When hunting for rare Japanese exclusives, limited-edition controllers, accessories and consoles, or those big, pricey holy grails to stand shining as the centrepiece of your collection, you might be surprised to learn that there are even more types of tasty little treasures waiting to be found in the Japanese second-hand market - some that even the most hardcore collectors may overlook!
Poking out of bargain bins, tucked away in music and media stores, and sometimes floating around on eBay or Mercari (which, by the way, ZenMarket can help you with if you need assistance ordering from Japan), here's a list of the smaller, slightly more niche categories of collectibles can make fantastic additions to your collection - and in some cases, may even hold rare content tied to some of your favourite titles and series!
Taikenban (Playable Demos)
Taikenban discs are Japanese playable demos or trial version discs. Many can be picked up for next to nothing, and they often come bundled with bonus items such as maps and posters that were only ever included in these sleeves. For the super-nerdy among us, the appeal of beta and early-release content is huge. Think old Gran Turismo demos with region-specific cars, cardboard sleeves featuring pre-release screenshots, or in-demo areas and features that never made it into the final version of a game.
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Those who are into video game archiving and preservation, take note - there’s almost certainly undiscovered content hidden on some of these discs, or at the very least material that has slipped under the radar and isn’t widely known within the fanbase of certain games. Taikenban may well be the unsung essential category for true retro collectors.
Also Read: Retro and Modern Gaming Consoles that Support Japanese Gaming Controllers
Video Game Guides / Walkthroughs
In Japan, even many of the smaller games and series out there have had a surprising amount of official and licensed third-party material released to accompany them. One of the most abundant formats of these are video game guides and walkthrough books.
Some of the pleasure of digging through these older guides is spotting discrepancies and mismatched information, unearthing secrets about titles you thought you knew so well.
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As is the case with the aforementioned Taikenban, one of the coolest things about these guides is the extra maps and posters often tucked inside. Little oddities and materials that take you way back nostalgia wise but often show you something new.
In addition to nostalgia trips and collectability, game guides are also a great way to practice your Japanese reading skills. Racing games, sci-fi titles, and even Western-inspired RPGs often feature a lot of katakana, making them surprisingly accessible - a fun, affordable, and useful foothold for language practice.
Video Game Soundtrack CDs
Video game music is big in Japan. While the West has begun to more widely celebrate video games as an art form in recent years—with major awards and recognition for game music—Japan has been celebrating it for decades. Some composers and musicians associated with gaming music hold legendary status, with live performances of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest scores drawing huge crowds.
While CDs may be considered an obsolete format, there’s still something special about owning a physical album. Many come packaged with extra artwork, posters, and other goodies, often housed in elaborate and attractive presentation boxes or cases, making them especially appealing to collectors. And unlike DVDs or Blu-rays, CDs have no region lock, so you can play them anywhere.
If you fancy beautifully arranged soundtracks from your beloved series of choice, why not use ZenMarket to assist you? Albums from Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, the Tales of series, and many more often feature orchestral or alternate versions of iconic tracks, further elevating their value as both music and collectible items.
Console Memory Card Collections
Cheaper than most games, highly portable, juggle-able, and surprisingly fun to collect, memory cards are a neat little addition to any collection.
Japan has an abundance of these little plastic nuggets of joy across platforms such as the Nintendo GameCube, SEGA Dreamcast, and even the Sega Saturn. But the biggest variety by far is found with the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. These came in all sorts of colours, shapes, and even sizes - especially once you venture into the wacky world of third-party offerings.
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These little time capsules occasionally contain save files from previous owners, and it’s always fun to peek into a window of what people were pouring tens, if not hundreds, of hours into a quarter of a century ago. Maybe they were just before the final boss in Devil May Cry 3 and just couldn't crack it, or on the brink of 100% completing Kingdom Hearts II?
Alongside official special-edition cards, it wasn’t uncommon to find PS1 memory cards with limited-edition stickers adhered to them – which were often included in magazines or bundled with new games back in the day. Stumbling across a clean card with a glossy Metal Gear Solid, Biohazard, or even Derby Stallion sticker always hits right in the nostalgia.
Standouts among PlayStation 2 memory cards include the sleek white Gran Turismo cards, the Wild Arms editions, and the banana-yellow Saru Getchu (Ape Escape) card. Picks from the the third-party options may include—HORI’s shiny pearl-effect cards, which are still fairly easy to find and look downright classy.
Also Read: 10 must own nes games any fan must own
Pre-order Exclusives
Japan has a long tradition of offering special bonus items for video game pre-orders - a practice that continues today with extras such as posters, keyrings, and even acrylic display boards in the case of titles like the Suikoden I & II remasters and the recent Japanese-themed horror release Silent Hill f.
One example is the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Premium Edition, which included a metal ID card as a pre-order exclusive from the Tsutaya chain of book stores and media shops in Japan. While relatively niche, it’s the sort of detail that makes exploring Japanese editions so rewarding, revealing the unexpected variety of bonuses that have accompanied major releases over the years.
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Thanks to the care Japanese collectors generally take with their possessions, many of these items still appear on the second-hand market in excellent condition - often bundled with the original game and frequently at attractive prices.
Whatever treasures you’re hunting for in Japan, Zenmarket can help you discover, buy, and get them delivered with ease.
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