Let's Go To Hard Off! (pics inside)

So let's take a virtual visit to a Hard Off shop.They sell everything 2nd hand (or overstock), Laptops, musical instruments, blenders, you name it! I am only focusing on the game aspect of the shop.


Let's go!



This is the Tagajo Store located in Tagajo City, Miyagi Prefecture.
(Off-House is the 2nd-hand household goods section)


http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/m...g/CIMG0409.jpg



Used games and systems.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/m...g/CIMG0417.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/m...g/CIMG0416.jpg






But the treasures and tragedies are often found in the JUNK CORNER. :(
The broken, unwanted, forgotten...they all wait for someone to come
and appreciate (and fix) them. I think of the blue bins as treasure chests.
Not everything is broken, but most things were not cared for very well.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/m...g/CIMG0410.jpg


http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/m...CIMG041477.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/m...g/CIMG0411.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/m...IMG0413111.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/m...g/CIMG0415.jpg


That's it! Some stores don't have much, some stores have treasure troves.
This one rates somewhere in between. Anyhoo, thanks for coming!

North America sucks for not having stores like these.

ALL HAIL OUR JAPANESE OVERLORDS! SAY IT WITH ME! JAP - AHN - EEZE!! JAP - AHN - EEZE!!!

...

Seeing that amount of newer and older games and systems in one store, I believe I can safely say I'd be walking out of a Hard Off with a gaming geek hard on.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Guntz

North America sucks for not having stores like these.

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Not unless we plot in a maniacal way.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hashiriya1

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/m...IMG0413111.jpg

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~$6.39 for a loose Famicom. Battered thrift store NES consoles cost more than that!

Ive seen this store before,im actually planning on taking a trip to japan just to visit this store lol.

Funny thing is im most interested in the junk section lol most of the stuff can be fixed and seeing the prices shows just how much we pay over the odds to import.

I really like the Junk-corners in these Japanese 2nd-hand shops. Not only is it videogames, it's everything that's old and obsolete. Like Laserdiscs, take a look. ;)

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/...e/IMG_0290.jpg

I want one of those Sailor Moon and Gundam box sets. :P

lmao i want an overhead

Hard off make my dick go boner.

Does those stores in Japan survive ..stay in business??

In the US these stores prob won't survive

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phosis

Hard off make my dick go boner.

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I wanted to rep this, but I must spread some around first. :(

I thought this thread would be full of pics of people looking harder than the previous one. A bit like the "Rock Off" in Tenacious D's pick of destiny.

I was incorrect, then pleasently surprised, and then disappointed that this shop is nowhere near me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KnightWarrior

Does those stores in Japan survive ..stay in business??

In the US these stores prob won't survive

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They do because Hard Off sells a lot more than just video games. It's just like a thrift store, but with better organization.

lets take a sega-16 field trip

*snickers at the name of the store*

*ahem* Yeah, I read that in Japan, second hand shops have "Off" in the name.

I also saw about 20 things I wanted.

Oh how I wish we had these over here. :(

I laugh at the "used" and "junk" that sells in these stores.

Used:

Japan - still taken care of, but just older

US - Dog only chewed on it some.

Junk:

Japan - Might work, but still looks better than most of the stuff sold on ebay as "very good condition"

US: Buttons missing, nearly broke in two, peanut butter stuck in d-pad. Somehow manages to get posted on Ebay as "good condition".

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rusty Venture

I laugh at the "used" and "junk" that sells in these stores.

Used:

Japan - still taken care of, but just older

US - Dog only chewed on it some.

Junk:

Japan - Might work, but still looks better than most of the stuff sold on ebay as "very good condition"

US: Buttons missing, nearly broke in two, peanut butter stuck in d-pad. Somehow manages to get posted on Ebay as "good condition".

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lol, I was thinking the exact same thing. They take a lot better care of their stuff than we do.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snotmaw

lets take a sega-16 field trip

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YES. YES. YES. YES!!!

What are the chances two or more of us would fight over something like two moms trying to get the very last of the hottest christmas toy?

I assure you the store would be in shambles after we had our way with it

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Waterfaller

What are the chances two or more of us would fight over something like two moms trying to get the very last of the hottest christmas toy?

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Very likely.

I need that gold Nintendo 64 for my closet Nintendo shrine! PREPARE TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH WATERFALLER!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chessage

~$6.39 for a loose Famicom. Battered thrift store NES consoles cost more than that!

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Keep it mind it may not work.

I like this store quite well. I should get stationed in Japan. :P

As someone who often buys crappy condition stuff and fixes/refurbishes it to like new condition, I would go absolutely nuts in that store!

I think what hurts most is that boxed PC Engine Core Grafx. It's probably dirt cheap but I couldn't find one on the net here for less than $100.

Must... book... flight to Japan.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Guntz

Very likely.

I need that gold Nintendo 64 for my closet Nintendo shrine! PREPARE TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH WATERFALLER!

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I-I'll just take the blue N64... :o

And that Sega Saturn...

And that what appears to be a Megadrive...

And that Wonderswan...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hashiriya1

Keep it mind it may not work.

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That's why I own a soldering iron. I'd buy a Famicom, in that condition, for that price...

We're very lucky here in Vancouver, we have a Book Off which is in the same chain only sells books. It's amazing, the stock is half Japanese and half English.

Would it be possible to build some kind of giant robot out of all that stuff? Perhaps with a 32X for a head and a Sega Saturn on its back like a Virtuaroid in Virtual On? I'm not too up on tech stuff, but I can't see why that wouldn't be possible. Johnny 5 fixed himself in a similar way, and he was REAL.

Looking at the pictures of the game stuff in that store, my mind created a commercial not unlike the ASPCA commercials:

"For a small donation you can help give these unloved, unwanted game systems a new and caring home."

I'm in love, and once again we are reminded about how much the US sucks (the Japanese wouldn't let punks like GS destroy the industry, remember Funcoland, it was a awesome franchise that catered to older games, yet GS bought them out, and turned it into another crappy GS. That's why we don't have places like that in the US).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Guntz

North America sucks for not having stores like these.

ALL HAIL OUR JAPANESE OVERLORDS! SAY IT WITH ME! JAP - AHN - EEZE!! JAP - AHN - EEZE!!!

---

I think there are some stores somewhat like this in the US, but they're not that common and usually limited to big cities. (some video game specific ones, some more general electronics/computer/games used -and sometimes used/new- stores are around)

I need to remember some specific ones though. (I know Mark Bussler uses "the exchange", but there's another one with a broader spectrum of computers/electronics and game stuff)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zoltor

I'm in love, and once again we are reminded about how much the US sucks(the Japanese wouldn't let punks like GS destroy the industry(remember Funcoland, it was a awesome franchise, that catered to older games, yet GS bought them out, and turned it into another crappy GS. That's why we don't have places like that in the US).

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I agree. Also, even big Japanese chain stores carry a retro selection. I can say with confidence that if you walk into a game shop, 99.9% of the time, they will have at the very least carry SFC games and generations following.

I have an example in my blog: It's a chain store but they stock tons of retro stuff as well as brand new stuff.

http://igjournal.blogspot.com/2011/0...gull-game.html




:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NavesRegge

Must... book... flight to Japan.

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I need to do the same. After seeing Lukemorse1 having posted several videos of Hard-Off stores near him, I really need to go looking through the Junk section in Hard-Off and hopefully find:

-A Master System or an SG-1000 Mark III with the FM Synthesis module
-A MegaDrive 2
-A few black PC Engine Duos to recover from broken capacitors
-A PC Engine GT
-A white PC Engine
-A GameBoy Light
-A Famicom(original model or A/V Famicom)
-A Mega CD or Mega CD 2

Here's some more of Hard-Off courtesy of Lukemorse1:








I know these are old clips, but they really show the awesomeness of Hard-Off.

*starts saving money for a future trip to Japan*

It would be impossible to walk out of that store without buying something.

Damn straight. There's just WAY too much good stuff in Hard-Off to walk away empty-handed. I think I'd walk out of a Hard-Off with two baskets full of goodies.

If you guys think Hard Off is nice, then check out a Takara Shop. Hard Off has nothing on them.

I just posted a thread about em.

:)

Lukemorse is a fucking douchebag. Other than that...nice shit.

Why I'm not saying I want to go to Japan? To be honest is there a flea market culture in Japan? I'm an ultra cheap ass to be honest.