Retro Game Road Maps: The Odakyu Odawara Line (Tokyo and Kanagawa)
There are a lot of good train lines in Japan with a variety of stores that sell retro games, and today we are heading back to the Kanto area to talk about the Odakyu Odawara line. The Odawara line is one of Odayku’s lines that starts in western Tokyo at Shinjuku station and takes you all the way to Odawara in western Kanagawa. There are a number of stations that you can stop at with multiple stores, and while some are close, others will be quite a walk. While I will be sure to link to any stores I’ve already talked about on my blog, pictures of other ones (if available) will be on my Instagram account if you are interested in seeing more.
Shinjuku Station
I’ve been to Shinjuku many, many times but I actually never stopped at the Hard Off and Book Off Plus there so I wouldn’t be able to tell you whether or not they have a good selection or good prices, but given that they are next to one of the busiest train stations in Japan, I would guess that their retro game selection is either non-existent or is expensive just like the other Hard Offs and Book Offs in downtown Tokyo. You can get to the Book Off Plus from the Lumine Exit at JR Shinjuku station, and if you want to go to the Hard Off, it’s actually a few minutes walk from Shinjuku-Sanchome station. If you are staying in Tokyo I would check these stores out just to give yourself an idea of what bad prices look like. Hopefully as you go further from the city, prices will get cheaper.
Mukogaoka-Yuen
After Shinjuku, it will take quite a while to get to the next stop with retro games. There is a regular Book Off a few minutes walk from Mukogaoka-Yuen station, but I never had the chance to go there. It looks like it will be visible from the station, so it should be easy to get to. Whether or not they will have a good selection of games or good prices is a mystery. It looks far enough away to not be affected by the big city prices, but I could be wrong.
Shin-Yurigaoka
Shin-Yurigaoka is another 2 stations away, and it has another Book Off that is right outside of the station. This is another store that I have not visited, and the reason for that is that due to my limited budget and time I mainly focused on larger stores such as the Book Off Pluses and Book Off Super Bazaars. The regular Book Offs were so hit-or-miss in my experience that it didn’t seem worth the effort. At least you won’t spend too much time tracking down the store if you stop here, and you might find a good deal.
Machida
I previously talked about the Machida area on my JR Yokohama line article. The JR line is a little bit closer to the Book Off Super Bazaar in the area, but the Odakyu line is actually a lot closer to the Book Off Plus and Surugaya in the western part of town. This is a great area for game hunting as I said in my other article, so if the rest of the JR line didn’t seem that interesting to you, then you can still visit Machida by taking the Odakyu line too.
(You can read my article about the Book Off Super Bazaar in Machida here)
(You see pictures of the Book Off Plus in the 2nd half of this IG post)
(You can read my article about the Machida Surugaya here)
Sagami-Ono
Sagami-Ono is the first stop outside of Machida, and it has a Book Off that is about a 10 minute walk from the station, but if you just stuffed your bags/car with stuff from Machida, it might not be worth the trip. It’s likely to be a little pricey due to its vicinity to downtown Machida, but you might find that it’s actually kind of affordable too. While the prices at the Super Bazaar in Machida had been going up in 2025, the Book Off Plus near the Surugaya still had decent prices. Maybe you’ll luck out with this store! Be sure to let me know if you check it out.
Odakyu Sagamihara
The Hard Off/Hobby Off in this area is actually relatively new and when I went there in 2025 it was still packed with a lot of games and hardware with good prices. However it was quite a trek to get to. Either Odakyu Sagamihara or Sobudai-mae will get you there, but if you want to take a bus there it’s probably easier to get one from Odakyu Sagamihara station that’s heading to Aeon Mall Zama. I walked from Sobudai-mae, and it took about 20 minutes.
(You can see pictures of the Hard Off/Hobby Off in Sagamigaoka city here)
Zama
There is a Book Off near Zama station, but it seems to be a bit of walk to get to. It is actually a bit closer to Iriya on the JR Sagami line, but if you’re trying to stick to the Odakyu line you should wear comfortable shoes. This was another Book Off I never visited, so you might find some good prices there, or might not! Zama is located near some military bases so it might be picked over, but it could also mean that they get good stuff traded in there from time time. Check it out.
Ebina
Wattman is another chain of stores that carries retro games. Some branches have their own stock of inventory, while others get stock from Surugaya to fill their shelves. The one in Ebina was located in the Marui Department store near the station and had a great selection of games and hardware. Because they source their inventory from Surugaya’s warehouse you can expect to pay prices similar to what you would pay at their own stores, but it did seem like they had sales from time to time at this location. Ebina is a popular location for young people in the western part of Kanagawa prefecture, and there are lot of other shops to check out while there.
(You can see pictures of the Wattman in Ebina here)
Hon-Atsugi
Hon-Atsugi station is another great area in the western part of Kanagawa. There is another Wattman close to the station, and while their selection is smaller than the one in Ebina, it’s still worth checking out. The Book Off Plus in the area had good prices but their inventory was somewhat limited. Being close to the station make it easy to get to though so you should still check it out.
The number one reason to go to Atusgi, however, is to check out Game Station (which is a block from the building where the Book Off Plus is located). Game Station is a local shop that has a great selection of games. The only other stores that come close to it in this area are the Surugaya and Book Off Super Bazaar in Machida. Their prices are around what you’d pay at a Surugaya, but thanks to its distance from the major city centers in Kanto, their inventory was much healthier than the downtown shops I visited. There was a lot of variety and a lot of rarer games that I usually didn’t see sitting on shelves.
(You can read my article about the Book Off Plus and Game Station in Hon Atsugi here)
(You can see pictures of the Wattman in Hon-Atsugi here)
Aikoishida
The Hard off/Hobby off/House Off near Aikoishida station opened up about a year ago. When I went, there was a healthy amount of software and the shelves were full of consoles. I would expect one year onward that they still have a decent inventory of both thanks to being both way outside of the city, and also a 15 minute walk from Aikoishida station. You’ll definitely get your steps in getting to it, but you might just find what you are looking for out there.
(You can check out pictures of the Hard Off/House Off/Hobby Off in the Aikoishida area here)
Isehara
I don’t think I had a chance to stop at the Book Off Plus near Isehara station when I was on my road trip back in 2024, and that’s a shame. I’m guessing it’s because on my initial treasure hunts with my wife, we tended to only stop by the Book Off Super Bazaars and Hard Offs and skipped everything else. Since then I have learned my lesson and will always check out every store in the area for good deals, especially if they are in the countryside (since they usually have good prices). It looks like it’s right down the street from the station, making it pretty easy to get to.
Tsurumaki Onsen
This Hard Off is pretty hard to get to if you are going to walk it from Tsurumakionsen station, but it might not be bad if you take a taxi. I didn’t have a chance to check it out on my trip because my wife only wanted to go to places with clothes she could check out, but judging from the photos they have on the Hard Off app, it seems like they have a decent amount of game consoles. I would guess they have some games too, and Hard Off usually has good retro game prices, so it’s probably worth a visit if you’re in the area.
Shibusawa
There are actually 3 stores in this area you can check out. There is a Book Off (which I didn’t have time to check out when I was on my road trip), a Hard Off, and a Hobby Off/House Off/Garage Off Eco Town. While they are in the Hadano area, all three are a walkable distance from Shibusawa station, with the Book Off being on the way to the Hobby Off. When I went there in 2024, the Hard Off had the best selection in town. Not only did they have a lot of consoles and a decent selection of games, but they also had a bunch of CRTs when I visited as well. A great place for retro gamers, but if you want to get those TVs you better have a car. The Hobby Off had a more limited stock of games, but still enough for a visit.
Hotaruda
There is a Book Off that looks to be less than a 10 minute walk from Hotaruda station, but as I stated before, I don’t usually go out of my way to check out a regular book off unless it is in the vicinity of another, bigger thrift shop that I can check out. While I had a car when I was out in this area last, I pretty much made a bee-line from the Shibusawa area stores to Odawara station and totally passed this location up. It does seem pretty easy to get to though, so if you are making it your goal to full check out this train line then go check it out.
Odawara
So there is actually a Hobby Off/Mode Off not far from the station, but it’s mostly for clothes and figures. There was barely enough there for one shelf of games, and wasn’t really worth checking out if you ask me. Odawara station in of itself is a nice place though. Lots of places to check out, close to Hakone and Atami, and it also has a bullet train station.
So Why the Odakyu Odawara Line?
A lot of people visiting Japan end up staying in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo, which makes it a great starting location for this type of retro game road trip. While the JR lines like the Yamanote are very well known, the Odakyu line isn’t with tourists. Sure people will use it, but I don’t think it’s as heavily traveled by tourists unless they are going to Hakone, and then it’s pretty much a rapid train stopping at just a few places. This means you have a good chance of finding some deals and some well stocked stores, and there is a good chance you can hit up everything on the Odawara Line in one day if you manage your time well. I’m actually surprised by how many stores within walking distance of Odakyu stations there are, and I wish I had made another trip out there to see every other place I missed.
But wait, there’s more!
Do you like this type of content and want to see more? Be sure to let me know by joining me on various social media and dropping me a line. I hope to bring hundreds of articles to this website about not only about my gaming experiences, but also about gaming in Japan, game collecting, and even game stores over here! If you plan to visit and are big into gaming (be it on modern systems or retro ones), be sure to bookmark this website and stop back from time to time for updates.
How to contact me:
- Bluesky: @thejapanhobbyist.bsky.social
- Twitch: TheJapanHobbyist
- Instagram: thejapanhobbyist