Retro Game Store Reviews: Surugaya Omiya

Between work and my streaming schedule, I haven’t been able to blog as often as I would like, but at the same time that has given me a chance to visit more places to look for shops that might be worth talking about on my website. Last weekend I was finally able to convince my wife to join me on a thrifting adventure in Saitama. It’s a bit of a trip from Yokohama, but was worth it in my opinion. I seem to often come across people’s posts about retro game shopping in Saitama and on my 2nd trip to the prefecture I would say it lives up to the hype. Not only did I find a few things on my trip last weekend, but my wife also snagged a bunch of deals on clothing and other things while I was checking out games. While Saitama has a ton of shops to check out and game hunt at, the drawback is that you’re going to need a car to get to most of them. On this trip, however, I planned it so that every store I visited was within walking distance from a train station.

The Selection

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s really hard to be disappointed by the selection at a Surugaya store. They have all types of games from all types of consoles and there always seems to be a good balance between variety and the number of games offered. The only thing you can really complain about at a Surugaya’s selection is how everything is organized. Luckily the Omiya store in Saitama is pretty well organized (or at least better than the Yokohama store). The retro game area at this branch are all together in the same place, with extra stock like accessories placed at the shelf ends. I should probably point out that looking for newer games from current gen systems is always hit or miss at Surugayas, and that the prices aren’t that great on them either. But if you’re looking for retro games you’ll find a robust selection.

One thing that really stuck out to me at this store was the number of Sega Saturn and Dreamcast games they had in stock. I don’t think I took a good picture of that area so it’s probably best that I mention it here in the article. To be fair, pretty much every console’s games were stocked well. Lots of Sony games, lots of Nintendo games, lots of Sega games, and even lots of Xbox games could be found here. The only thing I was disappointed about in the Omiya store’s selection was the number of consoles and handhelds they had in stock. They had a few in their showcase and some mixed in near the games on the shelves, but I’ve seen better hardware choices at smaller Hard Offs on my travels.

The Price

I picked up one game I had on my list when I visited this store, and I was pretty satisfied with their pricing. I looked at a number of other games and found the prices to be pretty fair. They even adjusted prices on copies of games that were in poorer condition than others which I thought was rare for bigger stores. Most big places will just slap a 10% discount on a game with problems and call it a day. My advice would be to look for multiple copies of games when you’re checking out the store’s inventory and compare the prices. You might find one a little cheaper than the others and save some cash due to some slight coloring or damage on the cases. I’ve grown used to the prices at the Yokohama Surugaya so the slightly cheaper prices here were a pleasant surprise. The rare stuff is still incredibly overpriced in my opinion, so as long as you stay away from things in the cases you’ll probably be fine.

I felt like this store had some really good deals on some things and others I thought I could find cheaper elsewhere. Definitely worth comparing prices to other places, especially against Book Off Super Bazaars and Hard Offs. It’s kind of refreshing to know that a large store with a big inventory of games can be competitive against smaller shops instead of just price gouging people due to their supply. It also helps that this store is in Saitama, away from all the tourists in Tokyo.

Access

Getting to Surugaya Omiya is incredibly easy. There are a number of train lines that go to Omiya, and some express trains as well. You can even take a bullet train from Tokyo station, but make sure you hop on the one going towards Yamagata instead of Osaka. From Omiya station, head to the west side of the station and walk towards the New Shuttle ticket gates. Just before the gates there will be a door to the left that goes into the Marui/DOM building and from there you just need to head to the 6th floor. From ticket gate to Surugaya takes maybe about 5 minutes. I should also point out that there is a Book Off Plus outside of the east gate so there’s lots to check out while you’re in the area.

The Verdict

Great location, good selection, and decent prices make this Surugaya worth visiting. I don’t think there is a Surugaya yet that I haven’t recommended. You’ll always enjoy taking a look at what they have. If you’re starting your retro game hunting foray into Saitama, Omiya Surugaya is a great place to start. It puts you within striking distance of a number of other shops to check out and is very easy to get to from places like Tokyo.

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

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