Category: Travel

Ancient Robot Games

We’ll sneak out of Japan for this post and journey to Edinburgh, Scotland, where I had the pleasure to visit the wonderful game shop Ancient Robot Games. Opened in 2023, it’s a wonderful mix of cafe and shop.
Exterior side of Ancient Robot Games. Large glass windows with shelves of games.

I knew I was in for something special the minute I saw the window display, and confirmed it when I stepped into and saw the giant robot painting on the back wall. The front of the shop focuses on board games and gaming space, with wonderful natural lighting from large windows.

The center and left of the store is dedicated to board and card games for sale, with trading cards near the till at the back of the shop, along with a coffee maker. The right hand of the shop was the play space with multiple tables and a comprehensive game library. Hot drinks and pastries were available at very reasonable prices.

Photo of the store from a gaming table. Games for sale on the left and a game being played in the center. Store shirts are hanging above. Continue reading Ancient Robot Games

Cafe Subbox

Storefront with white calls and blue highlights.
I almost walked by the store at night, but the meeples told me I was at the right place.

I was in Nagano a while back and stopped by a small board game store and cafe called Cafe Subbox. It’s about a 12 minute walk from the station and 20 minute from the gates of Zenkoji. Easy to miss from the outside, the inside is has a warm, welcoming vibe. There was a family playing a board game at the table near the door, and the owner was behind the counter. They had a sale going on, and a nice selection of games for sale as well as play in the store.

View of the shop from the entry. A narrow entry leads to space that widens with more tables and shelves of games.
View from the entry way. A family was playing a board game to the right of the photo.

Continue reading Cafe Subbox