Retro Game Store Reviews: Numazu and Fuji Otachu

I plan on writing about more Book Offs, Hard Offs, and Surugaya’s in the future, but I think it’s important to feature some lesser known, regional shops as well from time to time in my articles. If you’ve read my other articles, then you know about how awesome the Kanteidan group stores are in Shizuoka prefecture. Well, they aren’t the only ones. During my quest to find as many stores as possible that sell retro games, I came across the Otachu chain of stores in the Shizuoka and Kanto areas of Japan. They might not be as big as Book Off Super Bazaars or the Kanteidan stores I’ve featured, but they are still worth a visit if you’re a collector or hunter of retro games.

Otachu Numazu

The first time I came across an Otachu store was in Numazu, Shizuoka. I had originally visited the area by car and had visited many of the Kanteidan, Hard Off, and Surugaya stores in the western Shizuoka, but a few months after that, work took me back to the area. I didn’t have a rental car this time, so my trip was mainly at places near train stations on the JR Tokaido line. After checking out a few Book Offs and Hard Offs, I felt like I really lucked out at this place.

The Selection

The selection might not seem too large, but it was actually close to most large Hard Offs or Book Offs. These pictures actually don’t even show their entire stock. I left out their used Switch and PS4 games, and also their older Famicom, Super Famicom, and N64 sections. When you put it all together it was pretty impressive. The store definitely deserves another visit in the future so I can take a more in-depth look at their inventory. When I took these pictures, I had my Instagram profile in mind more than a comprehensive look for my blog, and for that I apologize.

That being said, the inventory was pretty extensive. The shelves were high and packed with games, they had a decent selection of hardware and handhelds, and their accessory section had a lot of variety too. I was actually able to find a few things there that I wasn’t able to find at the Hard Offs and Book Offs I had visited earlier in the day.

The Pricing

As with any retro game store, the rarer stuff (like this Pokemon mini game) tends to have a high price tag, but the other things are more affordable. I picked up a copy of Tekken Advance for the GBA and a Gamecube to GBA cable while I was there, and both were a few hundred yen cheaper than the other stores I had seen them at previously. I’d place their prices between a Book Off and a Surugaya. Not quite as cheap as a Book Off/Hard Off, but a little more affordable than a Surugaya. There are probably still deals to be had there.

Access

Katahama on the JR Tokaido line was the closest station to this store. I actually thought it was going to be quite a walk from the station, but it was pretty darn close. It was an easy 5 minute walk from the south exit of the station. You can be in and out from this store and on your way to the next place in no time. Getting to Katahama might take some time though. The closest bullet train station is Mishima, but you could also get there from Shin Fuji station. Just keep in mind that it’s harder to get to the JR lines from Shin Fuji station. Once there, you’ll have to hop on the local JR line (either towards Fuji or towards Mishima depending on your starting point) to get there.

The Verdict

I wasn’t totally blown away by the selection, but I was impressed. Also the prices weren’t amazing, but not bad either. The location might have been hard to get to, but it was very easy to find once there. The description of this place might sound contradictory but I mean it in the best possible way. It was the bright spot of this trip and got me started on a mission to track down and visit all of the remaining Otachu stores located near me.

• Selection 4/5
• Pricing 3.5/5
• Ease of Access 4/5

Otachu Fuji

Otachu Fuji was the 2nd store I visited in the chain. I had rented a car once before to check out a lot of Kanteidans, Surugayas, and Hard Offs, but wasn’t able to see them all. On my second trip I visited the rest of the stores located in western Shizuoka that I couldn’t see on my first one, and this was one of those stores. After the Numazu location, I had high hopes for this one.

The Selection

The Fuji Otachu selection wasn’t as large as the Numazu one in my opinion, but it was close. It might not look like it because of the design of this store though. It was huge, with large ceilings and a lot of empty space, not unlike a warehouse. Video games had an entire corner all to themselves so while it might look sparse in these pictures, that’s only because of the size of the retro gaming area in relation to shelves.

The retro hardware section was pretty small, but they did have accessories for many of the systems. The game selection was similar to that of large Book Off Super Bazaars and Hard Offs, just like the Numazu location had. In fact, compared to other Hard Offs and Book Off Super Bazaars in Shizuoka, Otachu Fuji probably looks downright massive. A good indicator of if a store has a worthwhile selection of games is if they have games from less popular consoles like the Gamecube or Sega Saturn. Stores with poor inventory simply won’t have any at all, or only a few cases of them. Otachu had a shelf of Gamecube games and a lot of the other stuff from less popular systems as well. While the selection pales in comparison to the Fuji Kanteidan store less than a half hour away, it’s still worth checking out if you’re in the area.

The Pricing

I didn’t end up buying anything at this store when I went, but the prices were on par with the other Otachu in Shizuoka I had visited. Not too expensive, but also not too cheap either. It was between Hard Off/Book off pricing and Surugaya’s. There is a good chance you could find good deals here, and it would definitely be cheaper than hitting up stores in Tokyo.

Access

While the store is very easy to get to by car (as are most places in Shizuoka), you can also get to the store on foot from Higashi-Tagono-Ura Station on the JR Tokaido line in less than 15 minutes. I never walked it myself, but I did end up walking to the Fuji Kanteidan store nearby and 15 minutes wasn’t really that long at all. You’ll be there before you know it. If you’re coming to the area by bullet train, Mishima is probably the best since you can easily take a JR train from there towards Fuji, but you could also get off at Shin Fuji if you just want to take a taxi or something.

The Verdict

I don’t know if Otachu Fuji would be worth going to by itself, but if you’re already going to the Fuji Kanteidan store (which is great), why not check it out? You increase your chances of finding stuff by going to two stores, and you also get the chance to compare prices in case one is cheaper than the other. The selection is big enough to warrant a 30 minute to 1 hour stop in the store, and it’s a great stop if you’re doing a day long or weekend long retro game shopping trip.

• Selection = 3.5/5
• Pricing = 3.5/5
• Ease of Access = 3.5/5

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