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Rank: Beyond The Box
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Hi All,
I’m looking for model shops in Tokyo. Any help would be welcome.
Regards
Ken
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Rank: Beyond The Box
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Joined: 7/14/2009
Posts: 76
Points: 231
Location: Dublin
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Hi All I found one web page with some info to model shops in Tokyo. http://tokyo-hobby-shops.geraet040.net/ Does anyone have any info of aircraft museums or other model shops in Tokyo? Regards Ken
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Rank: Can't see the modelling bench
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13 02 12 Hiya. When Tomoko and I were there a few years ago, I looked for an aircraft museam in Tokyo, but I don't think there are any. You'll need to go outside the city. We did find one and it's worth a look but you'll have to take a train to get there. This is the museam that backs onto an airforce base. I think it's a training squadron beacuse while Tomoko and I were there there were four or five Kawasaki T-4's doing circuits and touch-and-goes. There's an observation area built onto one of the museam's buildings so that you can watch and snop photos ( as a number of visitors were doing.) There is also an incredible model display of all the tyes the JASDF have flown. I think ( but not sure) it's in 1/48 scake or bigger. Yes, that includes the military versions of the civil aviation types and tankers they fly. Plenty of model shops in Tokyo, there best of which are in the Agihabra district ( total mis-spelling but the famous electrical goods district.) There is a really excellent shop down a sidestreet opposite a McDonalds. It's narrow, but go upstairs and you are in plastic model heaven. Ironically, Tomoko is in Japan at the moment and I don't know when she'll call home again (certainly later this week) so I'll ask her when she calls for the street details and how to get there by train. Are you going to Japan? Also, that museam I mentioned? I wrote an article about it for our very first club mag. I'm sure someone might have a copy. Liam
Mesa called Jar-Jar Binks. Mesa your humble servant. I don't know. Mesa day startin pretty okee-day with a brisky morning munchy, then BOOM! Mesa gettin' very very scared!  I am the Rules Police. It's better than being the Thought Police.
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Rank: Can't see the modelling bench
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13 02 2012 I followed that link you posted for the model shops. The shop I was talking about ( next to the McDonalds) is Leonard Akihabara . Really excellent! Again, it'll not seem like much on the ground floor but there's a lift squeesed into corner - only big enough for two people at a time). Take the lift up to the next floor. Doors open to plastic heaven. Floor to ceiling kits of all kinds. The Japansese manufactured stuff should be cheaper than if you bought them here. The European stuff will retail over there for about the same as a Hasegawa kit will retail here ( ie, a Revell kit will be about €20.00 or more dearer once you do the currency conversion). There's a toy shop further down the street ( I think! you turn right on the main street as you come out of Leonards). Bear in mind that although most of these retail premises are multi-story, sometimes each floor is a different buisness and sometimes it's the SAME company but with different 'genre' on each floor. I can't remember the name of this toy story but the ground floor has die-cast ( or somkething), the next floor is anime figures and so on. Plastic models are on the third or fourth floor. It's small but nice stuff, modern stock. Liam
Mesa called Jar-Jar Binks. Mesa your humble servant. I don't know. Mesa day startin pretty okee-day with a brisky morning munchy, then BOOM! Mesa gettin' very very scared! I am the Rules Police. It's better than being the Thought Police.
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Rank: Can't see the modelling bench
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Location: Shannon, Co.Clare, Ireland
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13 02 12 Actually, looking at the link again, Miniature Park may be the tiny side-street shop, sorry about that. I got into both stores as they are both close to McDonalds. Sorry for the confusion. Liam
Mesa called Jar-Jar Binks. Mesa your humble servant. I don't know. Mesa day startin pretty okee-day with a brisky morning munchy, then BOOM! Mesa gettin' very very scared! I am the Rules Police. It's better than being the Thought Police.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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I never went to tokyo but went to osaka for a wedding once and could not find a shop anywhere even with an address... My japanese was restricted to crash course travel book of numbers, yes and no, excuse me and thank you... There is so much to see and do and so many things packed in it is just hard to find anything... and not being able to read most of the signs was dis-orienting getting on and off crowded trains... wish I had the gps iphone then, there are probably so many amazing models to find there... Have fun and practice your chop sticks...
Steve
Sometimes Preparing For The Hobby Is "The Hobby"
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Rank: Can't see the modelling bench
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Location: Shannon, Co.Clare, Ireland
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13 02 2012 Also look into getting a JR Railpass. It gives unlimited travel on all JR lines, including the Bullet Train. Good for tourists and native Japanese returning home on holiday. Can cover periods of 7 days, 14 days and (I think) 28 days and can be bought in the tourist advise centre downstairs at Narita Airport. You might have to book it online before you go though. You can also rent mobile phones and they can be picked up at the Narita Airport in the arrivals hall. Not al lWestern mobiles will work on the Japanese networks. Check with your service provider and they should be able to advise u. Again, it has to be booked in advance. Liam
Mesa called Jar-Jar Binks. Mesa your humble servant. I don't know. Mesa day startin pretty okee-day with a brisky morning munchy, then BOOM! Mesa gettin' very very scared! I am the Rules Police. It's better than being the Thought Police.
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Rank: Beyond The Box
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Location: Dublin
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Hi Lian and Steve
Thank you for your help. I'm going in June, I know it may not be the best time of year. We are going to fly Emirates via Dubai.
You have given me some good ideas and info. I was thinking it was going to be a little dis-orienting getting around, so the gps would be a good idea. And Liam I forgot that they have a different mobile phone network in Japan. I'll have a look on google maps and the link for the model shops you are talking about. I was looking at the Yellow Submarine, it looks like they would have some of the stuff I'm after (1/144 jet&props). Now I have to get Greyce to pick what hotel she wants, then I can plan how to get to the shops and what else I can do. Liam I have a copy of the News letter with your trip to Japan, I printed it off to read it.
Thanks
Ken
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Rank: Advanced Member
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If you have an iphone 4 or newer the gps should work anywhere even if the phone and data don't... That is what I do here in ireland, load up the area I am going then follow the blue dot to the red dot or screen shot the areas I load up and save in pictures... Apparently I am a nobody in ireland (imagine that... haha) and can't seem to get a sim based iphone without buying one for a ton of money and paying a big deposit...
steve
Sometimes Preparing For The Hobby Is "The Hobby"
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Rank: New Member
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Note to do with an aircraft museum but there is an excellent ship museum in Tokyo harbor with civil ships.I am building 4 of the ship SOYA models, that is one of the ships there. Type in www.funenokagakukan.or.jp you should find more information, possibly a virtual tour video, & a map showing directions for getting there. The museum puts out a very interesting 48 page book on the ship with lots of pictures in it. It is all in Japanese unfortunately. I would dearly like to have an English translation. Carl T
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I just went on the underlined site above to check if it worked. On the column at the left, The top square shows some of the ships in the museum at a distance. The 2nd square down shows a map of the area of the museum. In the whats new section there are pictures of various parts of the museum. The bottom one there shows the cover picture of the book I mentioned earlier. Carl T
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Rank: Beyond The Box
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Joined: 7/14/2009
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Hi Carl.
Welcome to the group.
Thank you for the info on the ship museum in Tokyo. It looks interesting, I will try and pay it a visit.
Ken
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