Retro Game Store Reviews: Surugaya Umeda (Osaka)

I don’t think I’ve every been in a city that had two Surugayas with video games. Sure there are places with multiple Surugayas that sell different types of products, but not two places that sold video games. If you count the outlet store Surugaya has in Namba that is detached from the main store, then they actually have 3 in downtown Osaka! This is more than Tokyo, more than Nagoya, and more than Shizuoka city itself where the company is based (at least if you just count the stores that are in the city).

Umeda Surugaya

My Kansai friend had told me about this shop a few weeks after I moved to Osaka and I wasn’t able to check it out until around November. So how does it compare to the other Surugaya stores in the city? Let’s find out.

The Selection

Compared to the outlet and main store in Namba, I think the Umeda Surugaya store has the superior inventory. It isn’t the best Surugaya I’ve been to, but they had a solid amount of items. One thing you’ll notice from these pictures is that the shelves aren’t jam packed with products like you might see at a Super Potato or even a larger Book Off Super Bazaar. The selections are big but not organized well and this can make them look sparse at times but to be honest I found a wide range of games and titles at this store as recently as late December. While it’s not featured here, there is also a decent sized strategy guide area at the back of the store that you can look through. On my most recent visit they had organized it by game console and it was incredibly easy to look through. Worth checking out if you’re into that sort of thing.

I was a little disappointed by their handheld and console section though. The number of hardware items they had, along with the condition and quality of the items, felt more like I was at a medium sized Hard Off thrift store than at a Surugaya. To be honest though, Consoles and Handhelds were never Surugaya’s strong points. Aside from their main store in Shizuoka, their selection of hardware has always been somewhat limited at their stores. Their strength comes from their software selection.

The Pricing

The popular titles at their stores (like Pokemon) have definitely been going up in last few months, as well as their handheld systems, but overall I would say that their items are still affordable when compared to the other big chains of retro stores. You will probably be paying about 15-20% more than you would pay at a Book Off chain store, but about 50-75% less than a Mandarake or Super Potato across town. They also had some rarer accessories at this store when I visited (at least stuff I usually didn’t see in thrift shops), but they were a little pricy. I thought their strategy guides were priced pretty fairly too.

Access

One thing that Surugaya stores do well is selecting locations that are close to stations or easily accessible. The Yokohama one is basically connected to the station, the Omiya one is right outside the station, and their large main store in Shizuoka city is only a few minutes walk from the station there. The Umeda store is no different, being about a 10 minute walk on average from the various Umeda stations (Hankyu Umeda, subway Umeda, Higashi Umeda) and just a little bit more of a walk from JR Osaka station. It’s located in the upper floors of the same building as the Maruzen book store. The retro games can be found on the 6th floor.

If you’re coming by bullet train, you should be able to come directly to the Umeda subway station on the Midosuji line which leaves from Shin Osaka where the bullet train is located. Otherwise you might have some transfers to do if you use the JR local lines to get to Osaka station.

The Verdict

A good retro game store to visit in Osaka, and it might actually be better than the one located in Namba/Nipponbashi because there is less traffic at the Umeda store from tourists than the others. Tourists pass by the ones in Namba daily, buying a lot of the popular titles to take back with them. There are definitely tourists at this Surugaya as well, but for the most part this branch serves the locals and regional area more. If you strike out at the Namba locations, be sure to check this one out. You’ll definitely be more satisfied with the variety at this location.

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

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