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Subject: Tokyo's Game Shops 
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Hi,
Heading up to Tokyo on the 19th of December and am wondering if anyone can list out some "must see" game shops in the city. I am particularly interested in stores that sell Japanese designed games. Please let me know if you have a favorite!
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- Here's a start: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/120302/flgs-of-the-world...
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- Make sure you go to all the different Yellow Submarine shops. Some focus on boxed wargames, others on more Euro fare, and some are about CDGs. I found some great stuff in two of the Yellow Submarine shops in Akihabara.
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- The last time I was in Tokyo, Shosen Book Mart at Jimbocho had a massive selection of board games.
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geekgeek wrote:The last time I was in Tokyo, Shosen Book Mart at Jimbocho had a massive selection of board games.Wei Jen, Book Mart's game counter has already moved to Shosen Grande.
http://www.shosen.co.jp/tenpo/grande.html
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You should buy SUICA (Japanese railway smartcard) to travel along Chuo-Sobu line(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%AB%C5%8D-S%C5%8Dbu_Line) from Akihabara to Tachikawa
(All informations below are written in Japanese. I hope Babelfish help some...)
Akihabara:
Role & Roll station: http://www.arclight.co.jp/r_r_s/aki/
Yellow Submarine Akihabara Game Shop: http://www.yellowsubmarine.co.jp/shop/shop-059.htm
Shinjuku:
Yellow Submarine Shinjuku Game Shop: http://www.yellowsubmarine.co.jp/shop/shop-017.htm
Okubo:
Game Space Kashiwagi: http://www.gamerent.net/
(This is a room full of games with rental tables. Not a game shop)
Nakano:
Drosselmeyer: http://drosselmeyers.com/
Koenji:
Sugorokuya: http://sugorokuya.jp/
Mitaka:
Tendays Games: http://shop.tendays.jp/
Tachikawa:
B2F Games: http://b2fgames.com/
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LogicWolf wrote:You should buy SUICA (Japanese railway smartcard) to travel along Chuo-Sobu line(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%AB%C5%8D-S%C5%8Dbu_Line) from Akihabara to TachikawaWow, that is awesome! Thanks so much. Are there any that you prefer over the others for board games?
(All informations below are written in Japanese. I hope Babelfish help some...)
Akihabara:
Role & Roll station: http://www.arclight.co.jp/r_r_s/aki/
Yellow Submarine Akihabara Game Shop: http://www.yellowsubmarine.co.jp/shop/shop-059.htm
Shinjuku:
Yellow Submarine Shinjuku Game Shop: http://www.yellowsubmarine.co.jp/shop/shop-017.htm
Okubo:
Game Space Kashiwagi: http://www.gamerent.net/
(This is a room full of games with rental tables. Not a game shop)
Nakano:
Drosselmeyer: http://drosselmeyers.com/
Koenji:
Sugorokuya: http://sugorokuya.jp/
Mitaka:
Tendays Games: http://shop.tendays.jp/
Tachikawa:
B2F Games: http://b2fgames.com/
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- I like Tendays the best, but that's because the shop imports some number of rare games no other shops do. If you looking for Japanese board/card games, you'd better go to Yellow Submarine.
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- The Drosselmeyers website has some interesting looking games. May have to swing by there.
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I recently had the pleasure of visiting Tokyo for a week and so I made the rounds of several shops. Here are some impressions, presented in a rank order based on a combination of selection (particularly for Japanese-made games), friendliness (to a non-Japanese speaker), prices, and the ease of getting there:
Akihabara:
Role & Roll station: http://www.arclight.co.jp/r_r_s/aki/
This was my top shop, which I only added to the list after recommendation from Mandy's IDIGGIT group (themselves, BTW, a wonderful group). I found some 6-8 unique Japanese games not (yet?) in the database, for which my challenge is now finding English rules!. Wonderfully helpful staff plus a small gaming area. On the 4th floor, West side of street, centrally located in Akiba (just a few blocks N of the train bridge that spans the S end of the main street.)
Koenji:
Sugorokuya: http://sugorokuya.jp/
A close second, unique for carrying their published Mythe, which absolutely charmed me, and a couple other Sugorokuya titles. Very friendly and helpful staff. Part of their good selection included friendly children's games. The maps/directions are not entirely obvious, but from the train station S exit take the very first road on the left. When shopping, you can view the trains pass by outside exactly at (your elevated) eye level, just ~100m from the station.
Shinjuku:
Yellow Submarine Shinjuku Game Shop: http://www.yellowsubmarine.co.jp/shop/shop-017.htm
Quite good, if potentially less uniquely Japanese, selection upstairs with additional WarHammer stock in the basement. Many Euros, often with Japanese instructions taped to their backs, with a couple not-yet-available-in-the-US German games. One shelf of older, but expensive, war-games, which were absent from my other stops on this trip. Prices ran higher here overall, perhaps reflecting the pricier central shopping district.
Nakano:
Drosselmeyer: http://drosselmeyers.com/
Somewhat disappointing, actually. This is a small shop (boutique,really) with small selection and nothing that really stood out, though once again I found friendly and welcoming staff. A couple interesting display copies weren't in stock, so perhaps I landed there between shipments. If you go, know the online maps seems to indicate you jog over a street after exiting the Nakano station. This is not the case. Follow the obvious mercantile street opposite the North exit (providing numerous restaurant choices), until you enter an enclosed shopping mall. Take the express escalator to floor 3 and head to back right. Note, there's a decent toy store just 30m down the hall (S) of the game store, if you've other shopping in mind.
Overall, finding these out made for excellent fun. Each has it's own character and strengths and I'd likely try all again given another chance to visit. One final note, I did find that store hours can be more guidelines than firm rules (as so for many FLGS worldwide), so I don't recommend attempting any first-in or last-out shopping attempts if on a tight travel schedule.
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- Great write up! Sad that I missed Role & Roll Station. I will definitely have to make it there on the next trip north. My experiences with Sugorokuya, Yellow Submarine Shinjuku and Drosselmeyer were much the same. Including the minor difficulties with directions! Great list for anyone heading into Tokyo.
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This is awesome to know about, since I am moving to Tokyo in August
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- Visiting Japan on holidays, so took a visit to Role & Roll Station. It's a small shop, not a lot for the tourist except if you consider the joy of the journey rather than the destination. In which case, well worth a visit!
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- Mercedes (Mandy)(merc007)Japan
Setagaya-ku
Tokyo
Tokyo Game Market here I come!
Sorry if I'm slow in reading mails. I'm currently working hard on some Alley Thieves
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awh you should have come searched us out for some gaming are you still in town?
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We are back in Tokyo on the 10th, might see if I can get a copy of Mythe from Sugorokuya.
Alas, I don't think the family will permit a gaming detour! For Role & Roll Station, my excuse was for us to visit Akihabara (a fun place in itself) and then go "Oh look, how about that, a board game store. I'll just need 10 minutes.
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- Ik ben een klein boefje(Gelete)Spain
Madrid
2006/2011 (Amsterdam - Maastricht - Apeldoorn - Den Haag -Delft) Vijf jaar dat ik ga nooit vergeten.
Warning: Very handsome user.
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I need the same trick... Its gonna be though since I already used it in Kyoto and Hiroshima but I will see what I can figure out... Bd thing is that I also want to go to a baseball game in Yokohama... Too many things to sneak I guess. One question, is the Role and Roll store hard to find? It is quite hard for me to find the stores here, specially the ones that are located into buildings in different floors.
Thanks in advance.
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Gelete wrote:I need the same trick... Its gonna be though since I already used it in Kyoto and Hiroshima but I will see what I can figure out... Bd thing is that I also want to go to a baseball game in Yokohama... Too many things to sneak I guess. One question, is the Role and Roll store hard to find? It is quite hard for me to find the stores here, specially the ones that are located into buildings in different floors.I tried to see a BayStars game a month ago, and they wouldn't let me pay for a seat with a credit card the day of the game. Just an FYI.
Thanks in advance.
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xod2006 wrote:Just wanted to say that Grande still has board games on the 3F here. I will never go to Yellow Submarine again. The selection was AMAZING although the prices were pretty 'amazing' too - but what a selection. They are also open from 10:30 unlike YS which opens from noon. Really worth a look if you're around the Jimbocho, Ochanomizu area. Just down the hill from Meiji Uni too.geekgeek wrote:The last time I was in Tokyo, Shosen Book Mart at Jimbocho had a massive selection of board games.Wei Jen, Book Mart's game counter has already moved to Shosen Grande.
http://www.shosen.co.jp/tenpo/grande.html
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I work pretty near there, and sometimes afterwork, I just go there to walk around and be surrounded by games.
They are pricy, but every once in a while you can find something "normally" priced. Or at least near what Amazon JP sells it for. I actually bought Catan 5-6 player expansion there for 500yen less than what Amazon was selling it for.
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- I just loved the fact that there was a massive area of games but then hidden extras in all the 'nooks and crannies' on the same floor. Really wished I didn't live so far from Tokyo and looking on their website they only have 9 items listed under board games ... sigh!!
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- Super helpful - thank you! I am going to Tokyo next week and this will help a lot...
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- I was there last month, and managed to go to the Shinjuku and Akihabara Yellow Submarine, they are easy to go because both are near the respective subway stations (unfortunately I had to go quickly on the last day of my trip and almost lost my bus to the airport :-P)
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- Oh, and depending on the games you want, you may need to buy them online (there are some in Amazon.co.jp and in some other online stores), if you are able to find them. I did not do this and lost an opportunity :-(
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- Do you have the address of Yellow Submarine at Akihabara?
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