The Japan Trip Resource Thread!

[Darwock]

Spent New Years Day at USJ this year, although the only real coaster I went on was Space Fantasy, I also did Spider-Man and Back To The Future. And Terminator but that's not a ride, it's a show.

[QualityChimp]

I went to the entrance of Universal Studios, but I've been to the Florida one, with many similar rides (at the time), so we gave it a miss.

What a great way to spend New Year's Day, Darwock!

I went to another XTREME theme park on NYD - Thomas Land at Drayton Monor!
Joking aside, although it was wet all day, my 2-year-old had an amazing day, and consequently, so did I.

[wakka]

Haha it's OT but I used to go to Drayton Manor about once a year when I was a kid. Love Shockwave and the Klondike coaster!

And funnily enough, you can find a Thomas Land in Japan too - in Fuji Q of all places.

I went to USJ on my trip too, one of the reasons was that I wanted to ride Back To The Future again and for some years now USJ has been the only place in the world to do so (the ride was converted into The Simpsons Ride in the American parks, and I don't think Singapore ever had it). Love Spiderman and Jurassic Park too. Universal's rides are very clever because they're not as extreme as the coasters of Fuji Q or a Six Flags, but they still manage to be thrilling and fun.

[kryss]

Can't wait to move to Tokyo. I'll be hitting Nakano up and other places. My mate who lives there took me on an arcade crawl and it made me realise the little arcade places here are still buzzing. Literally. Smoke-filled underground dens of joy

Dude, you live close enough don't you? Nagareyama is almost no distance at all, the TX from Minami Nagareyama goes direct to Akihabara ffs!

I always liked living just over the border. Cheaper rent makes it more worthwhile.

[QualityChimp]

I don't want to derail the thread with talk of roller coasters outside of Japan, so maybe you'd like to add your top 5 roller coasters to this list, Wakka?!

[randombs]

Dude, you live close enough don't you? Nagareyama is almost no distance at all, the TX from Minami Nagareyama goes direct to Akihabara ffs!

I do but not close enough to want to spend a day traipsing about in Nakano. Weekend is gf time and there's no way in hell I'm taking her there. Also it costs ?660 each way. Just going to Akihabara and back is almost ?1000. I'll wait

Plu,s there's something about living here that saps the motivation out of doing anything fun because I know I'll be here for ages. Although the arcades themselves may not...

[Yakumo]

Has anybody been on any Japanese roller coasters recently?

Mid last year on a road trip to Oita we stopped off at Kijima Koen which has the worlds largest wooden roller-coaster. It was pretty scary mainly due to the old style train like tracks and man, it was fast and very uncomfortable. Here's a few pictures I took of it.

Click the links to see the full size shots.



A few weeks back I went to Space World which is only about 40 minutes drive from my home. They've got a few rides but this one was fantastic! Only 10 minutes wait time too so I rode it a few times.

Here's a video of the actual ride at the theme park

another one they have which is pretty fast

And their BIG coaster but unfortunately this is never bloody running.

[wakka]

Just going to Akihabara and back is almost ?1000.

:|

If I could go to Akihabara for ?10 I would.

[QualityChimp]

Thanks, Yakumo!

It made me laugh when we went to Space World because every time there was the slightest of drizzle, they closed the rides.

In the UK, I've been on them in the pouring rain!

They had a sweet Resident Evil 4D movie, but it's probably gone now.

[briareos_kerensky]

In the UK, I've been on them in the pouring rain!

To be fair, if something in the UK has to be shut down when the weather is on the verge of raining, everything will be closed all year-round.

[kryss]

I do but not close enough to want to spend a day traipsing about in Nakano. Weekend is gf time and there's no way in hell I'm taking her there. Also it costs ?660 each way. Just going to Akihabara and back is almost ?1000. I'll wait

Plu,s there's something about living here that saps the motivation out of doing anything fun because I know I'll be here for ages. Although the arcades themselves may not...

Cost me 320 each way from Mabashi to Shinochanomizu, I still went every week for 2-3 years!

[danholo]

Akihabara is dead.

I do not believe it. On a rare half day off that I had, I went to Akihabara for the second time on this trip, and people are right: the place is dead.

Half the games on my shopping list no one stocked. It took 3 HOURS of traipsing before I eventually found Monster World Complete Collection, and it was the same price as on eBay, shipping to Europe. WTF?! No store stocked Psychic Force Collection on PS2. I mean, come on, PS2 games? This wasn't some rare PC-Engine title I was trying to find. These are bloody common as muck PS2 games, and no one has them! I've only only found about 6 gaming stores: Super Potato, and a whole bunch of Trader stores.

Where are the games stores in Akihabara? When I visited 13 years ago every goddamn building space was a games store. There was nothing you could not find - 10 minutes of walking and literally EVERYTHING was available. Now nothing exists any more.

I traipsed up the main strip 3 or 4 times, and wandered all the side alleys until I got lost.

Question for the forum:
Before I return home, I will probably have one more day or half-day off. Is there an up to date map of Akihabara with lists of stores? I'm only interested in buying disc based releases, so nothing pre-PS1 or pre-PCECD era. Mainly PS2 games, actually. Oh, and I want to buy the Princess Maker Memorial Box for Windows PCs, if anyone has it (unlikely).

So, recommendations?

I honestly never once imagined that it would be easier and cheaper to find Japanese games on eBay UK than it would be in Akihabara.

What the **** happened to this town in the last decade?

Adding to this, most games I actually bought in Japan were these Book-Off/Hard-Off stores. One was in Akiba, the others I just encountered. A few in Koenji, one other as I walked from Koenji to Shinjuku. Stuff like that. Super Potato was ok for not so popular games. Got a CIB of Tales of Phantasia PSX in there.

[ETC]

Sadly this pretty much summed up Akiba circa 2013

[randombs]

:|

If I could go to Akihabara for ?10 I would.

No you wouldn't. Unless your cup of tea involves being served said cup by a maid.

Look at the complaints on this thread by people just visiting Japan. Even these guys who'd be more likely to give the place a chance because they've come all this way are slating it because of what it's become.

To me, Akihabara is the place I go to catch the Yamanote line. That's it.

[Anpanman]

Aki was great in 94 but by the early 2000's was declining, last time we visited Tokyo about four years ago I didn't bother, the girls went to Disney and I went to Haneda to watch the planes for a few hours.

I always get my games and kit from our local Geo, prices are good as well as selection, if I want retro there's always the second hand shops.