Retro Game Store Reviews: Sannomiya Sun Plaza (Kobe)

Sannomiya station’s Sun Plaza (San Center Plaza officially) is a shopping center located right next to the famous Center Gai shopping street in Kobe. There are hundreds of stores and offices spread out between three wings of the building, and between the first and fifth floors. You can find anime goods, trading cards, action figures, and a number of other types of goods in the shops there. There are also some office spaces in the buildings, but for today’s article I would like to focus on all of the retro video games stores located between the 3rd and 1st floors. To be honest, I visited the area before with my wife and we checked out the shopping street, the Book Off, and the Surugaya located there, but because we had arrived late at night I didn’t really have time to fully explore everything on my first visit. When I learned there were two more stores in the same place I had yet to see, and another store I wanted to see in the area, I made it a goal to get back to Kobe to check it out.

Ojamakan Sannomiya

There are two types of Ojamakans I have been too in the Kansai area. One type is local, with a healthy selection of a variety of games, a few accessories, some hardware, and pretty good prices with a focus more on modern systems like PS4, PS5, Switch, and Switch 2. The other type of Ojamakan are the heavily stocked specialty shops with tons of games, accessories, and hardware, but with more rare things than you’d see at the more local style shops. You’d think with how often I talk about the chain on here that I would recommend all of them to my readers, but there are actually a few that I haven’t talked about on this blog because they fall just short of my standards.

The Inventory

When a retro game store in Japan has a shelf of Xbox games, you know they are well stocked. Most places I’ve been to either have nothing or just a handful of games mixed in with other stuff that is low in stock. I expected this store to have a good variety of games before I arrived and thankfully I wasn’t disappointed. All of their Nintendo software was very well stocked, and they had a very good inventory of Playstation games as well. The only thing I was (slightly) disappointed in was their hardware inventory. There weren’t a lot of handhelds and the number of consoles was less than what you’d find at a regular Hard Off, and even the prices weren’t that impressive (which I’ll talk about later).

Overall the store was a joy to walk through, with Ojamakan’s signature “packed to the ceiling” look doing a lot of work in a smaller sales space in the shopping plaza. You should be able to track down whatever games you are looking for here too, as they have a nice variety of titles that are both common, uncommon, and rare. They also have quite a lot of games for modern consoles so if you are looking for very competitive prices on Switch or PS4 games, be sure to check out their selection.

The Pricing

I had already tracked down a copy of Skies of Arcadia on the GameCube a while back (at another Ojamakan no less), but nonetheless I was pretty shocked to find a copy without a manual (and slightly scratched) at this location for around $15. I think it’s a good indication that if you can find a super rare game like this at Ojamakan at this price, that the other games are going to be good deals as well. I’ve said it before but Ojamakan in Kansai is quickly becoming my go to place not only for retro games but for newer games as well. You can still find games for less at places like Hard Off and Book Off if you go outside of the cities, but why do that when you can get a great deal at this chain and not have to worry about having to track down one of the cheaper locations that are far from stations and in the middle of nowhere?

The accessories are also priced well at this location, but the hardware is another story. I’ve talked before about how the hardware pricing is their weakest point, and this store is no different. The handhelds seem to be either at market prices or higher, and the consoles aren’t much better. You might be better off comparing prices between them, Surugaya, Furuichi, and Hard Off to see where you can get the best deal on the hardware.

Access

If you are coming from Shin Kobe, the bullet train station, the easiest way to get to Sannomiya (where the San Plaza buildings are located) is to take the Seishin Yamate subway line. From the subway station the San Plaza and Center Gai shopping area are about a block away, a 5 minute walk or so. If you are coming on the Hankyu line from Osaka, take it all the way to Kobe Sannomiya station and the shopping area will literally be across the street. JR Sannomiya on the Kobe line is also pretty close, but you’ll be adding a few minutes to the walk compared to the other stops. Luckily the San Plaza building shopping area has it’s own website with a map right there on the main page so you should be able to make it there from whichever station you come in to.

Once you get to the San Plaza building, head to the 3rd Floor. Thankfully Ojamakan is almost right next to the escalator as you get off, and the escalator is located right between the Center building and the San Plaza building so once you find it you’ll be able to traverse all of the buildings rather easily. If you are looking at the map on the floor, Ojamakan is located in store 37 and you can see it on the map here.

The Verdict

Being in a game heavy shopping area, a store has to do a lot to stand out and Ojamakan has no problem doing that. They have tons of items to look through, very competitive prices, and it’s in a prime location in building. It should be your first stop when you get to the San Plaza area in the shopping arcade so you can compare their prices and selection to every other store you visit (almost right below it is the Surugaya on the 2nd floor, which should probably be your second stop since they have the also have a good selection there). The only thing that could have helped Ojamakan’s score more would be more hardware and better prices on them.

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

Furuichi Sannomiya

I’ve had pretty good luck at Furuichi’s in Kansai so far, especially if they are stand alone stores without a lot of competition and a lot of free space to work with. Sadly this store lacks the space and inventory to put it on equal footing with other stores in the chain.

The Inventory

Yep. That’s pretty much all they had. Most of the space in this store was used for selling trading cards as well as having duel space for people to use in the store. I’ve been to other Furuchi where the video game is more of an after thought, and this isn’t even that. There was a lot of space not being used on their game area shelves and what they did have wasn’t anything special. They had a little bit of everything, and I do mean a little bit. No one area really stood out. They had modern games as well which filled out the other video game shelves in the store, but for the most part this store was kinda just “there” and nothing else. I had expected them to have a bigger presence in such a busy area. Good luck finding gaming accessories and hardware here.

The Pricing

The pricing at this store was also somewhat disappointing. The games in the display case seemed to be pretty high, as well as some of their handhelds, but as for the rest they were about the same as what you’d find at other Furuichi stores. Not the cheapest, but cheaper than most specialty retro game shops. You should stop in and compare with the pricing at Ojamakan and Surugaya nearby, but most likely you’ll find a better price somewhere else.

Access

This is pretty much all this Furuichi has going for it. It’s close to a number of other gaming, anime, and trading card shops which makes it pretty easy to get to. Since it’s in the same area as the Ojamakan getting there by train should be the same. It is also located on the 3rd floor, but it is located in the West building instead. You’ll have to walk through the Center Plaza area of the building in order to get there, but it’s not that long of a walk and there lots of other stores to check out on your way there. If you can find a map of the West building, Furichi is located in store 13 of the map.

The Verdict

This Furuichi is just a stop to browse at for a little bit to compare prices and not much else. If you are already in Sannomiya in the San Plaza and Center Plaza buildings, you might as well check it out.

• Selection: 2.5/5
• Pricing: 3.5/5
• Ease of Access: 5/5

Game 4 Dimension

I had honestly thought that the Furuichi and Ojamakan were the only other retro game shops in Sannomiya aside from the Surugaya I had visited before. That in and of itself made the trip worth it in my opinion, but as I walked around and fully explored the San Plaza buildings I realized there was a lot more there that I would never had known about if I hadn’t physically been there to see it. Game 4 Dimension is one of those stores. It caught my eye as I turned a corner and once I saw the sign for video games on the wall I had to go in.

The Selection

I’m not a big fan of their inventory system since you can’t really see the spines to read the names quickly and have to physically flip through each game to see what they have, but they did seem to have a lot. I’m guessing they are a newer store and are trying to save money on shelving, but they had some good inventory that deserved to be seen. The main focus of this store seemed to be on software. I did seem some consoles and handhelds, but not as many as the chain stores tend to have. They did have a decent amount of accessories though, and you can see them scattered throughout the store. In the pictures above you can see boxes of them below some of the shelves actually.

One thing I REALLY liked about this store though was their selection of manuals and strategy guides. You can see some of them next to the Xbox games in the picture above. They seemed to have a lot of stuff from the PS1 and PS2 era of gaming, and also had quite a bit of stuff for Sega consoles as well. If you take the time to look through all of their games and paper media I think you’ll end up really like this place like I did.

The Pricing

I didn’t see any games I wanted while I was there, but their prices were pretty competitive. Prices of games at a non chain store in Japan usually fall into two categories: they are either stupidly expensive because they overvalue everything, or they are super cheap cause they don’t know what they have. I would say that this store falls right in between those two types. They know their items have value and yet they don’t try to take advantage of the customer. I’ve seen a lot of stores do that in Namba in Osaka recently sadly. I would say that Game 4 Dimension has done their homework both online and against their competition in the San Plaza buildings. Definitely check them out if you are comparing prices between the other well stocked stores like Surugaya and Ojamakan.

Access

Game 4 Dimension is in the same building as the Furuichi, the West building, but it is on the 2nd floor instead of the 3rd. If you are snaking your way through the different shops and making your way down each floor you should come across it. If you can find a map of the 2F of the west building, look for store number 29. It seems to be right in the middle of the floor.

The Verdict

I would have given this store a higher score on the selection if the store layout made it easier to look through games, but otherwise I was impressed. They could have had more hardware though. The pricing was also pretty good. Some stuff was market value, some stuff was a little higher than other places, but it also wasn’t too difficult to track down a good deal either. You shouldn’t miss this store when you visit Sannomiya. It’s definitely worth a stop and worth some of your yen.

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

Mandarake Puck 2

Mandarake is a staple of retro fans in Japan. They have some of the rarest books, manga, anime, and toys you’ll ever find in Japan. They also usually have retro video games but depending on the location the inventory can be almost non existent or so expensive as to be not worth your time. The chain is usually only found in big city areas. I’ve only ever seen them in Nagoya, Namba in Osaka, Akihabara in Tokyo, and also in Shinjuku at Nakano Broadway where I believe their headquarters is located. The stores I’ve visited before always seemed to be in one of the two camps I mentioned above, but thankfully I gave the one in Kobe a chance.

The Inventory

I was pretty surprised by the amount of retro games they had in stock at this branch in Sannomiya. In my experience, it is probably second only to the selection they have at the stores in Tokyo. It was much better than both the Nagoya and the Osaka stores. Since Mandarake’s focus is mainly on media though, it will be pretty hard to find hardware here. I didn’t really see any accessories either. In terms of games though they had a lot of Sony and Nintendo products, but their Sega offerings were a little light. The quality of goods they have in stock are pretty good too. I’m guessing there is a pretty high bar people need to pass to be able to trade stuff into them, meaning complete boxes, good quality, as well as games that aren’t overwhelming common like sports titles.

The Pricing

This is what shocked me the most about the Sannomiya Mandarake branch… their prices were actually fair. I was expecting them to be much higher but they were actually pretty competitive. A bit higher than what you’d find at places like Furichi and Ojamakan, but pretty much on point with places like Surugaya. It probably helps that there are A LOT of other retro game stores nearby that most likely keep the prices under control. I had been looking for a copy of the Dracula X Chronicles game for more than a year, but most places I looked were selling it for 7000-8000 yen, with the next cheapest version being about 5600 yen. I had considered picking it up for that price, but I’m glad I waited because I found it at this Mandarake for much less. I’m not surprised that I was able to find it to be honest, but rather because of how cheap I got it for. I never expected Mandarake to beat everyone else on this game, let alone be as cheap as a few other stores in the general vicinity.

Access

To get to the Mandarake Puck 2 store, head to the 2nd floor in the San Plaza building. If you find a map for the San Plaza building, look for store number 5. It’s one of the bigger stores on that floor, and you can’t really miss the red color of the shelves and the rest of the store.

The Verdict

The game selection they have at this Mandarake is great, but not really having much in the way of hardware and accessories hurts the selection score. You won’t find amazing deals here, but it will definitely be competitive in price against the other stores in Sannomiya. I’d go as far as to rank it my 3rd favorite store in Kobe after the Ojamakan and Surugaya branches there. You’ll find games in great condition here usually too since the chain seems to focus on that more than others.

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

Axe: Store Of Collection Goods

The last place I found in the Sun Plaza complex on my trip to Kobe was Axe: Store of Collection Goods. It was a pretty eclectic place and I felt like half of the time I was just looking at somebody’s private collection in a poorly put together gaming museum, and other times I felt like it was an oversize flea market booth. To describe it as chaotic would be an understatement.

The Selection

There were some shelves with games that were sale, and some shelves that just seemed to be filled with odds and ends of gaming history. I had never seen a power glove up close, nor a Sega Mark III or a Sharp PC. There weren’t really any prices on those types of goods, but seeing one of the Sharp Super Famicom TVs in good condition was neat, as well as other retro tech like 20+ year old PCs. Famicom and Super Famicom games seem to make up the bulk of the stock at this store, as well as Playstation 2 games. Everything else just seems to be scattered around the store. It’s doubtful you’re going to find anything worth buying at this store, but it’s still neat to stop in and check out. Seeing all the random game console boxes all around the tops of the shelves was pretty cool too.

The Pricing

While this store showed off a lot of cool stuff, there weren’t really prices on a lot of it. Most of the Nintendo stuff was priced pretty well, as well as the Playstation software, but anything that had value seemed to be priced at the upper end of the spectrum. This Mother 3 GBA Micro seemed ridiculously expensive to be honest. I did see a couple things I was interested in buying actually, but they were loose and pretty old so I was wondering about the quality. If I ever go back to Kobe I might pick them up though.

Access

I struggled to find the store on the San Plaza/Center Plaza/ West Plaza website but trust me it’s there. If you look at the website for the 3rd floor of the West Plaza building you’ll see that some of the numbers are missing from the floor guide. If you can find a map guide on the 3rd floor of the West building, head towards store number 6 and you SHOULD be at the store (or close to it). It’s on the same floor as the Furuichi if that helps.

The Verdict

This is another store that is just there and is more of a curiosity than a must visit. If you went as far as the 3rd floor of the west building to check out the Furuichi there, you might as well look for this one too. The prices honestly weren’t that bad, but their inventory was pretty small and you’d have to get lucky to find what you are looking for. I kinda lucked out that one of the games I wanted was there (and it did seem like they had replaced the battery too which is nice).

• Selection: 2.5/5
• Pricing: 3.5/5
• Ease of Access: 5/5

Why you should visit Sannomiya’s Center and San Plaza

While there were some disappointing stores in the area, there were enough really good ones to make this place well worth the trip. Not only Ojamakan, Mandarake, and Game 4 Dimension are worth your time, but the Surugaya I talked about before is also a good place to visit. This is honestly a haven for nerds in Kobe, especially if you like anime goods and trading cards like Magic the Gathering or Pokemon. As a retro gamer, I could spend a few hours there, but if I was into all of those other things I wouldn’t be surprised to spend a whole day there. Sannomiya station is great, and it should be on every retro game hunter’s itinerary in Japan.

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