condition you requested, he will buy the item and it will be available for purchase on the store later this week.

Any questions?

Oh, you must make all requests within the next 21 hours.

[Jabra]

1. Legendery Wings ( Famicom pirate Cart)
2. Loose
3. 10$-20$

[Sensei]

Ok, Time up.  I will let Alex post here when he gets back tomorrow to see how it went.

[UglyJoe]

Sorry, but I just have to ask this: why would you need a minimum price?  I understand "don't spend more than $25", but it seems silly to say "I refuse to pay less than $10!".

[Sensei]

Sorry, but I just have to ask this: why would you need a minimum price?  I understand "don't spend more than $25", but it seems silly to say "I refuse to pay less than $10!".

Hmmm.. good point.

Now that I think about it, there isn't much reason for a low price.  I guess I just wanted a range.  But yeah, one number would probably do the trick.

[rising_stuff]

For those who were wondering, Akihabara was a pretty big dissapointment. I went to probably twenty different game shops, and only some of those even bothered stocking retro games. The selection wasn't even that good really. So in  short I wasn't able to really find anything decent. The only shop I can really recommend there is Friends. They had a halfway decent selection of Disk System games and the prices were noticeably less than anywhere else.

[manuel]

So it's Akihabara, too?

I noticed the same here in the Chuugoku region. Gameshops that had lots of Famicom stuff 3 years ago (when I last was here) now have either nothing or only a really small selection. That was quite a disappointment and the reason why I do most of my retro-shopping online now.

[Mo]

Gosh, I thought everything would be there - especially at 'Super Potato'   .

[rising_stuff]

Gosh, I thought everything would be there - especially at 'Super Potato'   .

Super Potato had a decent supply but their prices were ridiculous. But I guess if it's the only show in town they can charge whatever they want.

[manuel]

Yeah, I also know a shop about 20 miles away where they have tons of stuff, but prices are very high. You have to dig deep to find you some bargains. The Golden Age of retro gaming it seems is over in Japan... for now.

[rising_stuff]

You can find a fair amount of stuff outside of Tokyo. It's pretty hard to do so though unless you are very familiar with the area you're looking in.

[Sensei]

You can find a fair amount of stuff outside of Tokyo. It's pretty hard to do so though unless you are very familiar with the area you're looking in.

Yeah, there are some great shops in cities where you wouldn't expect them.  Akihabara is overrated.  I loved it the first time I went in 2001 but I was just thrilled with being in Japan at all.  When i went after the Tokyo Game Show last year I pretty much vowed not to go again.  The stores were expensive and packed with tourists willing to pay the inflated priced just to say they "took a piece of Akihabara home with them" The only good thing is sometimes you find super-rare items.  The bad part is that you will have to pay through the nose for them.  The more popular the place becomes the more the stores can get away with charging.  Its too bad really.

[manuel]

That's SOOO true.

It's the smaller shops that can sometimes really amaze you.

[TheClash603]

You can blame me for the high prices.  I went to Japan in May and paid for the overpriced goods at Super Potato and others.  When on vacation it is fun to throw away money, the rest of the year, not so much.

How much do you think it'd cost for you to get me a Grand Cross pusher machine?  I spent about 8 hours on the thing, hit the jackpot, and couldn't figure out how to cash in.

Another side note...  did you see that mass stabbing in Akihabara a little while back?  Right by Club Sega, absolutely ridiculous.

[manuel]

The Akihabara incident was in the news of all channels for almost 2 weeks IIRC.