Retro Game Store Reviews: Shimizu Kanteidan
You must be surprised that after doing 3 of these store review articles, I have yet to talk once about any in Tokyo. I said it before and I’ll say it again; the best stores, the best prices, and the best selections are always going to show up outside of the big cities. While my gaming journey started in Akihabara, Tokyo, it slowly changed course to places near the city, and then out into the countryside. It was in my first such retro game road trip that I came across the Kanteidan chain of stores in Shizuoka prefecture. My wife and I took a trip to Shizuoka city by train and then rented a car to drive back home to Yokohama, stopping at as many retro stores we could along the way. One of those stops was the Fuji Kanteidan store I talked about in my previous article, and another was the Shimizu Kanteidan, located in Shimizu city, near Shizuoka city.
The Selection
I can only describe the Shimizu Kanteidan store as The Library of Alexandria for video games. Every inch of wall, every shelf, was PACKED with games. Their collection of Famicom (NES), Super Famicom (SNES) and Playstation games was absolutely massive. The shelves were so packed that they had to put all of the PS2 games above them. The boxed Gameboy, Gameboy Advance, and Gamecube game selection was decent, but they had even more loose cartridges. In the last two pictures you can see how extensive their accessory collection was. They had A LOT. I was able to find a few things I was looking for there, and if you are looking for some rarer things you might get lucky here.
The Pricing
I found some great deals at Shimizu Kanteidan, and while I expect some of the games to keep up with the market prices (like Pokemon games becoming more expensive), I think there is a very good chance you’ll find some rare accessories and some good deals on games you want for your collection. I was excited to get Kirby’s Pinball complete in box for less than $5, as well as the loose F-zero on GBA for about $2. On my second trip back to the store earlier this year, I managed to get two games I wanted on the Gamecube: Eternal Darkness and Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. There was a lot to look through and if I didn’t already have most of the games on my list, I would have bought more!
Access
While there is parking available and I drove there pretty easily, you can also walk there from Shimizu station on the JR Tokaido line. It would take about 15 minutes to walk there, and is pretty much a straight shot from the station. The area is close to the ocean and has some beautiful views, and you can also get some delicious seafood while in town. I really enjoyed hanging out in the city. I should also state that the Kanteidan stores are usually open late (until 11 or midnight), which makes them great for driving to and checking out after everything else closes around 8-9pm.
The Verdict
The Shimizu Kanteidan is another great retro game store/recycle shop to visit, IF you’re willing to travel a little bit. Luckily it’s not too far from the station and the selection is great. There are a number of good shops in the Shizuoka area and this should be part of your itinerary if you’re going through the area.
- Selection: 5/5
- Pricing: 5/5
- Ease of Access: 3.5/5
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