HARD OFF Retro Game Hunting in Japan (Omiya, Saitama)

I leave the familiar hunting grounds of Tokyo and head to Saitama prefecture in search of retro gaming gold. Will I find it, or just pass out from the heat? The suspense is killing me!
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#Japan #RetroGaming #GameHunting

[@Rafaelamanarth]

Dude, I don't know exactly why, but I really like the way you shoot and edit your videos, i can watch for hours

[@MadPanicGaming]

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying them. I try to make them as fun and relaxing to watch as it is to make them. This is my happy time, ha ha.

[@danktacos2889]

Your game hunting videos are like comfort food, man. Keep it up and stay safe

[@MadPanicGaming]

Ha ha, glad you like them. Plenty more on the way.

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

Hard Off seems like classic game hunter's dream...especially if they're looking for 8-bit Famicom cartridges and disks for their 8-bit Famicom and 8-bit Famicom Disk System. There's quite possibly hundreds of 8-bit Famicom cartridge and disk titles that look interesting...

[@BeAsT1x5]

I swear... the intro legit gave me goosebumps courtesy of the train announcements. Keep up the awesome work Jim!

[@MadPanicGaming]

Thanks bud.

[@mikem3431]

I really enjoy your videos. I sometimes find new games. Your videos are also good for kicking back and relaxing. Love your music. I always watch them to the end.

[@danholo]

Always love the commercial inserts and music.

[@FreezeInfinite]

Your clean editing and great choice of music makes these videos very pleasant to watch. Good work. Want to visit Japan one day and these videos make it look so nice.

[@821lancevance]

SHRINE series of videos would be cool

[@weaponsigma]

Another great game hunting vid Jim! I love all the content on your channel, but these have to be my favourite. Great stuff!

[@wcisnijstart]

Nearby there's a great train museum. Not a fan of museums myself, but this one is lots of fun.

[@crazyoldschool6342]

It's crazy how affordable these games are in Japan. You see the same games on eBay for triple the price.

[@MaloneHasco]

Very nice Jim! Beautiful day and sweet looking neighborhood, not to mention well stocked Hard Off. I really enjoy watching these trips, since I can't get there yet myself. Hope situation improves soon, been waiting my holiday in Japan for almost a year now.

[@acciid]

The first time I went to Japan was with my wife for a long holiday. One day we were caught up in a traffic jam in Matsumoto and saw a Hard Off. We had a good laugh at the name and then decided that we absolutely had to go in to see what they sold instead of sitting in traffic. Imagine the look of abject horror on my wife's face in contrast with glee on mine, as we both instantly realised that we would spend the next hour going through all the retro gaming stuff and buying several dozen music albums. Or more to the point, I would. We then went into every other hard off that we passed. Brought a lot of stuff home 😀. Still my favourite shop.

[@drrrrzz9145]

I used to live in Ageo, next stop from Omiya, back in 2000. Much Asahi was consumed there :)

[@RastaJediX]

I may start listening to Japanese music. I never heard this calm type of music before. Just your typical hyper stuff. I really like the music you chose for your vids.

[@MechaDragonX]

You make a train ride seem faar cooler than it actually is. Awesome work!

[@mksolid82]

Dude you walked right passed the MGS3 Snake Eater Premium Package! 😱

[@pizzaboynizza1]

Omiya, I used to go there to see movies with an ex. (at that exact station, lol)

[@MadPanicGaming]

My gf lives like 20 minutes from Omiya so I'm there all the time now. Where the hell are you btw? Still in the Philippines?

[@pizzaboynizza1]

@@MadPanicGaming I'm in Hawaii right now, waiting for the Philippines to reopen the pearly gates.

[@SarahLJP]

30:12 ブロックくずし means "block break". I know this because of the Konami game for the FDS called 謎の壁 ブロックくずし. Which is a bit of a breakout clone.

[@saitamabilingualgamer3915]

Hey KidShoryuken. I can't believe I am just discovering your channel now. I used to live in Omiya for around from 2015-2017. It seems to have gotten really built up in the past couple years. Next time you are out there, please check out Higashiomiya station and there is a Hard Off right outside the station. They usually have a lot of good stuff. It's on the Utsunomiya line and it is like a stop or 2 from Omiya station. Also from Omiya station, if you go to the East exit of the station and take a 7-10 min bus ride to a stop called Minaminakano, there is another Hard Off with a decent amount of good finds. I have relocated to Toyama and have a tough time game hunting here :(. Thanks for the upload and look forward to more!

[@jmaston13]

I went to Saitama University a few years back. I used to go to Omiya all the time (I went to this hard off as well). I live on the other side of Japan now so it's nice to see omiya again after 5 years! Thanks for uploading this, brings back memories!

[@RW-ij1ci]

When you left the shrine, I stayed in that hotel directly in front of it in Omyia in February, my room I could see that place and I wondered what it was.

[@IanNewYashaTheFinalAct]

Do you scour the "Off" shops for media other than videogames? I like gaming and all, but I sometimes give into the urge of online shopping sprees for collecting Japanese music CD's, DVD's, Blu-rays, and CD+DVD/CD+Blu-ray editions

[@MadPanicGaming]

I pretty much only stick to video games.

[@Charlie-Cat.]

Great way to enjoy my 4th of July seeing Jim in action. I love it. 8^) Anthony..

[@Evercade_Effect]

I like how you give us a nice taste of the Japanese culture in your videos. Good stuff!

[@justjoshininjapan700]

These persona music mixes are 🔥 🔥 🔥. Who does them?

[@ogroto]

A bit late, but found it soundcloud.com/awsanima/youll-never-see-it-coming-last-surprise-persona-5-lo-fi-remix-lofi

[@ogroto]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJakpYGepK6FpbM

[@danholo]

Vita is awesome but the memory card issue is a major setback.

[@twysted]

Thanks Jim love another great video was really impressed with that hard offs selection and some of the prices were amazing one of these days im going to see if you can pick me up a few things

[@Bloodreign1]

This is the first game run video I have seen from you, that had absolutely not one Goemon game on display the entire video. :O Thankfully though, plenty of Puyo Puyo spotted. Lots of Shin Chan though, including a boxed copy of one of the Gameboy titles (there's 4 decent Gameboy games for him though).

[@MadPanicGaming]

Actually, there were a couple of Goemon games in the display case, but the covers weren't visible.

[@chocolocojames213]

Everytime I see your video it just makes me wanna visit Japan again. I love the food 😁

[@calvinrogers6652]

That Cool pad ad lol

[@jeff97ish]

I also just recently got a Turbo Everdrive for my PC Engine Core Grafx 2. It has become my second favorite console only to the Super Famicom.

[@keiferpadilla5165]

Keep it up dude. If you need anything ask

[@jaythekittydragon3525]

that price is great for rockman x3&4 for saturn

[@Otome_chan311]

Hard off - everything's $1, $2, $3 Gamestop - same stuff for $60

[@silverian]

It is always important to visit lucky shrine before Hard Off :-)

[@ScruffyLookinRGB]

My old stomping grounds! Havent been there in a while thank you for takin the heat for me literally. Never been to that bookoff. Nice finds👍👍👍

[@jeff97ish]

I recently got a Super Everdrive and have been enjoying Japanese titles I didn't own, such as Go Go Ackman!

[@Kurafaze]

street sounds are the best things to hear

[@tvbox7592]

I love the music you used in your walk at the 7min

[@MadPanicGaming]

For some reason I had a Persona 5 vibe in my head and wanted to use the music. Probably because I'm playing P5 Scramble right now and it's set in the summer.

[@privatejokerful]

A new video !!!! HYPE !!!

[@zolphar]

YO you should do a Shrine Series that would be cool to see

[@fernnysan]

Dope! Definitely going to hit it up ! Currently game hunting in Chiba and ibaraki 👾👍🏻

[@EX001]

I absolutely loved this video. What is the song @2:13? It sound like a remix of a persona song!

[@MadPanicGaming]

Yeah, it's a remix of Last Surprise from the P5 soundtrack.

[@shortcutfilms2753]

good video! liked the Dragon Ball Z stuff! Please show more Pokemon Games.

[@JolliAllGenGamer]

You have to get a PS Vita I love my Vita 1000 model with the OLED screen. The Vita did well in Japan unlike in America and Europe.

[@fazares]

generally, japanese people are all about portable/mobile gaming nowadays

[@JuanGonzalez-vk5sb]

cool video, thanks for showing japanese stores ... saludos de Chile

[@BissoMultimediainGiappone]

Yesss finally a new Hard Off video! I can't wait to be able to go back to Tokyo and go scavenging around in the junk areas of the Kanto shops. Have you ever been to the ones around the Kansai area? I visited almost all of them and also took videos in the last two years, but I can't find the time to work on them... Just only one Hard Off video uploaded until now. :/ I'm looking forward to your next hunt! :D

[@SarahLJP]

23:21 東京バス案内2 lol. I just looked it up on KZbin. Truck Simulator before Truck Simulator was a thing. Why does it have ガイド next to 案内? Usually, there's Hiragana to help young people pronounce the kanji. I know it has a name. I can't think of it.

[@MadPanicGaming]

It's called furigana when written that way. No idea why they used katakana for the title, maybe they thought it sounded better?

[@BaconLordBear]

Anyone got the name for that super chill track around 7 minutes in?

[@justjoshininjapan700]

Bacon Builds right? He could do a great mixtape video for us to listen when studying or chill gaming.

[@trevorrandom]

Always good to find a new Hard-Off loving the Wii shop music perfect 👌 😷 ♥ 🇯🇵

[@HoopyAmero]

Where do these stores get their seemingly endless supply of used games?

[@MadPanicGaming]

Well, most people in Japan play video games at one point or another, so there are millions of games across many generations all in an area about the size of California.

[@bjornh1527]

Block Kowazite Help actually seems like an interesting Arkanoid clone :)

[@deadpixel9070]

Great video as always Jim, enjoyed it a lot! By the way, as you said the pricing here was pretty weird, 30,000 for a boxed Dreamcast is nuts lol I don’t know, maybe who priced those games didn’t know too much about it?

[@MadPanicGaming]

That was my guess.

[@keiferpadilla5165]

I wish Americans were clean like Japanese. Shows respect

[@Kevin_40]

generalizing much?

[@acidsyndicate355]

Did the Labyrinth went to the Happy Console Gamer???

[@MadPanicGaming]

Nope, that was a gift from out mutual friend Jimmy Hapa.

[@Randhrick]

Interesting, I felt that except for Sega games, the prices for FC and SFC games were much better than in Tokyo.

[@neohideo]

I play games since 1987 and I think PS4 is the best console ever thanks to many awesome games with modern graphics and sound!

[@HighHopesgb]

In the U.S. a loose copy of Chrono Trigger goes for over one hundred dollars. I wish it was sixty dollars loose... and I really wish it was a few bucks loose like in Japan. I always find it interesting how some of the prices deviate quite a bit between the U.S. games and Japanese games.

[@johanwen2798]

Love your retro intro

[@Akitbfpf144]

Lol I live close to omiya, it’s pretty nice, you should head up to robot arcade in fukaya. The best retro arcade in japan imo.

[@mthw]

Hey Jim, the PS5 isn't fully backwards compatible. Sony have just said "the top 100 games" will be, so I'd grab yourself a PS4 slim if you see a good deal. Also, the PS5 is probably going to be expensive and hard to come by at launch, so worth waiting a while to get one anyway. - Matthew

[@leob1]

awesome video... as usual

[@calvinrogers6652]

Those conflicting price tags...

[@rawjapan6808]

Hit me up next time, you missed some good ones!

[@gmugrumbach]

Can't travel...but I'll take it.

[@MatthewOceanXVX]

"I feel the power welling up inside me as we speak." LMAO

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

Famicom: Special Yellowed Edition (previous owner probably smoked) (Eww! Oxidization! Something I do not like.)

[@TrimeshSZ]

Have they started marking the prices as excluding tax now? Last time I was in Japan (late last year) the prices for the junk games were typically 108円 or 216円 - I.E. 100 or 200 plus the 8% tax. I know the rate went up to 10%, but that doesn't seem to be reflected in the price labels.

[@HajimaruHenshin]

Do you have a video where you show a classic gameboy console in the shelf?

[@ExpensiveForeigner]

I only wish the Hard Off jingle at the end was a bit louder 😉 - in all seriousness, great video! 😁

[@mus247365]

Looks like a great day for some game hunting! Hope there was time for a cool beverage or two? :D

[@daxxhex8546]

Those games looks in good condition 👌 👏

[@ossangameclub]

Oh, Thanks for that! I've been living in Osaka for many years, right in the middle of Den Den town, so I don't need to travel around much to find stuff. Am always curious what pricing looks in other areas though, so very much appreciate the peak at up north. If you get down this way, let me know and I'll show you around my local shops. :P

[@retrogames1202]

Cara esse hard book é imenso, meu morri em Saitama, mas nunca fui pra Omiya, gostei do vídeo!!!!!

[@fazares]

one day i ll buy that damn tekken 2 arcade stick..one day....

[@rubyknight]

Sorry for the silly question but what's the name of that cool song that starts at 2:00?

[@segagirladventurespico]

Great video do you live in Japan? Was this filmed during coV19 just cursor cuz it says 3w :). How much do you think dracula kid for famicom or gbc is it in Japan? Also ps1 Lomax, little Ralph ? Guy i buy Japanese games from in Japan said those 2 ps1 games are very expensive :(. Thank you nice video wish we could fly there :)

[@ShinSHOGO]

What’s the name of that chill ass Last Surprise at 2:24?

[@SteelyFlan]

soundcloud.com/awsanima/youll-never-see-it-coming-last-surprise-persona-5-lo-fi-remix-lofi

[@modeloman4568]

I am going to japan in the summer and I plan to hunt for some games, one thing I have a question for though is I know Japanese exclusive games will be in Japanese but any other game that isn't an exclusive will I be able to play it in English?

[@MrSpeedFrk]

It's pretty sad that when watching the travel through the train/subway station I keep expecting to see people slumped in a corner shooting up or otherwise wasted out of their mind 😕

[@MadPanicGaming]

No issues with people shooting up, but plenty of wasted people on certain nights, or just people passed out from exhaustion.

[@MrSpeedFrk]

@@MadPanicGaming Wasted on what? I'm guessing probably sake not meth, fentanyl or heroin for example

[@jamesmoss3424]

One day I will go to Japan. 😀👍🇯🇵🇺🇸

[@andrewramirez5417]

What songs did you play heading out of the train station 🤔

[@legendaryguitarhero]

Hard off supposed to be junk everything supposed to be cheap. but this shop seems expensive like a normal book off

[@XSpImmaLion]

Ouch, what's with more expensive than new Switches? Are they still out of stock?

[@MadPanicGaming]

I believe so.

[@ravenbonifacio5507]

Hello :) What is the title of song at 6:40 and at outro? tia :)

[@superpotato657]

Wii shop music in backround

[@Nekonakamatachi]

Can anyone tell me the name of the song that starts playing at around the 8:55 mark ?

[@yousnortthedsnotofdirtyric3382]

Bless Japan

[@tosenstardom2316]

any Sega Mark 3 consoles for sale ? Or Enduro Racer Mark 3 ?

[@GaryLau2099]

Project Justice: Rival School 2 music?

[@marcelanoryadi9110]

At this point in time, Hard-Off should made u brand ambassador 🤣 U must get some free stuff from them. How many years have u been uploading their shops ?

[@gerryfearon7905]

Dude, the music in this episode is choice!! Could you tell me the artists please?

[@ajenkinsff7xfiles899]

what is the price of final fantasy 7 for playstation 1 cd going for now that the the remake is out in japan ?

[@kaseius]

ブロックくずし is probably like "Crumbling Blocks" （崩し） sounds like a super generic title in english lol

[@rawjapan6808]

There’s still some good ones, hit me up for details

[@carlzacxgarcia9455]

Tekken 2!!!

[@boxerblake1]

My goodness, I miss Japan :( The shrine, I didn't see 'ra' ....it's usually the other way around? EDIT: Nevermind. The entire flag is backwards. I'll go back to my corner now. I had never played a PSP or Vita until a few years ago. I missed out. Try it out.

[@segagirladventurespico]

You sell on eBay ? :) im in Canada 😊

[@RastaJediX]

Get a Vita, and mod it. Won't regret it! P4G is best version of P4!