Buying a keyboard from Japan

ilezia · 24 Apr 2013, 19:49

I've been looking for a compact mechanical keyboard for a while now. It would be my first one so I'm a novice in the subject. I've posted on the marketplace a couple of times but with no luck so far. Then I realised that I'm going on a holiday to Japan very soon and felt a bit stupid having not thought about buying one from there!

The keyboards I've been interested in for now have been the Noppoo Choc Mini, KBC Poker and KBT Pure 60%, with MX Brown switches. This has mainly been a budget thing as my absolute maximum is £100. However, even this is a bit painful for me in my current financial situation, so I've taken my time looking for a used keyboard. Now I'm hoping I can expand my range and possibly find a bargain from Japan, considering I wont have to deal with postage, customs etc.

So I'm asking you for tips in shopping for a keyboard in Japan. I know keyboards from Leopold and PFU are easier to find in Japan but are there any other brands I should be looking out for? The HHKB is interesting but I think it's still outside my budget.

Akihabara obviously seems like the place to go and I've found some tips to start form bigger shops like Yodobashi Camera. Yodobashi has a website as well which has made comparing prices easier. From the keyboards they sell I've at least found out that Filco Tenkeyless would be within my budget range (~11,000 JPY or ~80GBP). However, they don't stock that many different mechanical keyboard manufacturers.

Am I better off looking in smaller stores? Will I find cheaper prices? I'm still interested in keyboards like the Noppoo Choc Mini if I can find a real bargain compared to Europe prices.

I would appreciate any tips and help you could give me!

Muirium · 24 Apr 2013, 20:10

Sounds like you've got the right idea. Someone posted a picture of a whole shelf of HHKBs here once, taken inside a branch of Yodobashi if I recall. They're definitely worth a visit. And if you have the time, try small shops first: as Yodobashi's prices are a known quantity to beat.

Just looking at their web store is giving me all the HHKB goodness I could possibly want. This one plus the carrying case cost ¥22,550 = £150 for instance, a full sixty quid less than at Smart Imports.

Don't fancy being our man in Japan do you? Serious danger of a group buy!

ilezia · 24 Apr 2013, 22:13

Muirium wrote:Sounds like you've got the right idea. Someone posted a picture of a whole shelf of HHKBs here once, taken inside a branch of Yodobashi if I recall. They're definitely worth a visit. And if you have the time, try small shops first: as Yodobashi's prices are a known quantity to beat.

Just looking at their web store is giving me all the HHKB goodness I could possibly want. This one
plus the carrying case cost ¥22,550 = £150 for instance, a full sixty quid less than at Smart Imports.

Don't fancy being our man in Japan do you? Serious danger of a group buy!

Hehe, unfortunately Tokyo is my first destination after which I will be travelling around the country for two weeks. I wont be going with a massive suit case so unfortunately group buy is probably impossible. If it's something small (smaller than HHKB haha) then maybe!

Muirium · 24 Apr 2013, 22:25

Smaller than an HHKB? Now that's going to be tricky!

Jmneuv · 24 Apr 2013, 22:51

Focus on food when in japan, just saying

HaaTa · 24 Apr 2013, 23:18

I'll be going to Japan (next week) for few months. And lived there for a while a few years back.

Other than Akihabara (and places like Cleverly), your best bet is places like Yodobashi Camera which have whole sections of keyboards in each of their stores. There are a bunch of places in Akihabara but I've heard that a few of my favourite stops for keyboards have closed (like T-Zone).

ilezia · 25 Apr 2013, 00:05

Jmneuv wrote:Focus on food when in japan, just saying

Trust me I will. It was top #1 criteria for me when deciding the destination haha

hasu · 25 Apr 2013, 17:05

You can use kakaku.com to find the cheapest price of the goods. These prices are of online shop not real store price, but it'll still useful to know proper price of the product in Japan. If you'll stay in Japan for several days and the online shop accepts your hotel address as shipping destination you can buy it at cheapest price.

http://kakaku.com/pc/keyboard/itemlist.aspx?pdf_ma=436
http://kakaku.com/pc/keyboard/itemlist.aspx?pdf_ma=438

ilezia · 25 Apr 2013, 20:03

hasu wrote:You can use kakaku.com to find the cheapest price of the goods. These prices are of online shop not real store price, but it'll still useful to know proper price of the product in Japan. If you'll stay in Japan for several days and the online shop accepts your hotel address as shipping destination you can buy it at cheapest price.

http://kakaku.com/pc/keyboard/itemlist.aspx?pdf_ma=436
http://kakaku.com/pc/keyboard/itemlist.aspx?pdf_ma=438

Thank you, very helpful!

I'm a little surprised I can't find any Noppoos anywhere. Even though it's a Chinese brand I kinda expected there would be some. Maybe I will find some in the actual stores.

Looks like I'm gearing towards a Filco Majestouch Tenkeyless though!

fruktstund · 26 Apr 2013, 02:32

Saw a KBC Poker X in a store here in Hiroshima a couple of days ago, so some Chinese stuff is definitely available here. Can't remember seeing any Noppoos somewhere though.

By the way, something that's also possible, and might be a good idea, is ordering from Amazon to a convenience store (Lawson and Family Mart only I think). This is great if Amazon has the best price and you for some reason can't or don't want to send your stuff to your hotel.
Don't know about the shipping cost when doing this, but it shouldn't be much (if anything).

HybridCore · 27 Apr 2013, 04:16

Cleverly Keyboard Shop is where I bought my Filco Majestouch Black. They have a fairly wide selection of keyboards (more than Yodabashi Akihabara I believe).

http://mymapofjapan.com/spot.php?id=k3ad5v

Yodabashi Camera I believe is the one at Shinjuku Station and IIRC there were no mechanical keyboards (or maybe I just never happened to find them) but they do have a bunch of respectable headphones you can listen to (only a few of them are in a listening booth). I remember seeing the AKG K701 and Sennheiser HD600 in the listening booth.

Muirium · 27 Apr 2013, 09:38

Yodabashi is a chain, so presumably some are better with keyboards than others.

But you're right about Cleverly Keyboard. Looks worth taking a holiday to in its own right!

The only time I've seen even remotely as impressive an array of keyboards was back in the mid 1990s at long defunct ESCOM in Edinburgh. They had a nice branch in fancy Charlotte Square with a good selection of peripherals out on show for customers to try, for a change. Striking! When it comes to good stuff, most retailers here are distinctly hands off! I pined after a nice contoured mouse they had, with a heavy wood shell. Hey, it was 1995 or 1996.

The strategy did not quite work out for them. Pity. Every keyboard or mouse of note I've seen sold here since is shrink wrapped and cast behind an evil spell called restocking fee.

Man, I've got to see Japan someday. It's like they have every one of my niche obsessions accounted for. And, uh, plenty more besides.

fruktstund · 27 Apr 2013, 11:48

Sadly enough, I think Cleverly Keyboard closed a couple of years ago. I might be wrong, but at least that's what I've heard.

Also, if I recall correctly, the Yodobashi store in Akihabara had the best selection of keyboards. (Feels like I've been to all Yodobashi stores in Japan soon...)

Well, anyway, if you're looking for keyboards, just go to Akihabara for one or two days and look through all computer related stores. Some of the Sofmap stores have a quite alright selection, but otherwise there are a lot of smaller shops where you might find what you're looking for. Last year, I was specifically searching for the white HHKB Pro-2, which almost no store had for sale, but then I got lucky and found it in a small shop on a small street after about half a day of searching.

002 · 27 Apr 2013, 12:12

'twas only last year unfortunately

http://www.itmedia.co.jp/pcuser/article ... ws109.html

I went there once in 2010 and it was awesome.

ilezia · 21 May 2013, 11:54

Little update:

Japan was fantastic on all levels. Had the rail pass and did a nice figure of 8 route through central Japan. Cities visited: Tokyo, Nikko, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama and Kamakura. Food was so amazing everywhere with sushi at the Tsukiji fish market taking the top spot. I don't know if it's gotten much better in recent years (when comparing to general comments I got before going) but going around with just English knowledge is easy. All train tickets were printed in English, all train stations have English signs and maps for central areas and all most likely relevant areas you want to visit have English signs. I found that generally most people knew at least some English to help you around, and people were super friendly.

Regarding the keyboard, I went around Akihabara randomly looking for shops but in the end ended up at the Yodobashi. They did have a nice selection, pretty much everything that's on their website as well. Ended up walking away with a Filco 87 key tenkeyless with Cherry MX Red. To be honest I was a little surprised I ended up with these switches but after trying everything out I thought they felt best to me! The only better feeling was the HHKB but as I said earlier it was a bit too expensive for me.

Also as a general note, I heard so much about people saying how expensive Japan is but it really isn't. Of course it's relative but for a Finnish person currently living in London I can say that both Finland and the UK are more expensive in pretty much all aspects (well I can't say about rent/other living costs).

Do you yourself a favour and go to Japan, it's amazing!

matt3o · 21 May 2013, 12:04

I've been there in 2001 and had some troubles with language. All maps were in kanjii and nobody were speaking English (not even at the train station). People are super friendly though, so it was easy after all. I'd like to go back to Japan with wife one of these days.

Grond · 21 May 2013, 12:39

I would have gotten a bluetooth filco! I wonder if it's ever going to be released in Europe.

Muirium · 21 May 2013, 12:45

Japan is right at the top of my someday maybe list. As in someday I'll maybe give everyone the slip and get out there for a good while!

I'd add Osaka, Nagoya and Ise on Honshu – I'm into Japanese history and could easily spend the whole time in just Nara or Kyoto alone – and try to visit the other major islands too. Then pack as many HHKBs and HiPros into my luggage as I can possibly squeeze through airport security.

I've a feeling the six months and spending money I'd need out there are what's putting me off. Oh, and you're quite right about the cost of living being no worse than Western Europe. I think the people who complain are used to the "excluding tax, excluding tip" culture of American listed pricing.

matt3o · 21 May 2013, 12:59

I have two fun stories about Japan and language barriers.

When I was there I went to a ramen shop and naively asked for a cup of ramen (it was Jan and freaking cold). The cook asked me in Japanese something like "what kind of ramen". I panicked for a second then I remembered a cartoon I was looking when I was a child

This was it:

The name of that creature was "Tamagon" and I remembered that Tamago means Egg, so I tried "Tamago Ramen", the cook laughed and prepared the best ramen I've ever had

Second story in sushi restaurant. There was a big fish tank behind the cook with all sort of fish. I wanted to try cat fish but I didn't know how to say cat fish in japanese so I pointed a cat fish in the tank. I didn't want that one, the cook had a lot of already prepared fish in front of him, but he took a net, caught the fish and prepared the freshest sushi I've ever had.

Aahh I miss Japan.

Muirium · 21 May 2013, 15:22

Oh yeah, about your keyboard! Reds are pretty sweet, aren't they? My second favourite of the usual Cherry suspects closely after blue. The Filco was a sound choice. You did perfectly respectably with a £100 budget.

vivalarevolución · 21 May 2013, 17:09

Missed out on the microTron. Forget budgets.

whitecitadel · 20 May 2014, 10:19

Ahhh, Japan.

Its been nearly 9 years since I went (WOW! feels like a year or two), and I still get episodes of that damn tuen from Bic Camera in my head BIC-a-BIC-a-BIC-BICA-BIC-CAMERA arggghhhh

I recommend to keep going west if your leaving Tokyo and leave plenty of time for Kyoto and Nara but keep going down to Kummamto and stop at Hiroshima on the way.

No problem travelling in engrlish with lonely planet dictionary and a pleasant smile