Hello! (And about buying a riichi-set in Tokyo)

[Roxo]

Hey everybody!

I\'m a really fresh mahjong and reach player from Stockholm, Sweden. I have a really hard time finding a Riichi set, which I desperately want, that won\'t cost me as much in Shipping and Handling as the set itself.

But! Now I have the fortune of having one of my friends go to Japan next monday and he might be able to bring at least a set back. =)

The question is where can he find a physical store in Tokyo, preferably Ikebukuro or Asakusa \'cause that\'s where he is staying?
I\'ve kind of set my sights on a Sango set seems like good quality for the money and although I\'ve read a lot of good things about the Take set, the \"jewels\" put me of. Not pleasing to the eye, at least not for me.

He also passes through Kyoto and Osaka if anyone knows of stores there.

Oh I almost forgot how much would a Sango set and a Junkmat go for in a Store?


Thanks in advance
/Martin

[Tom Sloper]

where can he find a physical store in Tokyo

Okuno Karuta, FAQ 7m - http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/wheret.htm

[Greedence]

Or he can go to one of those donkey - shops that are around all over the place. they are selling everything there and also richii sets. Its not high class but solide and costs around 40-50 Euros there

[Johnstonjamese]

Hi Roxo, welcome to the forums.

I had the same opinion about the jewel sets, not for me. The sango set is very solid, and though i\'ve never seen them in the stores, some websites offer very good deals on a sango / junk mat set. How is your japanese? I can try to do a bit of research for you if you want.

How long is your friend in Japan for? I think the don quote sets are about 4000 yen, the same price as the far superior sango set. Plus, if you buy a junk mat in the store, they usually run an additional 4000 yen >.<. A stupid price. Then again, it\'s been years since I stepped inside that store so i\'m not sure what new products they offer. I do know the last time I went they had both Hokuto no Ken mahjong sets, as well as hello kitty mahjong sets too haha.

[Roxo]

Thanks everyone for the fast answers!

He\'s there for 3 weeks. Hopefully he finds something =) Otherwise I\'m planning on going there in 2011 så not that long a wait.

[Barticle]

Welcome Roxo! :)

I expect that any major city will have proper game shops with extensive ranges but if you want to check out Don Quixote outlets here\'s an English list...

http://www.donki.com/shop/index_en.php?lang=en&shopid=

And here\'s their insanely catchy song! B)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM3t2ie6Yzc

I guess either you want to make sure in advance that your friend is fully briefed with the specifications you require or you need to train them to be able to recognise the key features so they can report back and you can make your choice.

Incidentally Daja in the Netherlands usually stock a couple of Japanese sets including the 3/4\'s transparent Akagi Washizu set. Shipping charges within Europe might be more reasonable? (They quoted me E15.50 earlier in the year.)

http://www.dajamahjong.nl/contents/en-uk/d16.html

[Gamegrunt]

Great tune, Barticle! Played it twice before heading off to school, er, work.

Gg

[Barticle]

The model of the Shinjuku district of Tokyo in the Yakuza video-game series includes a branch of Donki* - actually it\'s just around the corner from the virtual mahjong parlour where I learnt to play!

In the game they play a very short section of this song on a loop; it really gets inside your head. My brain even came up with its own special mahjong remix where it replaces \"don-ki\" and \"houte\" with yaku names \"haitei\" and \"houtei\"! :lol:

*In fact, it\'s this one.. B)

http://www.donki.com/c/shop/shop_en.php ... &shopid=29

[hirohurl]

Hi Martin,

If your friend comes to Hiroshima, I\'ll hand him over the goods if you like. We can arrange a Paypal payment without any shipping fees. If he plays mahjong he\'d be welcome to join us for a game on a Friday evening as well!! :-)

[Roxo]

Thanks David! I\'m going to send him a mail to see if he\'s going there. =) I don\'t want him to go too much out of his way to find a mahjong set.

I might see you in 2011 if we decide to go to Hiroshima and maybe we can have a game?

Does anyone know if the Donki stores have JUNK Mats aswell?

[hirohurl]

Hi Roxo,

Sure, if you come to Hiroshima, get in touch and we\'d welcome you to our Friday night 3-Player session and/or arrange some other games if time permits.

Cheers!

David H

[Benjamin]

If you\'re just looking for a decent set and mat, the place to go is Donki. Anywhere else and you will pay significantly too much.

[Roxo]

My friend said he found a Set in a Yodobashi Camera store, does anyone know if they are overpriced? Don\'t know if he found a mat there aswell

If we go to Hiroshima I will surely contact you David =)

[Roxo]

A quick update!

My friend managed to find a mahjong set in tokyo that he bought for me! ^^ yay!

I have no idea what set it is, he said it was a little expensive but hey, I\'m getting a set especially brought home to me from japan! That\'s awsome!

He also bought me a deck of hanafuda cards which I\'ve hooked my girlfriend on. She addictively play at gamedesign.jp so it\'s going to be fun to be able to play together. =)

That\'s all for my happy ramblings for now.

[Barticle]

My friend managed to find a mahjong set in tokyo that he bought for me! ^^ yay!

Good to hear he found one for you. :) We will await your review!

He also bought me a deck of hanafuda cards which I\'ve hooked my girlfriend on. She addictively play at gamedesign.jp so it\'s going to be fun to be able to play together. =)

As with their mahjong game, that\'s a great option for playing in English for free.

If you\'re interested in a portable gaming option, you can play Koi-Koi in the Nintendo DS compendium Clubhouse Games (a.k.a. 42 All-Time Classics). I\'ve recently published a little guide for it.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/game/933040.html