Question about Arcades in Japan

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Raiden_R-13
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Question about Arcades in Japan

Post by Raiden_R-13 »

I'm new here and just wanted to ask a quick question since i've got it on my mind.

I'll be going to Kyoto Prefecture Japan next June and i was wondering if there are any Shmup arcades in Kyoto or any that are easy to get to from that general area.

I'm mostly looking to play older games like Batsugun, R-Type Leo and Gradius IV, IREM, Konami and Toaplan stuff. Also some racing games like Virtua Racing or Chase H.Q. stuff of that sort.

This will be my very first adventure outside of the US so i want to plan it accordingly, it would also be great to meet some new friends there who enjoy shmups too!

Thanks guys! :)
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beatsgo
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Re: Question about Arcades in Japan

Post by beatsgo »

Unfortunately the only arcade I know in the area that has any type of shmup scene is a-cho, go there at night. Might want to go through Google Maps and check the near by cities like Osaka, Otsu or Nara which may have others gems in the area. Daytime though Kyoto is a pretty cool place with the surrounding mountainous region. Really enjoyed my stay over compared to Toukyo.
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rancor
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Re: Question about Arcades in Japan

Post by rancor »

Not sure exactly where you'll be, but here's the STG / arcade wiki for Kyoto:

https://www19.atwiki.jp/karishooterwiki/pages/98.html

a-cho is listed, and it looks like they've got a selection that rivals most anything in Tokyo. :shock:
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plasticxo
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Re: Question about Arcades in Japan

Post by plasticxo »

rancor wrote: a-cho is listed, and it looks like they've got a selection that rivals most anything in Tokyo. :shock:
They don't have as many cabinets as they have games, but you can easily ask them to change one.
PC Engine Fan X!
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Re: Question about Arcades in Japan

Post by PC Engine Fan X! »

For Raiden_R-13,

Riding the Japanese bullet train is quite an experience not to be missed indeed, especially on the way to downtown Kyoto. You might want to request a non-smoking (bullet train) car if you're bothered by cigarette smoke from the general public.

Be sure to check out the awesome six story Namco Wonder Tower game center in Kyoto (you'll ride the escalator to the next gaming floor in grand style + no climbing the stairs either!). The fifth floor has nothing but private music recording booths (if you're into that type of thing). The sixth floor has a Gamest speciality video game store worth visiting/milling about. I tried using an American credit card there (at the Gamest store at the very top floor of Namco Wonder Tower) but the female cashier made a big "X" sign gesture with her hands/arms and handed me a paper brochure to go to the international ATM kiosk and conduct my CC transaction that way. So that same day, I went down to that particular international ATM kiosk area that had a Cirrus logo (Mastercard) and proceeded to do a 20,000 yen cash withdrawl with my CC (which came out to about $224 + some change that my CC company tacked on due to conversion fees from the dollar to yen exchange rate, misc. fees and whatnot). (The current exchange rate was trading at 118 yen to the dollar at that current point in time.) So the next day, proceeded back to Gamest at the top of Namco Wonder Tower and bought the same items that I wanted to pay for (on the previous day). Well worth the trouble and effort in doing so.

Protip: My suggestion to take all the American cash and get it converted in Japanese yen at the international currency exchange booth at any major airport before your international flight departs to Japan (trust me, it'll save you a lot trouble and heartache down the road). It'll be a major problem/hassle trying to get your current monetary funds converted into Japanese yen while in Japan, especially on the first day there (I encountered that very same situation myself and it was not a fun thing to have to deal with anyways).

Protip: It's just returning to the USA from Japan, if you come back with any souvenirs, during mid-flight you'll be asked to write down what you bought & how much you paid for it. Upon arriving at the U.S. customs checkpoint at the airport, you'll be asked if all the items you bought are for your personal use or if it's for business use. Answer that all those items are for your personal use only (and you won't have to pay the hefty custom duty taxes if said items are declared for business use instead). Just make sure that all bought items are brand new, sealed and unopened so that the U.S. customs officer can check the luggage carrying said items without too much hassle.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
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NTSC-J
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Re: Question about Arcades in Japan

Post by NTSC-J »

PC Engine Fan X! wrote:Be sure to check out the awesome six story Namco Wonder Tower game center in Kyoto (you'll ride the escalator to the next gaming floor in grand style + no climbing the stairs either!). The fifth floor has nothing but private music recording booths (if you're into that type of thing). The sixth floor has a Gamest speciality video game store worth visiting/milling about. I tried using an American credit card there (at the Gamest store at the very top floor of Namco Wonder Tower) but the female cashier made a big "X" sign gesture with her hands/arms and handed me a paper brochure to go to the international ATM kiosk and conduct my CC transaction that way. So that same day, I went down to that particular international ATM kiosk area that had a Cirrus logo (Mastercard) and proceeded to do a 20,000 yen cash withdrawl with my CC (which came out to about $224 + some change that my CC company tacked on due to conversion fees from the dollar to yen exchange rate, misc. fees and whatnot). (The current exchange rate was trading at 118 yen to the dollar at that current point in time.) So the next day, proceeded back to Gamest at the top of Namco Wonder Tower and bought the same items that I wanted to pay for (on the previous day). Well worth the trouble and effort in doing so.
As soon as I saw the part about the Gamest specialty shop, I thought no way in hell that place is around anymore.

Sure enough, the Namco Wonder Tower closed five years ago.
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