• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Weeaboos are now ruining the retro collecting scene in Japan. How can we stop them?

West Texas CEO

GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief and Nosiest Dildo Archeologist
A Japanese resident has lamented the state of Kyoto's retro gaming stores, blaming foreign travellers for bleeding the country's stock of vintage games.

Kyoto-based American researcher Oliver Jia posted images of his local Surugaya, a store which sells retro games along with other collectable items. The shelves are shown with limited stock.

"The Surugaya in Kyoto is a skeleton now," laments Jia. "A year ago, there were tons of Famicom Disk System games, but this is all that’s left. The PS1 section is half empty. The tourists have taken everything. I don’t bother shopping for retro games in big Japanese cities anymore."

Jia adds that his local Surugaya once offered two whole floors of games, but now it is reduced to just one – and that he personally witnessed someone literally scooping up an entire shelf of stock. "I saw a guy just taking everything off the already paltry DS shelf. There [are] tons of people like him and very little anyone can do because it’s obviously not illegal. So I don’t even bother anymore."

However, the researcher is keen to stress that he has no issue with people buying up games to play – it's the resellers he's less keen on. "I should specify that if you’re a tourist in Japan and buying these games because you genuinely want to play them, I don’t have an issue with you," Jia says. "It’s the people who clear entire shelves just to scalp them online when they get home that ruin the hobby here for everyone."

GK30KDubcAAFJFm




Source: https://www.timeextension.com/news/...g-laments-japanese-resident-as-retro-runs-dry

This has gone too far with collectors in the West, in my opinion. They've ruined collecting here and now they're looking to ruin everything abroad. :(

How do you feel and what can we do to preserve Japan's historic gaming legacy?
 
Last edited:

Darkmakaimura

Can You Imagine What SureAI Is Going To Do With Garfield?
GK30KDubcAAFJFm




Source: https://www.timeextension.com/news/...g-laments-japanese-resident-as-retro-runs-dry

This has gone too far with collectors in the West, in my opinion.

How do you feel and what can we do to preserve Japan's historic gaming legacy?

"I saw a guy just taking everything off the already paltry DS shelf. There [are] tons of people like him and very little anyone can do because it’s obviously not illegal. So I don’t even bother anymore."

You know that guy is selling those games on eBay for inflated prices.
 
Last edited:

NecrosaroIII

Ultimate DQ Fan
Collecting Japanese games is a hell of a lot cheaper than buying their english equivalents. I bought a complete in box copy of Mother 2 for 12 bucks. Earthbound would have cost me hundreds. Chrono Trigger SFC , I bought for $25. Again, hundreds. I just got complete versions of Dragon Quest 2, 3 and 4 (famicom version) complete for $50


A shame that other people are starting to figure that out.
 
Last edited:
Ive seen a couple of YouTubers I follow post videos of them traveling to Japan and posting their hauls of stuff they brought back, so they're not wrong. Personally I've been cruising eBay for Famicom and super Famicom stuff and it's was much cheaper to buy and import from Japan vs the price for local versions, so there's that
 

NecrosaroIII

Ultimate DQ Fan
No no no.... I'm going to Japan in November and I want to buy strange Japanese games.
Just be careful. Apparently foreigners (mostly chinese tourists) have been making a bad name for all tourists lately. The times I've gone, it's been an extremely welcoming experience. But times may have changed.
 
Last edited:

AREYOUOKAY?

Member
If it's for playable import friendly games sure, but why would someone buy games they don't even understand? To sit on their shelves to make their collection look impressive? If so I can understand their frustration.

These stores relied on non collectors buying them because it was a cycle of someone buying games then selling them back later once they are done for someone else to buy which is why you could usually still find something. What do you think happens when someone who doesn't even play the game buys it and hoards it for himself never to be used? Of course that's just a theory but it still makes sense.
 
I thought this one was interesting
Its the only one of its kind for sale. A cartridge given to one of the designers of the robot masters of megaman 4
 

Tams

Member
Well, it's a store so...

They're mad people are buying the games? Scalpers are shit, but what evidence does this """researcher""" have that the majority of the purchases are by scalpers?

It's exactly this type of shitty, selfish behaviour and attitude that's the problem.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

And Japan is particularly susceptible to this, as it's a very trust based society. They are also often very naïve about it.

Other parts of Japan have also been harmed by this, and I've seen it in other countries too. Have you seen Everest basecamp? It's disgusting. It's why places like Bhutan force you to hire a local guide, restrict where you can go, and spend a minimum amount per day
 
Top Bottom