Oh, we're far from done. I'll have to wait until Christmas is over to continue. We have a big family thing today. Merry Christmas everyone!
Merry Christmas Mike. We are also hosting friends and family today so I can wait for the rest of the story.
Hope everyone had a nice holiday. We get back on the train (groan) and continue our journey. Continuing our walk down the SAME isle we now see Kato. Just as bad!!!! Like the rest, I needed multiple shots to capture it all. Here's the beginning half. And here's the second half. Here's a close up shot of the Kato Shinkansens as I was contemplating picking up a set to go home with me. At the risk of being a broken record...my goodness, look at those bookcases!!!! I mean, see something you like? Just pull one off the shelf. They are such enablers!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! REMEMBER, THIS IS ALL N-SCALE! And if you are part of the affluent (LOL!!!!) and don't want to deal with plastic, there's always brass. Some seem a bit on the higher priced side, for example, the top right steamer is about $730. But I'm sure you are getting Japanese quality! But back to earth... If you don't want to buy an entire train set in a bookcase you can buy locomotives. The 1:1 train system in Japan is almost all electric so almost all of their locos are of the electric type. And this is how they display them. Again, I needed two shots to capture it all. At first I thought those were empty boxes that you take to the counter and they go to the back to get you the real locomotives. NOPE! Each box has a loco in it! This is like buying a can of soup at the supermarket. I'm just amazed that these things don't sprout legs and walk out of the store. It's the culture, it's the culture... Left side: Right side:
We were in a similar predicament. We went with just carry-on luggage as the Japanese hotels (not western chains like Marriott or Hilton) we were staying in had laundry and many were free. We went Business Class. On the return we were on standby for Business Class. With Business Class, checked luggage is free, otherwise $75 each. I was waiting for the e-mail that we were upgraded. Had that happened we would go to Yodobashi and get their cheapest checked luggage, put all our clothing in that, yielding two relatively empty carry-on's. It never happened. I was thoroughly annoyed. Why can't it be the reverse though that would have been very dangerous money wise.
Sorry folks for being AWOL! I have been "out of it" these past few days. The holidays have taken a toll on me and now comes the crashing down. Anyway, back to Super Kids Land! So far, if you still haven't found anything of interest, you can go over to the next aisle and take a look at the European(?) locomotives. And not to be prejudiced against the US, there is the assortment of Kato USA locomotives. If you do the currency conversion you'll find that the prices of these are not that much different than prices here. It seems Kato USA is an entire subsidy so no discounts. But you can avail yourself of the 10% discount if you flash a passport. Since US trains are not that popular in Japan it seems everything is in stock and not "sold out of this run". The same goes for Micro-Trains rolling stock. 10% discount if you flash a passport but no real price differences from US prices. Again, you might find stuff here that are no longer available or hard to find in the US. And when you get to the end of the aisle, here is something for you bus aficionados. If you can't pick out a favorite amongst this bunch, there's no hope for you! Super Kids Land also caters to the DIY'ers and tinkerers. I think we all know the Kato Powered Units available for $20 or so that you can build your own critters. Well, apparently Tomix has tons more than Kato! Pick a few and you can make your own fleet of critters! And GreenMax has their own but these never make it to the US because nobody imports them. Another one of those "can't get it here but available in Japan" situation.
@MK do you have a higher res photo of the Euro locomotives? I clicked over but Yes, those are Euro models. I little fuzzy but I think I can make out Fleischmann on the tags for the steam locos in the upper left corner.
This is the largest that my hosting company allows. I can e-mail you the original which has far higher resolution. Let's see if this is better for you...
Thanks but unless you or someone else is curious then I think we are good. I recognize most everything there. Bottom shelf I am not 100%. The prices seem inline (maybe a slight discount) to what I'd have to pay from a dealer here in North America. Sorry I geek out on the Euro stuff. I started collecting because at the time (~2000) North American steam was severely lacking unless one was ok with Bachmann which I was not. Those Fleischmann and modern Trix run so smooth much like a Kato and the detail is outstanding especially the valve gear. Kato actually makes some Euro items too for a company called Hobby Train. I'm thinking that may be part of what is on the bottom shelf.
Freddy, don't forget those prices have their 10% VAT added. So if you were there like I was, flash your passport and it's an immediate 10% off. And if you use VISA, an additional 5% off. It adds up. (Plus no shipping but you do have to fly to Japan. )
I can start an entire thread like this but for food and it will be just as long! I have pictures! How about a pork tenderloin complete dinner set for $15?????
Oh my that looks good. My wife cooks a lot from a Japanese cookbook and that pork dish in your pic looks similar to one she does for both pork and chicken (oyakodon). Miso soup in the lower right?
Not engaging in one-upmanship, but for you seafood lovers, how about sea bream, tuna and yellowtail sashimi, miso soup, two salads, pieces of rolled omelet, rice, pickles, and large Asahi "Super Dry" at a small neighborhood restaurant in Takayama for under $20? Train content: how about the JR Central Limited Express Hida somewhere between Takayama and Nagoya, HC85 Hybrid DMU, the Prius of Japanese passenger trains? This makes tremendous sense for mountain routes, significantly faster than the older diesel DMUs, the diesel runs at a fixed speed and is nearly inaudible, plus the train routinely pulls into and out of stations on battery alone.
Yes it was. The Ramen was excellent (another restuarant) and only $8. My wife and I paid $25 for a complete dinner!
