There's one place on earth that most retro gamers and trading card collectors have at the top of their bucket list, and that's Tokyo. It's a city renowned for its video game history and the birth of one of the biggest media franchises in the world - Pokémon.
Pokémon for the Game Boy Color ignited my love for gaming as a child. I still play and collect the cards to this day, so having the opportunity to visit Japan is something I will be forever grateful for. I was there on a business trip in April 2025, consulting for a company called Kagi (a premium search engine that I feel deserves a shoutout for inviting me to Japan).
While consulting, I had a free day to explore this incredible city. So, as any gamer and collector would, I took the moment to visit Akihabara, known as the "Electric Town".
The name was given to the city after World War II, when it quickly became the shopping capital for all things electronics in Tokyo. It still holds that title today, and boy, are there plenty of electronics to choose from!
However, I came here for a very specific set of electronics in the form of retro video games and consoles. I am also a sucker for expensive cardboard with bright monsters on them, and I quickly found out that Akihabara hosts a wide range of incredible Pokémon TCG shops. I plan on making a dedicated article to my favourite TCG shops too, so subscribe to our newsletter to read that one.
Some of these shops treat trading cards like high-end jewellery, and rightfully so as some of them cost more than my car!
But that being said, let me show you some of the shops, hidden gems, and snack stalls I found during my time here, in the hope that when you have the chance to visit, you'll know where to go for retro games.
Super Potato (スーパーポテト)
One of the most popular retro game shops in Akihabara is known as Super Potato. It's likely that you've seen it before in short-form videos, jam-packed with video games, consoles, and accessories from floor to ceiling.
Like many stores in Tokyo, it's not located on the ground floor. You have to find a specific little alley and go up some stairs, and you'll hear the vintage video game soundtracks before you see the entrance. Super Potato is located on Level 3, 4, and 5.
The first two floors feature "the shop", whereas the fifth floor is filled with arcade cabinets and confectionery.
Once you step in, you'll notice that there is very little organisation to the shop, which is typical of retro game stores in Japan. Products are mostly found in areas dedicated to specific consoles such as Nintendo 64, SNES, SEGA, and the Game Boy, but that's as far as the organisation goes.
You'll find that the games themselves fill up most of the cabinets. By your feet, you'll find random, rare boxed consoles or accessories, and controllers hanging from their wires at head height that you'll bump into as you walk by.
However, as much as I mention the disorganisation, the games themselves have all been treated immaculately, with a wide selection of conditions to choose from.
The games/cartridges are all tested and cleaned as best as they can, with labels in Japanese (and sometimes in English) stating whether or not the games and consoles come with manuals, batteries, and controllers, etc.
You'll be able to see what condition the product is in very easily, with small stickers about any defects, such as large scratches or rusted battery compartments, for example, alongside the price. I am not joking when I say that every single game, console, and box is sealed in a protective plastic wrap to stop any wear and tear from the public picking them up.
This is a great way to protect the products without adding stickers to the actual boxes, which also causes damage. I would say it protects from sun damage, but there's little to no natural light in these retro gaming shops, which is made evident when you leave one after an hour, screaming in pain from the natural sun as you exit.
It's mind-blowing to stop and think about the fact that they wrap every product, as there are tens of thousands of video games and products in this store, all individually maintained, wrapped, labelled, and stored.
Super Potato is a store you visit to experience the sheer love for retro games at scale on an independent level. It's an event, an experience, a discovery into the history of video games in Japan. It's a small store, but one that I got lost in for hours.
Yes, prices are high, but if we're being realistic, it's because the tourist foot flow through here is incredibly high. This isn't somewhere where locals would typically shop, but as a tourist, I couldn't help but love it and spend money here. I wanted things for my collection, but I also wanted to support the store.
From my experience filming The Retroad Show (a YouTube show dedicated to exploring retro game shops and collections), I have interviewed many store owners who are all struggling to keep their lights on, and I would hate for a gem like Super Potato to meet the same fate. Though after seeing the prices, I doubt it will.
If you are after rare items, then Super Potato has a wide range of boxed consoles, rare games exclusive to Japan, and limited-edition consoles/handhelds behind glass counters.
Some of the items I checked out are things I have never seen before, like a boxed Crystal Screen Game & Watch priced at ¥492,800, which is roughly £2,500/$3,300. I was interested in their boxed Game & Watches, and this store did not disappoint, with an array of handhelds and choices to choose from.
The video clip below shows you some of their collection, all wrapped and labelled with comments about the quality of the products, which is something that you'll also see in the stores coming up throughout this article.
There's no denying Super Potato is worth a visit, but be warned - if this is the first stop of your shopping trip, be prepared to meet the reality of shopping for retro games in Tokyo, as the prices are high in comparison to eBay.
That said, it's a must-visit, and due to the massive selection of games, you'll find something that you'll want to take home with you.
Retro Game Camp (レトロゲームキャンプ)
One of the easiest retro game stores to access in Akihabara is Retro Game Camp, located on the ground level of the main street, Chome Sotokanda.
The signage for the shop is high up, making it easy to miss should you just walk past this nostalgic gem. The large "TAX FREE SHOP" signs don't help either as they hide all of the glorious retro gaming goodies. But hey, you came across a damn good retro gaming blog, so we've got you!
This is a fairly small shop, with games and consoles spread across two floors. The first mostly focuses on handhelds, whereas the second level had a heavy focus on SEGA games with a better selection than Super Potato, in my honest opinion.
I found SEGA Mega Drive games, rare SEGA Saturn games, and some absolutely beautiful Dreamcast games, with packaged consoles in the typical wrap sprinkled across the store. Again, they all have stickers describing their condition, as well as letting you know if they come with cables, etc.
If you're looking for parts, bundles, common games, and SEGA games, this is the spot to go to. Just watch out for those stairs; they're steep and not ideal for size 11 feet... I know this from experience!
BEEP (ビープ)
BEEP is a retro games shop that welcomes you down a set of stairs to a basement filled with an array of retro games, consoles, and accessories. It's easily spotted by a large green sign near the stairs at street level.
With every step, the loss of natural light hones in your senses, and the smell of old plastic pulls you into what feels like... well, someone's basement.
Now, I mentioned the disorganisation in Super Potato, but BEEP is on a whole other level, so take your time in here. It's smaller than Retro Game Camp and has low ceilings, so watch your head.
Here you will find a mix of games, certainly not on the scale of the other shops in this list, but enough to make it a great experience. I did find some hidden gems, like a Japanese exclusive GAME BOY Pocket and some handheld emulators, alongside a modern handheld that can play SNES cartridges.
One of the coolest things I found, hidden in a corner, was a super rare GAME BOY Advance Developer Kit in great condition. I have not seen one of these in person before, and I was surprised at how big this thing was.
It was in fact for sale too, at ¥198,00YEN which is equivalent to £1,000/$1,385. I sometimes see things like this around other retro game stores, typically not for sale, which made BEEP a unique source for rare items that can actually be purchased.
TRADER (トレーダー)
Trader is one of the largest game stores in Akihabara, with a main focus on modern products, However, it had one of the biggest collections of retro games that I had seen all day, all packaged and protected in hard plastic cases.
It's certainly not a "magical" store and feels very western, with zero attention to the experience in favour of large numbers of display cabinets, and that's it. But, if you're after a specific game and can't find it in any of the niche stores, then Trader is likely to have it due to the sheer quantity of stock they house.
I can imagine they can outcompete the smaller stores when it comes to buying stock from customers, and it's why I mentioned above to support the local stores in Akihabara, as big brands like this will undoubtedly come in and eradicate them.
I have nothing against stores like Trader, but it's worth noting the damage they do to independents. I ended up buying some GBA games here because they were reasonably priced and easy to find, as they were stored in alphabetical order.
The "retro games" were stored across multiple levels, so it's worth spending 30 minutes in here scanning stock, checking prices, and admiring the artwork. The aisles here could fit multiple people down them, so there's plenty of space to search for products, especially if you are planning on taking kids.
Akihabara's Smallest Retro Game Shop
Another store that I stumbled across, which I had no idea existed even after watching countless hours of Akihabara Tour videos, was one that is titled the "smallest retro game shop in Akiba".
How small? I hear you ask. Well, the "shop" is in a small display box, no more than 1 meter long and half a meter deep, yet filled with some incredible handheld goodies, and a Tamagotchi from 1997, which I just had to nab.
There are a few of these boxes here, located under the Sobu Line, literally. When a train goes over your head, you can see the entire store slowly shaking, pipes jangling, and small dust particles dropping to the floor.
An elderly Japanese man operates lots of these boxes under the train tracks, many of which are filled with random things such as clocks, jewellery, and fashion items, but with some featuring retro games, anime products, and trading cards.
To look at the products close up, you simply find the elderly man with hundreds of keys around his neck, wave like a tourist, and point at the product you want to see, as he doesn't speak English. But then again, why should he?
When I said I would like to buy the Tamagotchi, he waved his hand to say "come with me", and literally ran off up some stairs. Confused, I followed him to find even more of these boxes on a level situated even closer to the train tracks.
I paid and thanked him, and he ran off quickly to attend to other customers while placing the money in my hand, and I was forced to walk with him for a little while to obtain my coins. And then like a shadow, he disappeared into the rat tunnels of what felt like a never-ending selection of miniature shops.
It was another magical moment for me, made even more valuable because it was unplanned. Now I have a Tamagotchi that is somewhat sentimental because of this unique experience that I can tell my kids all about one day.
These are the types of stores that make Tokyo magical, unique moments of nostalgia paired with Japanese hospitality and the thrill of collecting. It's all about finding something you have always wanted, or forgotten even existed.
Eat A Magikarp (横浜くりこ庵 秋葉原店)
While you walk through the streets of Akihabara, you will likely see tourists eating what looks like a Magikarp. And no, your eyes are not deceiving you.
This is a type of cake called Taiyaki, sold on the main street (Kurikoan 横浜くりこ庵 秋葉原店) and designed to imitate the Tai, a fish which it is named after. But one food stall is selling it in the form of the popular Pokémon, Magikarp.
It's a sweet treat and can have multiple fillings. I went for Nutella, and it was delicious, so I recommend anyone picking it up for a couple of bucks. Don't worry about the queue; there were about 10 people in front of me, but it only takes a few seconds to get served, so it went down incredibly fast! It's a great location to take your kids to as well!
So, What Did I Pick Up?
I went pretty HAM, especially in the three Pokémon stores that I visited. Much of this is for family and friends, alongside some gifts I sent to our Editor-in-Chief, Seb, but most of it is for myself, for my collection, and for my investments.
In all honesty, I thought I would buy more retro games during my visit, but the prices of things put me off, so I only obtained items that I REALLY wanted or had a nostalgic memory of.
For example, Ecco the Dolphin on the Game Gear, Pokémon Yellow for Game Boy, a Tamagotchi, Sonic 2 for the Mega Drive, and a few GBA games. Nothing crazy.
However, the majority of my money was spent on trading cards. For my personal collection, I was lucky enough to visit Japan on the release week of 'Glory of Team Rocket', which I have begun collecting. It was hard to find any stock, but I managed to snag two booster boxes and some loose backs.
For my investments, I picked up two incredibly rare graded Pokémon cards. One being the Japanese exclusive Stamp Box Pikachu from 2021, and a Cherry Blossom Pikachu Promo card exclusive to Japan in 2021. These I plan to keep for many years and possibly give to my children should I not need to sell them. And to top it all off, I also visited the Nintendo Store in Tokyo to pick up a few bits for friends.
And that is my short, yet memorable trip to Akihabara, a remarkable experience that every retro gamer needs to add to their list when visiting Japan. It's great for solo adventures or family trips, with an array of things to do with children, so it makes a great day out for everyone!
