Tokyo, Japan

[sw00sh]

I will most likely be going to Tokyo come end Feb. Was wondering if there is any cool racquets there to get and where shall I be looking at if I want to be in decent sport shops that sells lot of tennis stuff.

Thanks.

p/s also if possible to have a match or two in Tokyo at that time of year.
I never been to Tokyo before. First maiden trip. Thanks for any travel tips.

[Power Game]

You can pick up some of the Asian versions of the Wilson line...

[Phil]

Originally Posted by sw00sh

I will most likely be going to Tokyo come end Feb. Was wondering if there is any cool racquets there to get and where shall I be looking at if I want to be in decent sport shops that sells lot of tennis stuff.

Thanks.

p/s also if possible to have a match or two in Tokyo at that time of year.
I never been to Tokyo before. First maiden trip. Thanks for any travel tips.

Nothing "cool" here. As Power Game said, you can find Asian Wilsons (which are lighter), but why would you need to buy them? Also, Bridgestone and some Dunlops that aren't sold in the USA. Overall, nothing to write home about. If you simply enjoy ****ing your money and buying racquets for the heck of it, then knock yourself out. Check out the following:

Victoria Sports (many branches-Shibuya, Shinjuku, Jimbocho, etc.)
Tennis Eddy (Shibuya)
Art Sports, 2nd Floor (Shibuya-accross the street from Tennis Eddy)
Tennis 846 (Shibuya-used and new racquets-nice selection)

If you use a 5/8 grip, you won't find it here-that size is not carried by any of the shops.

[adnankujundzic]

DO NOT GET ANYTHING IN JAPAN!!!!

I came back from Japan less than month ago - man the whole place is one giant rip off. I went into a tennis shop, and was simply amazed by the selection that they carried. Name a racquet from Prince, Wilson, Yonex, Bridgestone, Babolat... and they had it. Heaven for a tennis nerd like me. That was until I checked the prices. MSRP for the racquets is close to double what it is in the US. I remember seeing my Diablo on sale $240, nCode 90 for $290, and PD+ (by far the most popular frame there) for $280. Used racquets were more expencive than the new ones are in America.

If you get a chance, however, try to play tennis on top of the department stores. I played several times on the 7th floor, just 20 minutes on the Chuo line from Shinjuku. You could see for miles from the tennis court. Truly a sight to see.

[Phil]

Originally Posted by adnankujundzic

DO NOT GET ANYTHING IN JAPAN!!!!

I came back from Japan less than month ago - man the whole place is one giant rip off. I went into a tennis shop, and was simply amazed by the selection that they carried. Name a racquet from Prince, Wilson, Yonex, Bridgestone, Babolat... and they had it. Heaven for a tennis nerd like me. That was until I checked the prices. MSRP for the racquets is close to double what it is in the US. I remember seeing my Diablo on sale $240, nCode 90 for $290, and PD+ (by far the most popular frame there) for $280. Used racquets were more expencive than the new ones are in America.

If you get a chance, however, try to play tennis on top of the department stores. I played several times on the 7th floor, just 20 minutes on the Chuo line from Shinjuku. You could see for miles from the tennis court. Truly a sight to see.

Do you remember the name of this department store?

[adnankujundzic]

damn it, I visited it many times but the name escapes me. But it is very famous in Japan. Its logo is a white **** (a dove?) facing left (east). To the left side of the **** is blue, to the right side is red. Again, this is very famous department store in Japan, they are everywhere. I don't know if every one has courts on the top, and also, you will have to schedule court time waaaaaaaay ahead (I scheduled mine 2+ months ahead). If you ever visit some of the smaller places in Japan (by smaller I mean less than 250,000 people), you will be able to get court time easy.

Also watch for racquets people use - I saw 50% PDs, 30% LM Prestige, 10% nSix-One 95 and little of everything else.

[adnankujundzic]

here are few travel tips -
if you don't like mobs of people surrounding you, do NOT visit any famous places in Tokyo - crowds are unberable. Avoid any of many Tokyo downtowns at rush hour - it is crazy beyond belief. Use trains for everything - they are fast and relatively cheap. While everything in Japan is excpencive, you can always find good deals if you know where to look. In my 25 days in japan, I spent less than $500. At the same time, my friend spent well over $1000 in 22 days (we both had a place to sleep). BRING CASH. It is a real pain in the *** when one of the most developed countries in the world has less than 5% of its stores take debit or credit cards. Visit Metropolitan Government Building in Shijuku. It has observatory on the 43th floor and on a nice day you can see for miles around. Much much better than Tokyo Tower IMO (and also free). These are just some basics - they come from my 25 day stay in Japan (10 days of which were in Tokyo). I have many more things I can say, but I don't know what you are interested in.

Hope this helps

[Phil]

Originally Posted by adnankujundzic

damn it, I visited it many times but the name escapes me. But it is very famous in Japan. Its logo is a white **** (a dove?) facing left (east). To the left side of the **** is blue, to the right side is red. Again, this is very famous department store in Japan, they are everywhere. I don't know if every one has courts on the top, and also, you will have to schedule court time waaaaaaaay ahead (I scheduled mine 2+ months ahead). If you ever visit some of the smaller places in Japan (by smaller I mean less than 250,000 people), you will be able to get court time easy.

Can't think of any with a dove logo-see if any of these names jar your memory:

Okayku, Keio, Mitsukoshi, Isetan, Takashimaya, Matsuzakaya, Daimaru, Ginza Matsuya, Sogo, Ito Yokato, Seibu, Tobu, Daiei, Seiyu/Sekyu, Tokyu, Tokyo Hands and Hankyu. That's all the department stores I can think of in Tokyo off the top of my head.

[Swan Song]

The dove logo department store it Ito-Yokado. The operate all the 7-Elevens in Japan.

[Phil]

Originally Posted by Swan Song

The dove logo department store it Ito-Yokado. The operate all the 7-Elevens in Japan.

Those are all over the suburbs-"20 min. from Shinjuku Station" on the Chuo Line could be anywhere-but it's probably West. I'm always looking for new places to play, which is why I asked.

[adnankujundzic]

I just called my girlfriend there and she said it is indeed Ito-Yokado. Chuo line leads west of Shinjuku and the station you need to exit is Musashi-sakai. Ito-Yokado takes 2 buildings. Tennis is played on top of the shorter one, on teh 7th floor. Hope this helps

[Phil]

Exactly what I needed to know, adnankujundzic. Thanks for the info. and thanks also to your girlfriend.

[sw00sh]

thanks guys! you really know lots of about tokyo. i wont be buying those asian version of wilson rackets as they are already available in singapore. i willkeep a lookout for the ito-yokado departmental stores though.

[Aykhan Mammadov]

sw00sh,

Why do you think that tennis equipment in Japan is cheaper than in USA ? Why not to take your racquet with you? I'm sitting here in Azerbaijan far away from USA and buying from TW, not from say European outlets which are much closer. I think tennis is very developed in USA and it has the biggest and so cheapest market in the world.