Games to buy when on holiday

[sadat]

Been lurking...and travelling too! When they data loss happened and Your Gaming Spend went up in smoke I disappeared back into the shadows -- that was the main thing I posted on.

Kind of glad it vanished for this fortnight, gonna go completely crazy in Akihabara

Thanks for the shout on Taiko no Tatsujin -- perfect for what I'm after! There is a drum controller on its way but not before I return home... I also did some digging, and the Jap version of Sushido Strikers has much better voice acting than any other region. Not sure I can manage Secret of Mana in Japanese again, it was how I played it way back when but I'm too middle aged for GameFAQs translation guides

[QualityChimp]

Good to see you posting again, though!

Just get a few memento games to remind you of your trip. I loved Akihabara too!
I'm currently looking at the shelf at Kaneda on his bike that I got from a Gachapon shop there.

[fuse]

I had to do some thinking on this lately, as a good buddy just left for Japan recently and made the mistake of asking the question. Naturally it's going to depend on what you're interested in / already have, but some bits I either grabbed already or have had added to the watch list:

PS4 - City Shrouded in Shadow, Game Paradise Cruisin Mix, Itadaki Street DQ/FF 30th, Fighting EX Layer (out this week!), DJ Max Respect...
Switch - Seiken Densetsu Collection, Voez, Taiko (out mid-July), Octopath Traveller (also mid-July, and supposedly multi-language)

[kryss]

Octopath Traveller and Voez are both coming out or already out in English.

[Paddy]

Glad to hear you're spending a little time in Japan (try to stay out of the sun though).

It sounds like you've got Akihabara as a place to visit already. Try to get across to Nakano (about 2-3 stops Northwest of Shinjuku station if that helps). Its similar to Akihabara but cheaper as its not as tourist-oriented. I like that it has an old mall feel to it and its great to check out if you like somewhere that has an old town feel about it.

I don't know if you're leaving Tokyo but if you get across to Osaka the Den-Den Town near the Nipponbashi and Ebisu stations there is great (its that city's version of Akihabara but cheaper. It also leads into Tsutentaku which has an old town feel too (its also a poorer part of Osaka though so please keep that in mind).

[Asura]

Yeah, along the same lines as [MENTION=4287]Paddy[/MENTION] - Akiba generally improves the further you get off the main streets. So, stuff at street level on those main streets will have a wide variety of stuff, but is generally a bit more expensive. Go into some of the alleys or up to some of the higher floors and you'll get better bargains.

[sadat]

Thank you for the advice guys, checked all of those out and then some. I found a great Book-Off in Hiroshima, filled to the rafters with random retro stuff. Found a Dreamcast stick for £15, a 3DS for £35, a second-hand Switch for £150 -- I could actually fund the flights if I sold everything else on, the prices were really good! Got Sushi Striker, the Jap version has a better soundtrack. Couldn't get Taiko no Tatsujin as it's not quite out yet, but I did get a load of Nintendo scratch off point cards for when the time comes [they sell them in every convenience store, they're like scratchcards here!].

I have to say that Akihabara was a bit of a let-down in terms of range of retro that was at reasonable prices. Lots of tourists, the shops can see us coming a mile off and are geared up to us. I couldn't believe how they had piles and piles of good condition / mint Famicoms, Vitas and limited edition 3DS', all packaged up and for sale at huge mark-ups, alongside the far cheaper and more practical Famicom Mini and standard consoles that more sane people without a pile of holiday money burning a hole in their pocket would go for. And, I know there's a thing there about middle-aged guys buying dolls of teenage girls in suggestive poses wearing nothing, but I wasn't prepared for quite how creepy it is to see first hand, surrounded by a floor full of the stuff, in a cramped little musty shop, shoulder to shoulder with a load of blatant perverts, Ewww.

I found better retro stuff outside of Tokyo. Super Potato / Osaka was broad, but expensive. Highlight was standing outside the current Nintendo offices, and the disused but maintained Nintendo old-style offices, in _the_ most unlikely part of Kyoto. Who would have thought that, from a place like that, there would come a stream of games that developed into art that has captivated us all for decades?

AND - food get! Okonomiyaki! Tacoyaki! Tokyo Banana!

[teddymeow]

Hey [MENTION=1765]sadat[/MENTION]

We. Need. Pics.

[wakka]

Yus pix plz.

Enjoyed your trip report [MENTION=1765]sadat[/MENTION] reminded me of my own trip 10 years ago.

[sadat]

Cool!

https://ibb.co/niWvWo -- first things first: OKONOMIYAKI
https://ibb.co/nMAB48 -- this is the place; at least it was [it's in Hiroshima, which is currently underwater ]
https://ibb.co/eBRvWo -- Book Off, also Hiroshima; I didn't take any more photos, I just took their stock wholesale
https://ibb.co/bXnDHT -- the more recent Nintendo building
https://ibb.co/jdU4P8 -- the second most recent Nintendo building, which is where all the stuff in the time NTSC then BordersDown have been around was made
https://ibb.co/kYSDHT -- the road to the original Nintendo building. Yup, it looks like you get your tires changed here
https://ibb.co/cMAB48 -- THE ORIGINAL NINTENDO BUILDING
https://ibb.co/eAyyj8 -- umm.... yeah
https://ibb.co/bVFdj8 -- Trader 2 in Akihabara; one of the main places for second hand stuff from the past decade or so, a bit disappointing that they didn't stretch much further back
https://ibb.co/eTZAxT -- Akihabara by night

[sadat]

AND FINALLY

This one is a bit of work, but worth it I hope.

They have a great little sweet, only sold in Tokyo. It's like a fluffy cake, filled with banana cream. Perishable, so not sold abroad.

I thought I'd use Microsoft's Translator programme to work out what's in it.

Give it a go: https://ibb.co/nxOsBo

8O

[importaku]

I approve of your food choices, okonomiyaki & takoyaki are worth travelling to japan for on their own they are so soooo good. As i get older the appeal of going to japan and buying tons of gadgets & games seems to lessen. I would use the time to scoff my way around the country instead, nowdays i can get pretty much any game/gadget without even leaving my flat, food on the other hand is not as easy to get hold of, Japan has so many regional unique dishes.

That banana confection has quite a variety of ingredients. No idea why mizuame is in there as i thought that was a dagashi lol but it's in there along with sorbitol, banana puree, think i spotted eggs in there and some form of oil, also gelatin. And thats me at my reading limit off the top off my head lol.

[sadat]

If you put it into Microsoft Translator it comes up as being made on "Rape Street"...

!!

[sadat]

You're spot on about the food. Everything I bought out there was freely available online, and the experience of rummaging through old bargain bins was fun but it's genuinely their equivalent of going to CEX. The FOOD, however -- there were some great yakiniku and tempura places. One left us stinking of fried oil and full to the brim. The variety of ramen was inexplicable. There are SOOOO many ways of making noodles alone -- the texture and bite is genuinely different. The soup base also varied, totally, from shop to shop. I thought the movie Tampopo was a bit of an exaggeration, but you can have a different bowl of noodles every night and they are completely different.

[Asura]

You're spot on about the food. Everything I bought out there was freely available online, and the experience of rummaging through old bargain bins was fun but it's genuinely their equivalent of going to CEX. The FOOD, however -- there were some great yakiniku and tempura places. One left us stinking of fried oil and full to the brim. The variety of ramen was inexplicable. There are SOOOO many ways of making noodles alone -- the texture and bite is genuinely different. The soup base also varied, totally, from shop to shop. I thought the movie Tampopo was a bit of an exaggeration, but you can have a different bowl of noodles every night and they are completely different.

I miss Yoshinoya and Mos Burger. Also Lotteria a bit but didn't that close down?