MANGA! ANIME!
VIDEO GAMES!
This page is gonna be a mess for about a week or two until I finally
update it.
I just finally scanned all the post office data. Take a look
at it, below...
I've had so many requests for Mugen no Jyuunin
and BLAME!, as well as other manga, lately that my wife and I have decided
to start up a little business- "Little" in the sense that we'll hardly
be making any money from the sales (maybe 5-10 dollars for any small-medium
sized order). It's so easy for us to get ahold of Manga, Anime and
Video Games that people have been asking us about that are impossible to
get overseas (I've looked, believe me, and my promise still goes that if
you find an internet site that delivers then I'll write their address here
in big, flashing letters). Anyway, I'll update this page with specifics
in the next week or so. If there's anything you want, let me know,
and we'll work something out. Beware though- as you'll see when I
scan the postal guide and put it up here- the rate for overseas deliveries,
especially guaranteed deliveries, is quite expensive. For example,
the Mugen no Jyunin set (8 books) weighs in at 20g short of 2kg, and comes
to 2800 yen noncertified, 4000 yen certified (EMS) shipping. And
that's ONLY shipping!
Stay tuned or let me know if you're interested!
Oh, here's some things that might interest you
(new releases, etc):
Anime:
All of Hao Miyazaki's works came down to 3500
yen each. That's Nausica, Laputa, Mononoke Hime, etc.
Manga:
Nothing new per se. I can find about anything
you're looking for, as long as it's not too eclectic.
The Mugen no Jyuunin postcard set is 1000 yen
though, and it isn't limited edition- you can order it anytime it looks
like.
Playstation Games-
My wife and I got a Playstation for our wedding
from my fellow teachers at school. Here's some new stuff that will
work on your American Playstation if you use the swap trick, buy a MOD
chip, or use another PSX adapter:
Final Fantasy 8 - It's been out for a week.
The graphics and story are better than the last, although you still have
to look forward to about 90% of the game consisting of mindless (although
beautifully rendered) combat.
Tenchu 2- This is the sequel to one of the best
games (if not THE best) for the PSX- Tenchu Stealth Assasins (the 3-D 3rd
person ninja stealth adventure game). Tenchu 2 is called "Shinobi Gaiden"
(Ninja side-story) and apparently features a special mode where you can
design your own levels! This comes out next week and I dare say will
be the only PSX game that I'm planning on buying as soon as it comes out!
Aside from this, there's the limitless pool of
time-sucking RPGs that have beautiful stories and graphics but will make
you about as productive as an eggplant. Anything you've heard of
is already out in Japan.
I can get other games, too, but I don't know if
Sega Dreamcast or N64 games will work on American consoles or not.
Also, I can get Japanese Computer Games, too. But I wouldn't bother,
because they are outrageously expensive and generally suck. The Japanese
rule the earth when it comes to making console games, but I have yet to
see a Japanese computer game that can compete with Electronic Arts or Interplay...
Postal...
I'd rather watch Xanadu than break the bad news of postal rates in Japan.
Fortunately, no video store around here carries roller disco movies of
the 70's, so I'll just tell it to you straight up: Postal rates suck.
Here's proof, scanned from a flier given to me by a postal clerk:
First, there's "Small Packet". This is how much it costs, in yen,
to send stuff "unguaranteed"- if it gets lost, it's lost and there's nothing
you can do. It doesn't often get lost, though: I've sent 4
orders, not to mention about 12 Christmas presents through Small Packet
and it's been fine. As you can see, this only goes up to 2kg.
2kg is roughly 8 manga (like Mugen no Jyuunin-sized)- after 2kg you're
in a new category. Oh, Asia is the left column, America and Europe
is the middle column, and Africa and South America is the right column.
Imagine that 1 dollar is about 100 yen.
weight 
Asia 
Americas 
Europe 
S.
America/Africa
Next, there's EMS. EMS gives you a form so that the package can be
tracked in case it gets lost- iow the post office takes responsibility
if it doesn't arrive and will cover up to 20,000 yen in loss. When
the package arrives over there, you have to sign for it- they won't just
leave it at your door. In other words, this is Safety Mail.
It's more expensive than small packet, but it's absolutely guaranteed,
and the weight range is higher.
Finally, there's SEA MAIL. This flier had a lot of charts, and
my Kanji is still kinda fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure this is the chart for
sea mail (the right column- top is 1kg, the bottom of the chart is 20kg).
Sea mail is the equivalent of tying your box to a jellyfish and giving
it a big push. The package will get definately get there. In
about 2 months. 2 months is a long wait, but it's worth it if you're
thinking of shipping a lot...
Anyway, you interested? EMAIL me!
Manji@sunfield.ne.jp