Advise on what to buy while in Japan

[Kkxzd]

I've been interested in model trains for many years but never bought a single train for different reasons. Now i'm on vacations in Japan, went to some hobby shops and I think now its a road with no return :)

 

Unfortunatelly I couldn't research a lot about what I should get over here and don't have much time to do it, but I definitelly want to seize the oportunity to do so. Primarily I'd like to get things that make sense to get over here either because it's not available overseas (living in the US right now) or because it's a huge cost saving to do so.

 

I'm primarily interested in the shinkansen, at least initially, like trams too. I was thinking maybe getting a starter kit and some additional things, but not sure what these should be. Should I concentrate in getting tracks, additional trains/cars, buildings, electronics, maybe spares?

 

I was also thinking about Kato due to better compatibility with DCC, in which I'm particularily interested, so if there is equipment needed for that, and it makes sense to buy it here maybe I should get that.

 

What about something that I may not be thinking about now but will likely want in the future and may be hard to get? Some specific japanese train model or so.

 

Anyway, I know that it's a fairly open question, but I'd appreciate any pointers.

[HantuBlauLOL]

Cheap used trains that still runs perfectly. Get as many as possible.

 

Firstly you should buy a starter set though..

[katoftw]

buying retail in japan is more expensive than buying online and having it shipped.

 

the big box track sets that cost a mint to ship might be worth getting in japan.

 

controller with heavy transformers etc that add to shipping cost.

 

as for trains.  without you knowing what you want.  we cannot advise you on those.  buy whatever you see and you like.

[Kabutoni]

buying retail in japan is more expensive than buying online and having it shipped.

That is not true, as it depends on where you buy your stuff. Yes, if you're not willing to look beyond your own point of view, the full retail and tax is expensive. However shops like TamTam offer a standard 30% discount on rolling stock, as well as regular 20% discounts on other things.

[railsquid]

Yeah, hard to imagine overseas purchases being cheaper :blink: 
 

What about something that I may not be thinking about now but will likely want in the future and may be hard to get? Some specific japanese train model or so.

 

 

 

Get a Kato or Tomix catalogue and open it to a random page and get whatever you see?

[katoftw]

I'm gonna chalk that one up to "Lost in translation."  I'll change the wording.

 

If you buy full price in Japan, it will cost more than buying it online (as online seller offer discount) and having it shipped (shipping is peanuts in cost).

 

If you go to the mentioned places like Tam Tam, would will get a greater discount.  I couldn't find much to my liking in the Akihabara store when I was last there.  But that was me being picky trying to find specific models. 

[railsquid]

The only places which sell at the full price are the manufacturers' shops. TamTam is good because they give the full 30% discount, other places like Yodobashi and Imon usually do 20% + 10% as "points", which mean you have to get their point card (easy enough to do on the spot) and carefully plan purchases to make sure you use all the points.

 

Admittedly overseas purchases probably don't include the 8% sales tax, but as a tourist you should be able to get that refunded anyway.

[miyakoji]

Railsquid, you've written several posts about various shops around Tokyo. I was interested to read these, and I'd suggest that Kkxzd have a look through them in the Suppliers/'Hobby Shops - Where are they?' subsection. If you were to choose one shop in greater Tokyo, maybe weighted for large selection over lowest prices, which would it be?

[HantuBlauLOL]

How much is the EMS cost to southeast Asian countries? For a complete tomytec set (including a train set, motor unit, trailer wheels, pantograph, and couplers) or simply a locomotive

[railsquid]

Railsquid, you've written several posts about various shops around Tokyo. I was interested to read these, and I'd suggest that Kkxzd have a look through them in the Suppliers/'Hobby Shops - Where are they?' subsection. If you were to choose one shop in greater Tokyo, maybe weighted for large selection over lowest prices, which would it be?

 

Well if in Tokyo, TamTam and Yodobashi in Akihabara would be good choices for combination of price, selection and tourist-friendliness. Not sure how well equipped TamTam is to do tax refunds.

[Kkxzd]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I should have clarified that thestore I was in was tamtam in akihabara, and yes, prices seemed to be much better than whats online, even before the 30% discount. They do not do tax free shopping thou. But to be honest I didn't know if this price difference extended to the whole line of things or it was just what I sampled. I was also at yodobashi and prices were good comparing to online, but didn't know there was an additional discount.

 

Very interesting the used trains shops, although it mightprove difficult since I have no reference on whats a good price. I'll definitelly check it out.

 

Also interested in the big box of tracks, is there any specific interesting product codes that you would recommend?

[railsquid]

TamTam has a general 30% discount. Note that TamTam prices do *not* include sales tax.

 

Yodobashi prices include sales tax. To get the 10% point discount, you'll need to sign up for a "point card"; they'll probably want an address in Japan, just give the one where you're staying. When you buy something, show the card; they'll put 10% of the price you pay as "points" on the card, and will be shown on the receipt (ask the staff to show you where). You can use those on your next purchase (hmm, there might be a restriction meaning you need to wait until the next day for your first purchase using points, it's been a while). Probably the most efficient way to use them is to make enough purchases so that the points will cover one item you want to buy.

[railsquid]

Very interesting the used trains shops, although it mightprove difficult since I have no reference on whats a good price. I'll definitelly check it out.

 

To be honest, 2nd-hand prices aren't spectacularly better than new, though you can find the odd bargain. Unless there's something specific you're looking for, brand new might be the better choice.

 

Another thing: most shops will test any motorized stock you buy; Yodobashi doesn't unless you ask.

[JR 500系]

Please allow me to feedback a few ideas of what I think:

 

Let the others have mentioned, Tam Tam seems to offer 30% off retail which is good, and they also have 2nd hand goods. Then there is Hobby Land Pochi and Popondetta. Popondetta seems to have quite a large range of used train sets, which is good if you are looking for a train set that is particularly off the market (discontinued) and 2nd hand seems t be the only way to get them.

 

Also, Box sets are good since you can unpack the box and bring back the items yourself, which a lot of online retailers are not willing to. Some good starter sets with 30% off give good value for a controller and tracks and a 3-4 car train which you like. I especially like the E259 Marine Odoriko which is only available as a starter box set, and is planning to get it if I can find it at 30%.

 

Lastly, books are also good to get in Japan, as they cost ALOT to ship back due to their weight. The 3 main brands catalogues are a good source for information, and also colourful and beautiful to look at. Then there are many other magazines that show how to make dioramas and personalisation and such which might be very interesting. I personally like reading and looking at the catalogues as they look really nice!

 

Hoped that helps! Cheers and have fun in Japan!

[Kamome]

Hey Kkxzd

 

I know what its like when you're blinded by a huge choice of track, scenery, trains from just one of the manufacturers. When I first started out, I wanted to collect all of the Kato shinkansens as that's where my fascination lied. I started with the Kato E4 Max starter set which was great to start with but got dull quickly watching it going around a small single track loop. 6 years on there are still some outstanding Shinkansens from Kato that I haven't picked up. This was due to other models taking my fancy and shifting my interest into other areas of Japanese railways.

 

If you have the time, have you thought about going to the Kato centre? You will pay the full list price if you buy anything here but you will be faced with huge glass cabinets filled with their range of trains etc..  This may inspire you as to where to start, or make you wish you had won the lottery.

 

When you know what you want to buy, I would go to Tam Tam first as it always tends to be one of the cheapest places.

 

I visit Japan once a year and tend to pick up stuff I know I would have difficulty finding in the UK. Generally the modern stuff, especially Shinkansens tend to be readily available to buy here in the UK, although often twice the price. The older JNR stock tends to be less common so this is usually what I buy while I'm there.

 

The reality is, there will always be stuff that will be difficult to find or hasn't been manufactured for a while. It took my 3 years before I had a full 15 car consist of the Fuji Blue Train and I've only just managed to complete my M250 Super Rail Cargo with the missing 8 car set. I missed the E655 Nagomi the first time round but got it 18 months later with the imperial car. These are just the Kato models. Welcome to the bitter-sweet world of modelling Japanese railways. There is still a vast amount of rolling stock I would happily purchase in one go, if I had the cash. Everything I have bought over the years has enhanced the hobby for me.

 

I still run that original E4 Max and its still one of my favourite shinkansens. Whatever you buy to start you off, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

[Kabutoni]

If you're willing to go to shows or special sales events like Hobbyland Pochi does from time to time, you can even pick up 2nd hand sets for crazy low prices. I, for instance picked up a 10-car Sōtetsu 11000 Series set from Tomix for ¥10,000 on a sales event. Good runner and no noticeable scratches or whatever.

 

Anyway, take a look around on the real tracks and maybe you spot something you like and want to have. If you don't stray from the major lines and companies, there is bound to be a model of it.

[NuclearErick]

If you're willing to go to shows or special sales events like Hobbyland Pochi does from time to time, you can even pick up 2nd hand sets for crazy low prices. I, for instance picked up a 10-car Sōtetsu 11000 Series set from Tomix for ¥10,000 on a sales event. Good runner and no noticeable scratches or whatever.

 

Anyway, take a look around on the real tracks and maybe you spot something you like and want to have. If you don't stray from the major lines and companies, there is bound to be a model of it.

 

Speaking of Hobbyland Pochi next Sat and Sun (11 and 12) huge sales near of Nagoya station if you are in this region i strong recommend at least to check 2ndº hand goods

[Kkxzd]

Unfortunatelly I'll be back and won't be in Japan by that date.

Thanks again everyone for the recommendations. I bought a starter kit for the shinkansen 0, and an additional shinkansen 500, although I couldn't find the additional 4 cars to make an 8 car set, hope I find it before leaving. Additionally I bought some additional tracks to create something a bit more interesting.

 

Regarding prices, I was surprised that for most kato "variation" track sets, it was usually cheaper to buy the individual components than the set itself, so I went that way.

 

Tam tam and yodobashi camera had similar prices, with yodobashi usually a bit higher but prices include tax, so in the end I'd say prices were the same or better at yodobashi. For the series 0 shinkansen set, the price was about the same at both places, and after taking off taxes and an additional 6% for paying with visa I ended up paying 80 usd (9500 yen) at yodobashi, which seems to be a good price from what I see online.

 

Writing this on the E7 on the new Kagayaki service to Kanazawa :)

[JR 500系]

Hi Kkxzd:

 

Regarding the 0 series starter set, I reckon you bought the Kato set like this: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10269907

 

Hence the add on sets are as follows:

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10269902

Kato 10-1133 (4 car add on)

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10026072

Kato 10-454 (8 car add on)

 

And the Kato 500 series starter set should be this? http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10049696

 

hence the add-on sets are as follows:

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10049767

Kat0 10-511 (4 car add on)

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10049768

Kato 10-512 (8 car add on)

 

Simply ask or look for these model numbers at hobby shops for them.

 

Envy on the E7 journey! Some pictures would be nice ~  :)

[Kkxzd]

Those are exactly the models I was looking for, unfortunatelly, 10-511 was not available in tam tam or yodobashi, will try other places tomorrow.

 

I wonder what most people do regarding completing the trains and if I might regret it in the future if I just bought the basic set for each train instead of investing in the full 16 car set. On the other hand, I don't know if I will be hooked with the hobby and it seems like a significant investment to buy full trains right now. I wanted to maybe buy 8 car trains, which are valid configurations in terms on how these operated.

[katoftw]

Yeah I wouldn't be worried about add on sets just yet.  That is money you can spend on tracks and other fun.

[jrcrunch]

how do you get the 30off discount from tamtam. went there multiple times but there is no sign. compared prices. it is cheaper at yodobashi than tamtam

[railsquid]

There are signs, they say "all prices are 30% off manufacturer's RRP" (in Japanese).

[katoftw]

TamTam dont show a 30% discount.  They just price as 30% off.

[velotrain]

 (shipping is peanuts in cost).

 

Probably more true for Australia than Europe or the U.S.