If you spent any part of your childhood playing video games, you’ll have a huge silly grin on your face when you step into Super Potato. We paid the legendary spud a visit last month with our friends OkanoTV and Charles (who made a very cool video about it.)
Occupying the 3rd to 5th floors of an inconspicuous, narrow office building on a back street in Akihabara, Super Potato doesn’t jump out at you with large, brightly lit signage like most other stores here.
But don’t let the modest exterior fool you – inside is a veritable treasure trove of childhood nostalgia. Each of the three floors takes you back to a different period in gaming history, from the NES to today’s Playstations.
Super Potato stocks used original consoles and game cartridges, toys, licensed merchandise, t-shirts, posters, and even original Game & Watches. Chances are, if you’re looking for something, say, a Nintendo 64 in excellent condition, you’ll find it here.
The prices are reasonable too. Of course, if the item is rare and in good condition, expect to pay more, but it never gets silly.
You can find some absolute gems walking through the rows of narrow isles here – an original Gameboy, an all metal Mario pocket watch (too cool!) and even a copy of Goldeneye N64 mint in box.
There’s also a mini arcade on the 5th floor with classics like Street Fighter 2 and Golden Axe, right next to a retro snack store offering Japanese kids classics like umaibo and “cigarette” candy sticks.
You could easily spend a couple of hours here slowly taking in all the interesting things on each floor, but if you’re in a hurry, you can probably walk though the whole shop in under 30 minutes.
Just around the corner from Super Potato is the giant black Mandarake building, so you can plan your route accordingly and hit both places in one go.
No pilgrimage to Akihabara is ever complete without a visit to Super Potato. Even if you don’t end up buying anything, it’s a delightful trip that will bring back many fond childhood memories.
WOW
“I love the buzz at Super Potato – the crowds of excited people really add to the atmosphere. But if that’s not your thing and you want to browse at a more leisurely pace, try their branch in Ikebukuro. It’s a lot less hectic, especially on weekdays.”
INFO
Address
3F-5F Kitabayashi Building, 1-11-2, Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Get there
Akihabara Station (JR Yamanote, Hibiya subway lines)
Phone
03 5289 9933
Hours
11.00am – 8.00pm Weekdays
10.00am – 8.00pm Weekends and Public Holidays
Website
www.superpotato.com
Map
Comments
Loading…