Going to Tokyo, Any advice?

[dmar]

Hi guys and gals,
I lurk around the boards a bit, and was wondering a couple things:

I'm going to Tokyo in 1 month's time. Just a few days layover on my way to San Francisco. I wanted to know if anyone can suggest some places to go, and how to get there. I definitely want to get to an electronics market, and try to pick up some IBM exclusives (if any). On another note, if anyone has something special that they really need, tell me, I'll see if I can accomodate.

[tfflivemb2]

You might want to keep your eye out for some Thinkpad S30's. I have heard that since they were only released over there, that they are much cheaper there. You might be able to make some money out of it. There are several potential buyers here.

[JHEM]

Dmar,

While there are several electronic markets to visit in Tokyo, don't go there in anticipation of grabbing a bunch of Thinkpad exclusives at a cheap price.

Most Thinkpad accessories and Thinkpad related items can be purchased cheaper after you arrive in San Francsco.

Regards,

James

[dmar]

Thanks tfflivemb2 and James.

I'll keep your suggestions in mind. If possible, do you or anyone else on the board have a recommendation of where to go in Akihabara, North Tokyo? I've been surfing the web, and that looks like the bullseye. However, it's a real large district with plenty of hit/miss shops.

I'm hoping for a specific recommendation of a shop/vendor where I might be able to shop with some confidence? Or conversely, where to stay away from. Please keep in mind that the Japanese language will be my limitation, so maybe that severely hampers my expedition?

[dmar]

tfflivemb2,

on a side note on that s30. I'm currently in China (near Hong Kong for business), and I put out some feelers for the s30's. I didn't know much about the specs, so not sure if there's a tremendous difference between the Japan and Hong Kong versions? In my research, it looks like there was a production run for Hong Kong.

Anyways, I got a couple hits using some local e-tailers, and the electronics market here. The ones I'm looking at in China don't have the piano finish. (Was the piano finish optional?) I'll try to get some personal time behind these china units, to see if they're the real deal in the next week or two.

I'm not too suspicious of the fake stuff here, b/c the Lenovo/IBM (yes, same place as when IBM was making them) manufacturing plant is just a few blocks away from the office. Which leads me to believe there's lots of legit stuff floating around.

I'll try to report back with my findings if I get the time.