Following our visit to Akiba’s Trader 2, we decided to try Super Potato, a globally renowned retro game shop featuring a wide variety of activities. There we witnessed a treasure house full of gems that brought back memories of the past when I would sit in front of a small analog TV with a Nintendo controller in my hands. Take a look at our footage of Super Potato and join us on our journey into the retro world!
Famicom, Mega Drive, TurboGrafx and 3DO – Third Floor
The shop was packed in a small space but still well-organized. The floor was divided into several sections, each featuring different game consoles. On the left side of the entrance, we could see used game consoles while game software and merchandise lured us to the other side. Tiny, old analog TVs were lined up in alleys and corners around the shop with retro games hooked up and ready to play. Above them were fluorescent lights that provided somewhat dim lighting all around the shop; it almost felt like I was looking at an old, faded photograph of my childhood. The shop was whispering to me, saying: “This is 20th century. Welcome back.”
Iconic products of video game history greeted us as we stepped in, and we could not help but be amused by the store’s massive collection of retro game items. We were looking at Famicom, Super Famicom, Mega Drive, TurboGrafx (also known as PC Engine in Japan), Neo Geo, Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, and many other game consoles that used to keep us 20th century boys entertained all night. Devices such as 3DO and Sega Mark III, which are more difficult to find these days, were also displayed in good condition. Game titles in the shop offered a wide variety of selections, yet were neatly organized and priced differently according to each title’s condition and value. Limited edition games were put separately in a glass case, often on the display section that assembled all the diamonds of the era. Overall, the place was an all-you-can-eat buffet for retro gamers…if you could afford them.
Game, OST, Guidebooks, Eroge – Fourth Floor
While the third floor was focused mainly on older-era retro games and consoles, the next floor took us to the beginning of modern gaming era with the Playstation (PS), PS2, N64 and GameCube. We didn’t feel the ‘retro’ feel as much as we did in the third floor, but maybe that’s why the fourth floor is focused more on game-related products such as guidebooks and OSTs rather than games themselves. There was also a small section featuring Eroge titles (porn games) of the Windows 98 era. Classic.
Arcade machines and cigarette smoke – Fifth Floor
The fifth floor of Super Potato takes you back to a Japanese arcade in the 90s. The tobacco smell, slot machines, old arcade games, cheap snacks, a group of people watching a skilled player nail the fight…. All of these things took me back to the days when I had coins stacked up right next to my joystick. Our exploration of Super Potato’s retro game world ended with an arcade that looked like it came straight from 20th century. Here you can try some of the games you saw at the third and fourth floor along with other games that would take our coins away when we were kids. As a gamer myself, it was surely an unforgettable experience.
It took us about an hour to take a tour around all three floors of Super Potato. If you are going to Akiba and you enjoyed playing Nintendo and Sega back in the 90s, I strongly suggest that you visit Super Potato. This small place is jam-packed with memories that will take you on a journey to the past when your life was a little more peaceful.
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