violentsnake wrote:then taking the bullet train to Osaka where I'll spend 2-4 days.
Just thought I'd give a few recommendations for you if you're looking for Kojima stuff in Den Den Town (Nipponbashi). It took me a few days to find some of the rarer stuff, but if I knew where too look, I could have saved some time-
Den Den Town
"Den Den Town", or "Nipponbashi", if you prefer, is Osaka's equivalent of Akihabara. Though it's very famous as a place to buy rare games and Anime merchandise, it's actually a place for dedicated collectors of many different goods. There's many electronic stores, record stores, and toy stores, all selling very desirable rare goods at surprisingly competitive prices. If you're not looking for anything in particular, you could end up with a lot of shopping. Through being less famous than Akihabara, Den Den Town is less of a tourist destination, and the threat of competition from other like-minded Gaijin is not as high. Though there are other, more fashionable places in town to buy this kind of stuff, the prices and variety in Nipponbashi make them a far-less appealing option. Den Den Town can be found near Namba,
A-too
This is my favourite place to go in Den Den Town. A-too is a national chain of stores that sell second-hand goods, but typically, the Den Den Town branch is full of rare games. Most of the gaming stuff can be found on the first-floor. There are large sections of the store dedicated to each console, including a huge PlayStation section. I think the fifth floor also contains a large selection of old Japanese PC games (which is easily overlooked, as they're on the adult floor). The selection can be quite overwhelming, but the staff are very friendly and helpful. If you're looking for a rare game and can't find it, ask the staff, as it's probably just hidden away somewhere. The place is open much later than most in Den Den Town, so it's a good place to go when places are starting to close for the night. A-too is on the main street of Den Den Town, and is easily recognisable for its large, yellow shop-front.
Game Tanteidan
I didn't find out the name of this place until I'd left Osaka, as the name was in Kana. Me and my friend nicknamed it "The screenshot shop", as the walls and floors of the shop are plastered with screenshots of many 8-BIT and 16-BIT games (including Snatcher, if you look for it). Though a little more expensive than some places, Game Tanteidan is probably your best choice for MSX games. There is also a surprisingly good selection of Virtual Boy games. There's a nice selection of large oddities in the glass cabinets, which I doubt anyone will ever buy, but they're certainly interesting. Game Tanteidan can be recognised by the green and black shop-front and (if I remember correctly) the selection of playable consoles sitting outside.
Big Tiger
This place is overlooked by many, as it's not strictly in Den Den Town, but it's very close. It can be found on the way to the popular "Shinsaibashi" shopping street, next to Namba Parks. Though the first-floor is a fairly standard place, selling current and last-gen games, the second-floor sells an impressive variety of Neo Geo AES, 3DO and boxed Famicom games at surprisingly low prices. I found a mint condition 3DO version of Policenauts here selling for 300 yen. This place is highly recommended, as no-one really knows about it. There is also another Big Tiger store on the main street of Den Den Town, but it's not quite as exciting. You can find some rare consoles there (including a Hanshin Tigers-branded Gamecube which I would have bought if I had more space).
Discpier
Though you could easily ignore this place for being a Tower Records or HMV style electronics store, but it's a good place to go for game guides and some poorer-selling last-gen games. This place isn't a high priority, but a good alternative if you're looking for a Japanese PS2 game and can't find it anywhere else. The prices seem to be based on each games popularity, rather than their scarcity, which is another reason why this place is worth going to. It can be found on the main street at a corner of a junction. It's on the opposite side from some of the more hardcore places (A-too, Game Tanteidan, etc.).
Sofmap
This is one of the most popular places in Den Den Town, and possibly your best option for current-gen games. Unlike many places in Den Den Town, Sofmap doesn't focus of second-hand games, but there is a floor for them, which has a lot of rare big-box versions of games (Including several Kojima Premium Packs). Sofmap can be found on the street parallel to the main street of Den Den Town (behind the A-too/Game Tanteidan side), and often has people cosplaying as maids outside. There is another Sofmap in Den Den Town, which could trick you into thinking I made a crap recommendation, as it focuses on PC hardware. Avoid that one.
Mandarake
Mandarake isn't much of a place to go for games, as it focusses mainly on Anime merchandise, but you can find a small selection of very good condition games in the glass cases. I probably wouldn't note this place, but it's where I bought my boxed copy of MetalGear 2: Solid Snake, so it's worth having a quick look to see what's in. You can also find some gaming Action Figures and Art Books here, so take your time. Mandarake is on the main street, and very noticeable for its Red and Yellow shop front. It has entrances on both sides.
Super Potato
Possibly a little over-rated, but still a nice place, nonetheless. The shop is often incredibly crowded, but you can find a good selection of games here. Super Potato probably has the best selection of Mega Drive games in Den Den Town, but you have to push yourself past some of the most claustrophobic areas of the place to get there. There's no strong focus on any speciffic console or generation here, but it's a good shop nonetheless. The second-hand console cage is worth your attention here, too.
Other recommendations
Though I've covered most of the best games shops in Den Den Town, I also feel that it's worth mentioning some other places. "Capsule Toy-Shop Super Position" is a great place for old Gashapon sets, including the MetalGear Solid 2 ones. Joshin also sells newer gaming Action-Figures. All of the second-hand record shops are fantastic, and every one of them is worth your attention if you're into obscure bootlegs and rare vinyl (there's a few of them in America Mura on the opposite side of Shinsaibashi, too). I also love "Jungle" which is a bizarre shop that looks like a converted garage, and based on the selection of incredibly cool horror and wrestling-themed T-Shirts, could have came straight out of a Grasshopper Manufacture game. Shinsaibashi is also highly recommended for its arcades, restaurants and bars, making it a great place to go with friends. Namba Parks is worth going to, just to be stunned by the look of the place, though the shops aren't particularly interesting. Going further afoot, Umeda is worth going to if you want to see some cleaner and more expensive-looking shops (including the fantastic Yodobashi Camera). Abeno-ku is a nice mix of Umeda and Namba, containing huge shopping malls of mom and pop businesses, which is good if you want to pick up some cheap souvenirs. You shouldn't really be following this guide by the letter, as discovery is what makes Osaka so much fun. Oh, and another thing: don't be disgusted by the crazy homeless people in Den Den Town; some of their quirks are fascinating (some guys walk about with tin cans attached to their heads with elastic bands, and the intricate multi-story cardboard boxes they build each night are wonderful).