Where is a good place to get a used game in Tokyo?

[Ivo]

I mean, probably some place in Akihabara. I know some of the forum members here have either been there, or actually live in Japan, so I thought I would ask for your help.

The thing is, I'm not going there, but I'm asking a friend to get the game - he works near Akihabara so it should be easy for him to go there.
He is not a gamer, so although he is japanese and living there, he doesn't know the area, so a specific store that is easy to find would be preferable if you can take that into account.

The game in question is Boktai 3 (only released in Japan, back in 2005, so I doubt there are new copies to be had?). I would like a copy complete in box if possible. If any of you are actually in Japan and passed through a store that has some at a decent price, maybe I can ask my buddy to pass the exact same store. Otherwise, a small list of good places that are likely to have it would work?

Thanks in advance for your help,
Ivo.

[gradualmeltdown]

For something like GBA I'd say ask him to go to these places in this order :

Sofmap
Medialand (if its still around)
Gamers

They are all easy to find and prices won't be bad. I don't know how rare that specific game is.

[Ivo]

For something like GBA I'd say ask him to go to these places in this order :

Sofmap
Medialand (if its still around)
Gamers

They are all easy to find and prices won't be bad. I don't know how rare that specific game is.

Thank you!

I don't think the game is particularly rare in Japan, the problem is it wasn't released outside of Japan so it's hard to acquire internationally.

I don't know how the used market is in Japan, but if I understand it shouldn't be hard to find used copies of GBA games from 2005 in those 3 stores? Can my friend just ask a clerk in the store and have them check if they have any, or will he have to look for it on shelves?

Ivo.

[gradualmeltdown]

I'd say they should go to Sofmap search GBA shelves and then ask if they have something like that. I haven't been for more than a year now so things have changed, some shops that used to carry GBA may not anymore.

To be honest the stock in Akihabara changes so rapidly that its hard to say where it will be at. If I were to be hunting a game like that I'd probably go to one of the Gamerz stores. Not my favorite shops but they have tons of mainstream titles for fair prices.

I know places like the little retro shops and Super Potato might have it, but it will be more spendy. Those places are kind of insane for someone who isn't a gamer.

[Ivo]

I know places like the little retro shops and Super Potato might have it, but it will be more spendy. Those places are kind of insane for someone who isn't a gamer.

Yeah that is my concern - I sort of picture a non-gamer getting overwhelmed. It would be much better if I could check some website and just tell him to get it from there, but I don't know japanese - I vaguely remember being able to find a couple of copies at any given time in Yahoo auctions Japan, but they didn't ship internationally. And now I don't think there are any for sale in that auctions site, or maybe I'm no longer looking correctly. The game has a sort of long name in japanese which makes it more complicated for me:
Shin Bokura no Taiyō Gyakushū no Sabata

Ivo.

[Ack]

Do any of these stores have websites, and do they ship internationally? I've got a couple imports I'm trying to find, but it's a bit of a bitch to get them.

[molotovwars]

I hope that link loads for you. Amazon.co.jp. Seems used copies are as cheap as 500 yen and it there might be a new copy for 980 yen (then the amazon.com prices of 5800 yen new). Maybe your friend can read the descriptions to see which of the used ones are complete, which may be fairly common since the Japanese take card of their games.

Good Luck

[grittykitty]

yup, sofmap is the way to go. low hassle, low fuss, perfect place for the non-gamer to buy something for a gamer. if your friend is coming from the JR station, take the exit for the main strip, turn right (this will go towards all the big shops), and the sofmap to go to is on a corner with a traffic light, on the right side of the street. i think 4th or 7th floor is for games, should be labeled. DO IT

[marurun]

Go to Akihabara and wander around, especially some of the alleys. Some of the smaller shops hide good deals. Think of it as an expedition. But don't get lost.

[Ivo]

I hope that link loads for you. Amazon.co.jp. Seems used copies are as cheap as 500 yen and it there might be a new copy for 980 yen (then the amazon.com prices of 5800 yen new). Maybe your friend can read the descriptions to see which of the used ones are complete, which may be fairly common since the Japanese take card of their games.

Good Luck

Thanks a bunch! How did you do that? I looked for the game in that site, by copy pasting the title from Wikipedia (in romaji) and I (think I) didn't find it. I also looked just for "Sabata" and the only thing I could find was the old western movies and the new DS game (it is called "Django & Sabata" in japanese, got localized as Lunar Knights in the west and LK version they changed the story so that it wasn't a sequel to Boktai)...

Ivo.