Retro Game Store Reviews: Hard Off Koza Shibuya

I have a lot of killer stores in my backlog of articles to write but sometimes it’s nice to talk about the rare unsuspecting gems that you’d never come across in your daily life. The Koza Shibuya Hard Off is one of those stores. I’ve been there a total of 3 times now over the last 2 years. It was an okay store the first time I visited it, but the Hard Off in Ayase closed down a few months later and pretty much all of their stock was moved to this one, making it very impressive. I just visited this again the other week so it’s still very fresh in my mind. Let’s see if I can convince you check it out.

The Selection

The game selection might look a little small but don’t let the lack of pictures fool you, it is deep. Their game aisles are very long and the shelves are tall, and their inventory is varied. There were a lot of good deals the last time I went there. This also doesn’t show all of the Switch games they have (since it’s not really retro yet) so trust me on this. Where this store really shines is with its handhelds, hardware, and accessories. While I didn’t take any new pictures on my last visit, these pictures from last year’s grand re-opening do a good job of showing the scope of products that they have. The stock has changed a little since then, but you can still find most of what you see here or different versions of it. Heck, on my last visit I even saw an original Atari for sale with a bunch of old games in one of their cases. They had some VERY cool stuff in their game section. I think you’ll be surprised when you visit it.

The Pricing

While I didn’t take any pictures of the game or hardware sections during my last visit, I did take a lot of pictures of their accessories. I was absolutely blown away by the amount of stuff they had still in box, as well as the prices on many of these things. Other places you go to usually sell these types of things for more money and in poorer condition. I guess they are still bringing inventory from the old store that closed because these things look fresh out of the warehouse (albeit dusty).

As for the games and hardware, thanks to this store being outside of the major cities there isn’t that much pressure on the prices. You’ll find some great deals on a lot of games, and very affordable prices on other items that have sky-rocketed in the cities. You can realistically find a PS Vita, a 3DS, and retro game consoles for thousands of yen less than in large cities and many are still with in their boxes. If you’re planning to make a few purchases, spending 1500 yen round trip could save you up to 10 times that on your purchases.

Access

Which brings us to where this store is, and how to get it. The Koza Shibuya store is neither in Koza or Shibuya, but in Yamato, Kanagawa, just outside of Yokohama. It’s a 5 minute walk to the store from Koza Shibuya station on the Odakyu Enoshima line. The Odakyu line starts from Shinjuku if you’re in Tokyo, where you’ll have to make a transfer to the Enoshima line, but it also can be reached by going to Yamato station on the Sotetsu line. From Yamato you can transfer to the Odakyu Enoshima line and get there very quickly. If you’re coming on the bullet train you can easily reach the Sotetsu line from Shin Yokohama station and then transfer at Yamato again to the Enoshima line. There are a number of ways to get there. It’s very accessible, and there are other shops with retro games you can check out in the area afterwards if you want like Zest Yamato, Guru Guru Yamato, the Seya Book Off Super Bazaar, and more.

The Verdict

It might not have the stock of the inner city stores specializing in retro games, or the prices of local countryside thrift stores, but it finds a great middle area between both. The closing of the other neighborhood Hard Off the other year has been great for this area and this store. The store remodel makes it easy to find products and there is a lot of stock there. Plus 30 minutes from Yokohama or 50 minutes from Shinjuku is worth it for a day trip of game hunting.

• Selection: 4.5/5
• Pricing: 4/5
• Ease of Access: 5/5

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