PaigeFTW: The Gamer’s Trip to Japan
The Gamer’s Trip to Japan
Japan is the motherland of modern video games, in many ways. As such, it’s an ideal travel destination for gaming enthusiasts of all stripes. This week, I’d like to share a little bit of real talk about my own vacation experiences there.
- Akihabara is the gamer’s mecca, right?
You’ve heard that one before, at least. It’s not untrue, though I would argue that Akihabara is more enjoyable when you’re also very into anime and manga. Still, multi-story arcades (and game shops) line the streets, so whether you’re into Pokken or crane machines, you’ll be busy.
- Pokemon Centers are everywhere.
No, I’m not talking about the Pokemon Expo Gym that opened in Osaka last month, but the official Pokemon shops that are all over Japan. You’ll find at least one in every major city, where you’ll be able to buy all the classy Pokemon T-shirts and keychains and lunchboxes that you like. There’s some seriously nice, high-quality stuff here.
- Themed dining is the best (kind of).
Japan loves its themed cafes, so if you’ve been just dying to drink a Phoenix Down, well, you can! The chief hallmark of most cafes is that the food is kind of expensive and generally not amazing, but on the other hand, you can eat Pikachu-shaped pancakes if you play your cards right, so I think the tradeoff is perfectly fine.
- Video games are expensive.
Finding actual video games in Japan will not be difficult. But the pricing is definitely going to be different than what you see in America. Games that you would pay only $40-$60 in America are going for $70-$80 in Japan. Same game! Same amount of content! No extra stuff. But it’s $20 more.
- I hope you don’t like Xbox.
No, seriously, no one in Japan likes the Xbox. Any of the Xboxes. The rumors are not exaggerations. I hope you like Sony and Nintendo.
