The Japan Thread

[bork]

 

[chronovore]

Which one of you clowns is coming to Osaka next?

I've managed to host Bebpo, Hyoushi, A Slime Appears, Mr Gundam, Sho Nuff, JackFrost2012, and cormacaroni.

I've gotta catch you all, according to Nintendo.

[bork]

I'd really like to go there, instead of Ishikawa for the umpteenth time, next time I'm over there.

[tiesto]

I'm planning on finally getting over there next year, found an online tour that looks pretty neat.. trying to get my friend to go too but he's cash-strapped at the moment.

[Joe Molotov]

Japan seems p. cool.

[chronovore]

I'm planning on finally getting over there next year, found an online tour that looks pretty neat.. trying to get my friend to go too but he's cash-strapped at the moment.

Drop a line if you're in the southwest region. I can meet in Osaka, Kobe, or Kyoto. Some people are like, "I'm in Tokyo!" to which the response is "Have fun! I'm a $200 train ticket away from you."

Protip: If you get the JR Rail Pass which is only available to visitors to Japan, not residents, you can travel the entire country for a set fee for a full week.

[chronovore]

Japan seems p. cool.

Not in summer. For gods' sakes, never come in summer.

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/10/14/japanese-restaurants-beef-bowl-looks-so-so-much-like-a-diseased-penis/

[chronovore]

Moar, though a couple are not actually Japanese:
http://imgur.com/gallery/huizx

[a slime appears]

Which one of you clowns is coming to Osaka next?

I've managed to host Bebpo, Hyoushi, A Slime Appears, Mr Gundam, Sho Nuff, JackFrost2012, and cormacaroni.

I've gotta catch you all, according to Nintendo.

I'm coming next year, plan to climb Mt. Fuji in June 'cause why the fuck not.

Definitely want to swing by and catch-up. You're good people!

spoiler (click to show/hide)

ALSO WANT TO HIT NIPPONBASHI SUPER HARD. THE RETRO CAPITAL OF JAPAN IS CALLING ME.

[close]

[chronovore]

Which one of you clowns is coming to Osaka next?

I've managed to host Bebpo, Hyoushi, A Slime Appears, Mr Gundam, Sho Nuff, JackFrost2012, and cormacaroni.

I've gotta catch you all, according to Nintendo.

I'm coming next year, plan to climb Mt. Fuji in June 'cause why the fuck not.

Definitely want to swing by and catch-up. You're good people!

spoiler (click to show/hide)

ALSO WANT TO HIT NIPPONBASHI SUPER HARD. THE RETRO CAPITAL OF JAPAN IS CALLING ME.

[close]

YAY!

I'm definitely biased toward Kansai, but I feel Nipponbashi is objectively more enjoyable than Akihabara.

[a slime appears]

Which one of you clowns is coming to Osaka next?

I've managed to host Bebpo, Hyoushi, A Slime Appears, Mr Gundam, Sho Nuff, JackFrost2012, and cormacaroni.

I've gotta catch you all, according to Nintendo.

I'm coming next year, plan to climb Mt. Fuji in June 'cause why the fuck not.

Definitely want to swing by and catch-up. You're good people!

spoiler (click to show/hide)

ALSO WANT TO HIT NIPPONBASHI SUPER HARD. THE RETRO CAPITAL OF JAPAN IS CALLING ME.

[close]

YAY!

I'm definitely biased toward Kansai, but I feel Nipponbashi is objectively more enjoyable than Akihabara.

I've kept kept up with the retro scene in Japan and you're right. Akihabara has been ruined by filthy gaijin and online auction sites resulting in the prices are all over the place, usually expensive. Granted, you'll still find some crazy good stuff but expect to pay through the nose.

Den Den Town is still pretty damn great and the prices there are reasonable. I plan on dedicating a good chunk of a day shopping there when I visit Osaka!

[bork]

The one time I went to Den Den Town, I was very unimpressed.  You guys are gonna have to show me what's so awesome about it next time I can get up there.

In fact, I was pretty unimpressed with Osaka in general.  It felt like a bigger Kanazawa.

[chronovore]

I don't ever try to sell people on why Osaka is great. It either sells itself, or it doesn't. There are plenty of ways to enjoy just about any place you end up in Japan.

Except Chiba.

Fuck Chiba.

[VomKriege]

[Bebpo]

I don't ever try to sell people on why Osaka is great. It either sells itself, or it doesn't. There are plenty of ways to enjoy just about any place you end up in Japan.

Except Chiba.

Fuck Chiba.

I don't normally like Osaka much, but I had a great time there when you showed me around!  I think to really be into Osaka you gotta be a native or hang with one

[chronovore]

I don't ever try to sell people on why Osaka is great. It either sells itself, or it doesn't. There are plenty of ways to enjoy just about any place you end up in Japan.

Except Chiba.

Fuck Chiba.

I don't normally like Osaka much, but I had a great time there when you showed me around!  I think to really be into Osaka you gotta be a native or hang with one

voce sotto:
(To be honest, that's true. Kyoto is beautiful, stately, and calm. Kobe is international, sexy, and urbane. Tokyo is a fastidious anthive with everything you could want, except personal space. Osaka is filthy, crowded, and "rude" -- but the people here are actually very kind and engaging, and the native food here is B-BANG, the best in Japan.)

[T-Short]

And the shopping in Minami-Horie is fuckin'

[bork]

Cost all depends on when you go, where you stay, and where you want to go within the country.  Plane fare can be pretty expensive.

When I first went there, it was for a week and just in Tokyo.  I saw all the big sites and wished I'd stayed longer.

[bork]

I saw some tickets on sale for as low as $600 a little while ago.  Wanted to buy some so bad but couldn't commit to the dates.  Those were found on Google's travel service.

When I lived over there, I went to Tokyo numerous times, Osaka for a few days, and Kyoto once.  Wish I'd traveled more around the country (and Asia and to Australia, for that matter.)

If you don't care about luxury, you can find some hotels pretty cheap.  Check out some of the business hotels available.  The rooms are small, but very clean.  I used to like to stay at Toyoko Inn.  IIRC the cost was around 6000 yen per night.  Looks like the costs have gone up a bit and now you can get a room for two for around 8000 yen.

[Valkyrie]

I'm thinking if I go I'd want it to be somewhere around 14 days. Accommodations don't matter to me, I hear AirBnB is fine. Though is business hotels are cheaper I definitely wouldn't mind going that route.

 As far as things to do... I'm not really sure. I'd love to spend some time in the cities and take it in, but I'd also like going to a shrine/castle and seeing some nature for a day or two. In my time in the city I'd probably devote a day or two to hitting up an arcade and go novelty shopping. Definitely would love a day at Disney SEA too.

 Which is where the messy itinerary gets me. Especially when most "suggested guides" offer a rigid idea of what to do.

 I can usually plan my way around cities/states, but a trip to Japan seems really overwhelming, even when it comes to just a basic plan.

 If I had the choice I'd be going to a million places for a first trip, which is why I think I should try setting a reasonable budget so I can begin planning.

It doesn't have to be overwhelming, you most likely end up visiting the country many times. There is no chance you get to do everything you want in one trip, so try to combine what you want the most without exhausting yourself.

[a slime appears]

I don't ever try to sell people on why Osaka is great. It either sells itself, or it doesn't. There are plenty of ways to enjoy just about any place you end up in Japan.

Except Chiba.

Fuck Chiba.

First time I went to Japan was before I knew you and went all around Osaka. Fucking great city, had a blast by myself.

Really enjoyed how more "alive" people from Osaka are. Such a big contrast from the reserved Kyoto natives and the distant Tokyo-ites. Kansai people are boisterous, friendly, and super fun hang out with. They also don't shy away from strangers! Had a blast talking (in broken english/japanese) to people in bars there.

The one time I went to Den Den Town, I was very unimpressed.  You guys are gonna have to show me what's so awesome about it next time I can get up there.

In fact, I was pretty unimpressed with Osaka in general.  It felt like a bigger Kanazawa.

You probably just stuck to Sakaisuji Avenue, which is ok but that's mainly the tourist area. There are a ton of hidden little stores all around Den Den in the backstreets that have all sorts of awesome stuff for super cheap. Back when I went retro game hunting it was light years ahead of Akiba and this was before neckbeard press flocked there from TGS and ruined stock/prices.

[bork]

You probably just stuck to Sakaisuji Avenue, which is ok but that's mainly the tourist area. There are a ton of hidden little stores all around Den Den in the backstreets that have all sorts of awesome stuff for super cheap. Back when I went retro game hunting it was light years ahead of Akiba and this was before neckbeard press flocked there from TGS and ruined stock/prices.

Yeah, like I said- would love for someone to show me around next time.  I'm also a mega-nerd and on the lookout for more than just games, but didn't really see the kind of variety that Akihabara has (or maybe that should now be "had").

Aki used to be an amazing place to me- It was Nerd Mecca.  I couldn't believe how much it went to shit when I was last there in 2015.  Stores were absolutely cleaned out.   Nakano Broadway was the same.  Then when I went back to Kanazawa, all my old haunts were the same way.  I found most of the games I was looking for on Amazon.jp instead.  :'(

[Bebpo]

Well, there's only a couple of arcades but they'll have 8 machines dedicated to each new game release.  Anything older than like 2 years though, good luck.

And while Aki is waaaaaaaay less fun than it used to be, if you like buying import non-retro games, it's still a blast.  I can browse used game stores like traders or sofmap for hours and find all kinds of gems.  If I ever go back to Japan solo again in the future, I'll probably spend multiple days just in Aki.  It's totally my guilty pleasure and I always feel rushed when I go with other people since a couple hours is totally not enough for me.  But then again, I'm sort of still building an old-school DCharlie-esque own every notable game ever collection because I have a problem ;_; so everytime I go to Japan I come back with like 20-30 games usually.  It used to be PS2 titles, but last time I went it was all about obscure PS3/PSP/DS stuff.

[chronovore]

Retro gaming aside, I'd imagine Akihabara still leads in arcades and has some cool stuff to do, right?

There's a half-dozen smaller arcades and UFO-catcher shops, and three or four larger, multi-story arcades in Nipponbashi. I don't know how many there are in Akiba, I assume there's more. It's larger. There are a dozen or so themed maid cafes, and the rest is collectible toys and models and fan-made figure consignment shops (Volks).

Akiba is awash in foreigners, and every flavor of intolerable nerdlinger is there pretending they're opening up Japan like Admiral Fucking Perry in his black ships. The locals have had enough of it, and are just blasé about everything. It's more fun for me in Osaka because people are nicer and will engage. YMMV

[bork]

I'm surprised that maid cafes are still a thing.  You'd think that fad would have passed by now.  There was one street we walked down where girls were mainly targeting foreigners (forget where it was- was not Aki) to come to a "lingerie cafe."   

Well, there's only a couple of arcades but they'll have 8 machines dedicated to each new game release.  Anything older than like 2 years though, good luck.

There's still plenty of older games to be found.  If anything, the amount of newer machines has shrunk because now operators can just use NESICA to house multiple games on the same cab.  I only saw the 8-machine setup still being used for the likes of Tekken and Gundam the last time I was there.

And while Aki is waaaaaaaay less fun than it used to be, if you like buying import non-retro games, it's still a blast.  I can browse used game stores like traders or sofmap for hours and find all kinds of gems.  If I ever go back to Japan solo again in the future, I'll probably spend multiple days just in Aki.  It's totally my guilty pleasure and I always feel rushed when I go with other people since a couple hours is totally not enough for me.  But then again, I'm sort of still building an old-school DCharlie-esque own every notable game ever collection because I have a problem ;_; so everytime I go to Japan I come back with like 20-30 games usually.  It used to be PS2 titles, but last time I went it was all about obscure PS3/PSP/DS stuff.

It has been gutted- was such a shock to me when I first saw how much things had changed so quickly.  So many games are gone from there now and are on auction sites for sale instead of in shops.  The difference between now and six years ago is huge.  I can't remember if it was this thread or another one, but I know I detailed my 'struggle' to find the few games I was looking for last year over there.  I hadn't been there in six years and expected to just waltz into a couple of shops and get everything in one foul swoop, but they all had been cleaned out and I had to go to Amazon.jp to get most of the stuff I wanted.  Funnily enough, I later found 1-2 of the PS3 games I was looking for, new, at some of the bigger electronics stores out in Ishikawa.

I still like to go fuck around in Akihabara and disagree with Chrono on people's attitudes there.  It's always seemed like a pretty touristy place since I first went there in 2001.  It's just that now it has less games and more of the other shit...which is probably a reflection of how things have been going over there anyway.  The shift to mobile gaming is pretty noticeable.

But I dunno, Bebpo, multiple days in Aki?  Just going there like two days in a row is way more than enough.

[a slime appears]

Akihabara is at most a half day excursion these days. Nakano Broadway is worth a visit as well and you can do that and Akihabara on the same day. Still sad about Game Hollywood closing down in Akihabara though. I used to always visit that shop to "import" the latest US game to play on the flight back and the owner was always happy to see me and catch-up on what I've been working on.

Hidden Retro:

• Tokyo - Ikebukuro has a Super Potato now, old news but surprised how many people don't know that.
• Osaka - "ゲーム探偵団 Retro TV Game Revival" near Ebisu-cho station is pretty great.

[chronovore]

One other down thing about Osaka, I've only ever found A-Too to have foreign (US/NA/EU) games for sale. I know multiple places carry imports in Akiba.

[chronovore]

[a slime appears]

Can anyone give me some vacation destination recommendations for a two week stint out there?

Pretty familiar with: Tokyo/Yokohama/Osaka/Kyoto/Nara/Hiroshima/Nikko.

Thinking of visiting Shikoku/Kumamoto since I've never been to those regions. I'm interested in doing a Fuji climb so I'd like to go to Fujiyoshida and do something other than Fuji-Q like last time. I'm also thinking of going north to Iwate for the country/sea. Or hell, maybe another big city like Kobe or Nagoya is a must see?

Not sure.

Akiba is awash in foreigners, and every flavor of intolerable nerdlinger is there pretending they're opening up Japan like Admiral Fucking Perry in his black ships.

This shit still makes me laugh. It's so true!

[Valkyrie]

What time of the year are you visiting? Mt.Fuji is only open for climbing between July and September, I think.

Haven't actually been that much outside of Tokyo & Akita because of a busy schedule.. But I believe a lot of the places you mentioned would be interesting. Nara seems like fun, Yokohama is nice too, but Nara has more to offer in sense of entertainment to fill out your day. Kyoto is really nice, although I've only been there once. If you want a nice daytrip, I suggest Atami in Shizuoka.

Someone else can probably chime in regarding the other places you mentioned.

[Bebpo]

Nagano was cool last time I went, they got them apples, Matsumoto castle, Snow Monkeys.  Now that the Hokkaido shinkansen is open, Aomori should be less of a pain in the ass to visit.  If you wanna get some rural living on head to western Aomori.  Hirosaki has a nice little castle and arcades with VF5, well at least it did years ago.  There's a nice mountain there too, good for skiing/snowboarding.  Nebuta is a cool festival but all this stuff depends on the time of year.

And of course since the hokkaido shinkansen is open, Sapporo if you haven't been.  I thought Hakodate was pretty cool.  I forgot which anime or game but there was a scene where they go up to the top of the hill at Hakodate and look at the whole city and I totally remember doing that.  Hakodate has paved english cobblestone roads, russian churches, english tea houses, ferry boats, brewing cos.  It's a bizarre mish-mash of cultures which is neat for a day.  Oh yeah, and they have that badass star shaped shinsengumi fortress Goryokaku.

But yeah, anywhere north right now is gonna be snow/cold so if you want warmer climates go south.  You ever been to Okinawa?  I haven't been but heard great things about there. 

I think some of the best stuff in Japan is renting a car and doing a countryside drive, stopping at trucker spots, but tolls with be like shinkansen prices.  Might be fun for a day.  But yeah Shikoku seems neat.  I haven't been but I had a friend there who really liked it.  Same with Kagoshima down in Kyushu.  The food stands down there are supposed to be amazing.

[Mr. Gundam]

Can anyone give me some vacation destination recommendations for a two week stint out there?

Pretty familiar with: Tokyo/Yokohama/Osaka/Kyoto/Nara/Hiroshima/Nikko.

Thinking of visiting Shikoku/Kumamoto since I've never been to those regions. I'm interested in doing a Fuji climb so I'd like to go to Fujiyoshida and do something other than Fuji-Q like last time. I'm also thinking of going north to Iwate for the country/sea. Or hell, maybe another big city like Kobe or Nagoya is a must see?

Not sure.

Have you been to Miyajima before?

Also, my wife and I really enjoyed a day trip from Osaka out to Minoh to hike up to the waterfall and then a visit to the brewery back in town. We didn't see any other foreigners the entire day, and the people at Minoh Brewing were confused why some Americans came there, but were super appreciative.

[chronovore]

Can anyone give me some vacation destination recommendations for a two week stint out there?

Pretty familiar with: Tokyo/Yokohama/Osaka/Kyoto/Nara/Hiroshima/Nikko.

Thinking of visiting Shikoku/Kumamoto since I've never been to those regions. I'm interested in doing a Fuji climb so I'd like to go to Fujiyoshida and do something other than Fuji-Q like last time. I'm also thinking of going north to Iwate for the country/sea. Or hell, maybe another big city like Kobe or Nagoya is a must see?

Not sure.

Have you been to Miyajima before?

Also, my wife and I really enjoyed a day trip from Osaka out to Minoh to hike up to the waterfall and then a visit to the brewery back in town. We didn't see any other foreigners the entire day, and the people at Minoh Brewing were confused why some Americans came there, but were super appreciative.

They're less confused now. They opened a tap room nearby where crafties can congregate. I don't know if the brewery does tours any longer, but I want to visit the tap room. I recall you said the tour was super friendly, and the beers/glass/tour were very reasonable?

[a slime appears]

Every time I visit I go to Itsukushima (Miyajima).

Can't visit Hiroshima without a short trip to the island, I think.

[Bebpo]

I liked Miyajima the one time I went for a day.  I just remember there being a lot of free-roaming deer like Nara and some nice hiking.  Not sure if I'd go back, but if I was in Hiroshima for a couple of days I'm sure I would. 

[tiesto]

I've been looking into tours and this one sounded pretty interesting:

https://www.insidejapantours.com/japan-small-group-tours/i-hyp0002jpop/hyperjapans-j-pop-and-go-/

Seems like a good blend of weeb stuff (Studio Ghibli museum, maid cafe, Aki) with more traditional touristy and outdoorsy stuff (Mt. Fuji, hot springs, Hiroshima memorial), which would be right up my alley. I am shit at planning vacations too, so this would be all inclusive (I just will need to get plane tickets from JFK to Tokyo), and the price doesn't seem THAT outrageous.

Any thoughts? Any other good tours I might wanna look into?

[bork]

I shudder to think of the people who would be joining you on a weeb tour.
 

[Rufus]

They are your people, Bork. Don't deny it. 

[bork]

Me? I'm an anti-social weeb-hater.  That's what happens when you work at a video game shop for nine years. 

[Mr. Gundam]

Can anyone give me some vacation destination recommendations for a two week stint out there?

Pretty familiar with: Tokyo/Yokohama/Osaka/Kyoto/Nara/Hiroshima/Nikko.

Thinking of visiting Shikoku/Kumamoto since I've never been to those regions. I'm interested in doing a Fuji climb so I'd like to go to Fujiyoshida and do something other than Fuji-Q like last time. I'm also thinking of going north to Iwate for the country/sea. Or hell, maybe another big city like Kobe or Nagoya is a must see?

Not sure.

Have you been to Miyajima before?

Also, my wife and I really enjoyed a day trip from Osaka out to Minoh to hike up to the waterfall and then a visit to the brewery back in town. We didn't see any other foreigners the entire day, and the people at Minoh Brewing were confused why some Americans came there, but were super appreciative.

They're less confused now. They opened a tap room nearby where crafties can congregate. I don't know if the brewery does tours any longer, but I want to visit the tap room. I recall you said the tour was super friendly, and the beers/glass/tour were very reasonable?

It wasn't really a tour, more like "Oh shit! These Americans showed up! Hey, Yuji speaks some English, make him show them around the brewery!"

They had a small bar with three or four beers on tap, plus there was an employee BBQ party in the parking lot that day so we ended up having some bottle pours with them before we left.

I liked Miyajima the one time I went for a day.  I just remember there being a lot of free-roaming deer like Nara and some nice hiking.  Not sure if I'd go back, but if I was in Hiroshima for a couple of days I'm sure I would.

Em and I stayed there overnight at this place on our honeymoon:
http://www.kinsuikan.jp/

It was a pretty amazing experience, one we'd love to do again someday. The island itself is very peaceful and quiet once the last ferry leaves for the evening. We wandered around and had it pretty much to ourselves.

I shudder to think of the people who would be joining you on a weeb tour.
 

Reminds me of this guy on the ferry over to Miyajima. I will never forget his side of the conversation concerning their time in Tokyo: "I'm gonna need at least four days in Akihabara. I don't really care about anything else in Tokyo."

They are your people, Bork. Don't deny it. 

I'm not a big fan of those people. I try to find everything I want in places other than Akihabara because it's overrun with asocial weeaboos.

I might be a big fan of Gundam and videogames, but I don't wear it on my fucking sleeve.

[a slime appears]

lol I went on a weeb tour.

I met up with the guy who wrote Otaku Encyclopedia and he took me on tour of Akihabara dressed as Goku. It was fucking awesome cause he stuck to his shtick and apparently was a small-time celebrity so people were very happy to let us go wherever we wanted.

I don't know much about anime so he gave me a tour on old Akihabara history and showed me the old radio vendors, computer history, and other interesting sites. Really nice guy.

[Valkyrie]

First time I went to Japan I had no clue what Akihabara even was, but my online friends insisted we'd go there so they dragged me along. They were hardcore weebs and im@s fans, so it was... an experience. Then we went to a maid cafe and I was weirded out.

Been living in Japan for some years now, I still hate Akiba, but I'm immune towards the "oh Japan u so crazy" thing now. #edgyfucker

[tiesto]

I heard Aki has been pretty picked clean and most of the good retro shit is elsewhere or in rural towns 

[Mr. Gundam]

I heard Aki has been pretty picked clean and most of the good retro shit is elsewhere or in rural towns 

Pretty much. Westerners buy everything up and take it home with them as opposed to before when Japanese would buy the stuff and eventually sell it back.

I've been done with retro buying for a while now. Whenever I go now I just hold off on imports about six months before going and buy them when I'm there. And I'm honestly more excited about checking out Japanese craft beer, eating ramen, drinking coffee, walking around and hanging out in cool neighborhoods.

[chronovore]

I heard Aki has been pretty picked clean and most of the good retro shit is elsewhere or in rural towns 

Pretty much. Westerners buy everything up and take it home with them as opposed to before when Japanese would buy the stuff and eventually sell it back.

I've been done with retro buying for a while now. Whenever I go now I just hold off on imports about six months before going and buy them when I'm there. And I'm honestly more excited about checking out Japanese craft beer, eating ramen, drinking coffee, walking around and hanging out in cool neighborhoods.

Super stoked for your return trip! Whenever that'll be. There are several more craft beer options in Osaka, and a plethora in Kyoto now. Also: RAMEN!

[Valkyrie]

If you're in Tokyo, go to 一風堂 and order a bowl of 尻丸ラーメン.

[chronovore]

If you're in Tokyo, go to 一風堂 and order a bowl of 尻丸ラーメン.

Oh, man. Ippuudoh is my fucking jam. I had it in Yokohama originally, and am stoked there are franchises in Namba and Umeda now. It's goooood.

[Valkyrie]

It's my absolute favorite ramen shop! There was one in Yoyogi that used to sell this amazing and famous seasonal miso ramen (maybe you tried it?), but they closed down that store. And the only other miso based ramen I found at other Ippudos was way different. Very disappointing. But shiromaru is amazing too! The broth alone is to die for. Shit.. I should go tomorrow.

7eleven is actually selling Ippudo ramen, but obviously it's not the same as the real deal.

[chronovore]

I stick with Akamaru, never really mess with seasonal variants since it's already a rare treat for me.


When you can find the shops that "cheat" the franchise manual, you know you're dealing with an artiste. They're usually doing it better.

[Mr. Gundam]

I love jiro ramen so much. Oh man. I wish we had jiro ramen in Seattle somewhere.

I heard Aki has been pretty picked clean and most of the good retro shit is elsewhere or in rural towns 

Pretty much. Westerners buy everything up and take it home with them as opposed to before when Japanese would buy the stuff and eventually sell it back.

I've been done with retro buying for a while now. Whenever I go now I just hold off on imports about six months before going and buy them when I'm there. And I'm honestly more excited about checking out Japanese craft beer, eating ramen, drinking coffee, walking around and hanging out in cool neighborhoods.

Super stoked for your return trip! Whenever that'll be. There are several more craft beer options in Osaka, and a plethora in Kyoto now. Also: RAMEN!

We're still planning on 2018! We've got some friends and their kids who want to come with this time, too. My one buddy is a very large dude who is a total Francophile. Fluent and everything. I think the Japanese will love him.

[bork]

I heard Aki has been pretty picked clean and most of the good retro shit is elsewhere or in rural towns 

Rural towns have been picked clean, too.  It's all online now.  Can't find what you want?  Hit up Amazon.jp and have it sent to your hotel or nearest Conbini. 

[Mr. Gundam]

I heard Aki has been pretty picked clean and most of the good retro shit is elsewhere or in rural towns 

Rural towns have been picked clean, too.  It's all online now.  Can't find what you want?  Hit up Amazon.jp and have it sent to your hotel or nearest Conbini. 

I had Amazon JP Marketplace stuff shipped to the AirBNBs we used (after clearing it with the owners). I got a ton of stuff for a lot less than I ever saw it in a store.

[a slime appears]

I heard Aki has been pretty picked clean and most of the good retro shit is elsewhere or in rural towns 

Someone's been listening to the Giant Bombcast, lol.

It's really old news. Retro has been shit for 6+ years now in Akihabara. Probably closer to 10 tbh thanks to game journalists ruining the even-keel flow and just shit-ramming cash during TGS season years back. 90% of the journos/tourists who go out there don't know where to look, how to bargain hunt, or speak the language so they were always paying way above market prices. Shop owners aren't dumb so they hiked the prices significantly as a reaction and now retro is sky-high as a result. As much as like to blame journos/tourists it really isn't their fault as it just neatly coincided with the rising interest in retro over there. Although you can still find NeoGeo boards if you know where to look...

Online shopping has been the defacto for a while now for Tokyo because again it's been picked clean. While sites like Amazon.jp are good, that's not where the deals are and you can always get better pricing on the auction sites. One strategy I employ is befriending vendors on auction sites because usually you can get a discount if you buy regularly (or more than one item at once) and they might be willing to ship overseas. Buying a couple of items and sending it to your hotel is all well and good but the real gold is getting a supplier for when you head back home.

If you're willing to venture out of Tokyo (and you should) then Retro hunting really isn't all that bad. DenDen in Osaka is the retro capital of Japan and once you head off Nipponbashi you can usually find some local shop with good selection and decent prices. There are also chains like Book-off, or Hard-off if you're away from the city, which can net you some good finds as well. There are more regional variations of the "discount used goods" store but they are plentiful and are obvious to spot so visit those too. This varies from city to city obviously as you're going to find shit in Kamakura for example but south Okayama area (Kurashiki/Tamano) is a fucking hotbed for some inexplicable reason, lol.

I'm better at buying retro in Japan than my friends who live there, lol. I can write a guide to doing this at this point.

[bork]

If you're willing to venture out of Tokyo (and you should) then Retro hunting really isn't all that bad. DenDen in Osaka is the retro capital of Japan and once you head off Nipponbashi you can usually find some local shop with good selection and decent prices. There are also chains like Book-off, or Hard-off if you're away from the city, which can net you some good finds as well. There are more regional variations of the "discount used goods" store but they are plentiful and are obvious to spot so visit those too. This varies from city to city obviously as you're going to find shit in Kamakura for example but south Okayama area (Kurashiki/Tamano) is a fucking hotbed for some inexplicable reason, lol.

I'm better at buying retro in Japan than my friends who live there, lol. I can write a guide to doing this at this point.

My old stomping grounds in Ishikawa-ken were all picked clean the last two times I was there in 2015 and 2016.  Not only were so many games gone, but stores had also closed down or shrunk in size.  It was pretty bleak.    The "Offs" had a few good finds -I got a mint condition SFC console for a buddy for 5000 yen- but the bigger recycle shops had been emptied out and Chameleon Club was basically dead.  My friends in other prefectures have said the same things.

The worst was this giant recycle shop I used to frequent that had aisles filled with video games from floor to ceiling, and tons of old retro systems...even stuff like PC-FX readily in stock.  That place was a graveyard.  Barely anything older than PS2 available.

I'd love to know what spots are still good for finds, Slime.  Would make for some good hunting. 

[Bebpo]

What kind of luxury do you want on your trip?

Because on the dirt cheap side:
~$600-800 plane ticket for discount airfare
~$25-35 a night at a hostel
~$10-15 a day for food
and for rail transportation either get a rail pass for $300-500 for 7/14 days, or buy individual

if you want to spend a little more you can stay at better places or fly nicer (Singapore airlines has $1,099 deal now for Premium Economy roundtrip).  Food, transportation, things to do are all pretty cheap so it's really just room & flight where the costs are.

[Bebpo]

Hostels are pretty nice in Japan like everything there.  Only thing worse compared to a hotel room is like shared bathroom/shower and just a small square.  Otoh, you can book hotel rooms for like $60-80/night in most places. 

You can definitely do 2.5 weeks on $2,500-$3,000.  Like just check out expedia or any of those sites for hotels in Tokyo or whatever city you want to go to and you'll be able to figure it out.  Main thing you want to figure out is if you want to travel around on bullet trains and check out different cities in which case you wanna get a rail pass.  If you just wanna explore Tokyo, you don't need one.

My typical "show people Japan" tour I give when I travel with first-timers is:

Land in Tokyo
Tokyo wards - Shibuya/Akihabara/Harajuku/etc...
Tokyo outer area - Odaiba, then whatever wards left, Tokyo Tower/Skytree
Do Fuji/Hakone if you want
Or take a day trip to Nikko or some of the <1 hour cities
Head to Kyoto/Osaka
Do a day in Kyoto, see the temples, go to Arashiyama with the long bridge and bamboo forest
Do a day in Osaka, do Den Den Town, Gundam store, Namba
Head over to Nara for the deer, or go to Hiroshima/Miyajima

Stuff like that.  I personally like to take a day where I take people out to a small rural town to explore because town living in Japan is totally different than cities and a cool experience.  You could always get an international driver's license (just fill out a form at an AAA) and rent a car if you're brave.  Just do not rent one in a big city cause that's crazy.  If you do, take a train out of a city to a smaller town and rent one so you get mostly open roads, but the tolls are like $100 for an hour or two drive so maybe that's not really a great idea.

Ryokans are really cool, and Onsen Ryokans are even cooler.  But they usually don't come cheap.  If you want to splurge for a night, that's the place to splurge.

Japan has basically 1) Amazing food, 2) Gorgeous nature & history with hikes, temples, hot springs, and 3) Awesome videogame shopping, so just look around for stuff and make your own schedule.  If you're in a city you don't need to plan ahead, you can just walk around and explore but it'd be good if you had wifi dongle thing and a phone so you can always google what's nearby.

[bork]

~$10-15 a day for food

[Valkyrie]

~$10-15 a day for food

Maybe he eats one/half a meal a day.

[Bebpo]

~$10-15 a day for food

Well I was listing the cheap end.  From all my experiences food is cheaper in Japan than California.  I usually eat twice a day at lunch/dinner and if I'm not going restaurant or sushi or something it's usually around 700-800 yen a meal at like a ramen place, or tempura, or curry, or mos burger, etc.... Even in CA when I'm eating out I'll spend $10-15 a day for food.  I get lunch at the mom & pop Mexican place across from my office for $5.99.

Then again, I weigh like 130-140 pounds and don't need to eat much to be full.

[Sho Nuff]

Also, if you still want data access and don't want to pay a fortune for roaming (or deal with swapping SIM cards) I recommend getting a month-to-month T-Mobile subscription. Their standard plan includes unlimited 150kbit/sec access in Japan, and it works a treat. (You won't be watching Youtube or Netflix, but for maps and finding places it's perfect)