Part lll: Tool Shops in Japan

[Ronzzr11]

Thanks for all the photos. From one of your other posts, you said to take off the last two digits to get the price in US dollars ,is that right ?

Ron

 

[dutchgray]

At the moment 1$ is about 120 Yen so knocking off the last two digits would be close enough to gauge pricing and would probably allow for shipping as well, if you were to find a seller.

 

[M6erfan]

Wow, that is pretty impressive. Thanks for sharing

Curious about Top branded tools, not too familiar. Are they considered very good quality? I saw a set of their ratcheting combo wrenches on Frank's site and was curious...

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Awesome pictures, thanks for taking the time to share them with us!

Quick question, pink seems to be a very popular color on a lot of these tools; what is the reason behind this? Typically in the US, pink tools are marketed towards women or are a show of support for breast cancer.

 

[mrborohachi]

^Asia doesn't play into the gender color stereotype like we Americans do. If you were to go into a Shoe Store (in asia) in between the mens and womans division of shoes there's a plethora of colored same model shoe that aren't defined as men's or woman's models.

Awesome pictures, thanks for taking the time to share them with us!

Quick question, pink seems to be a very popular color on a lot of these tools; what is the reason behind this? Typically in the US, pink tools are marketed towards women or are a show of support for breast cancer.

 

[bobbycos]

OMG !!!! x 1000

tool **** to the nth degree


regarding a c 130, if I was to go to Japan I would need a C5 or two to bring my stuff back

I'm still wrapping my head aropund the pics especially the KTC ratcheting wrenches

i found the best pic of a C5 to show how much i would bring back from Japan

http://ak.picdn.net/shutterstock/vi...a-galaxy-sea-container-loading-good-audio.jpg

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

^Asia doesn't play into the gender color stereotype like we Americans do. If you were to go into a Shoe Store in between the men and woman division of shoes there's a plethora of colored same model shoe that aren't defined as men's or woman's models.

That's what I figured, I just thought maybe there were industries that used pink as we use orange as a "safety" color.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Wow. Too cool!!

 

[Monte]

awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where is that store located ?????
Who can borrow me 1 million yen ??

 

[Bruce57]

No wasted space in that shop. Thanks for a detailed and interesting post.

 

[Tronyadorable]

Those make US hardware stores look like ToyzRus !

 

[Flash21]

Superautobacs --- MUCH thanks for sharing!! This thread is a just awesome, thank you for taking the time to snap all those pics

 

[superautobacs]

Thanks for all the photos. From one of your other posts, you said to take off the last two digits to get the price in US dollars ,is that right ?

Ron

With the current conversion rate:
84 US dollars = 10000 Japanese yen
54 British pound = 10000 Japanese yen

Wow, that is pretty impressive. Thanks for sharing

Curious about Top branded tools, not too familiar. Are they considered very good quality? I saw a set of their ratcheting combo wrenches on Frank's site and was curious...

They are well known in the construction industries.

I have a few things from TOP, including their adjustable wrenches, which in my opinion are as good as the more famous European brands.

As far as wrenches go, I got a single 14mm a few years ago. Like this:

It's alright I guess. I wish the beam isn't as slim as it is. The flex joint is held in by a screw;not a pin.

awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where is that store located ?????
Who can borrow me 1 million yen ??

Store was located in Shizuoka--same prefecture where Ko-ken factory is.

http://www.encho.co.jp/tenpo/ten91.html

 

[rick carpenter]

Awesome, thanks for the pics and commentary...

* I'd liked to just have followed you around watching you take the pics and watching the people watch you.

* I saw a lot of US and European imports, but in general do they feel about "Made in Japan" like we feel about "Made in USA"?

* I'm afraid if I went over there to the places you visited I'd never get home: I'd cash in my return airfare for more tools!

* What are their cheap Chinese imports?

 

[Van Steele]

lost for words

 

[ImportTuner]

Thanks for sharing .. I wandered through Tokyo and the only tools I found were in Akihabara (a electronics wonderland).

 

[Qualitytools]

Thanks for sharing, much appreciated. Great job

 

[superautobacs]

Awesome, thanks for the pics and commentary...

* I'd liked to just have followed you around watching you take the pics and watching the people watch you.

* I saw a lot of US and European imports, but in general do they feel about "Made in Japan" like we feel about "Made in USA"?

There are aficionado's for [you name it] and the variety of domestic and imports brands available to consumer makes Japan an ideal place, whether you're a die-hard for "Made in Japan/USA/Germany/France".
I think the saying, "Different strokes for different folks" is appropriate, and there's (almost) everything to satisfy their taste buds.

* What are their cheap Chinese imports?

They are available, but much less so than in North America. If you want cheap Chinese imports in Japan, there's always dollar stores.

Thanks for sharing .. I wandered through Tokyo and the only tools I found were in Akihabara (a electronics wonderland).

Yup, it's one of those "must-do" things if you're in Japan:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2DYUhiJz0OM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Jawn]

A-fricking-mazing. Thanks for sharing.

I have no other words.

 

[eljaro]

Wow, Wow, Wow, ...................Wow !!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that is a well stocked tool store. I could get lost there and spent several days going through it all..
If I where with my wife there I´d to tell her: pick me up here again in about a week.

Thanks for posting all thos photos, they are great and very detailed.
Good lighting in the shop also.

 

[Cato]

Japanese tool makers don't spend a lot on packaging do they.

 

[3baygarage]

Just saw your responses . Looks like you had fun shopping.

All I can say about that Home Center is IMPRESSIVE!

Great photos and thanks for giving us a look at all this.

 

[cosmik binturong]

Japanese tool makers don't spend a lot on packaging do they.

why should they? are you buying the tool or the packaging?

 

[Scar55]

I'm in northern Japan. They have an Astro store in Aomori. It's just like a Japanese Harbor Freight.

Kelly

 

[JDSV]

I'm in northern Japan. They have an Astro store in Aomori. It's just like a Japanese Harbor Freight.

Kelly

Except you can also buy TONE, Signet, Koken, Anex, and PB Swiss, which is well above typical HF quality. Well, at least the store in Nagoya sells those brands, in addition the Astro brand stuff.

 

[2oolhound]

Wow! AMAZING THREAD!

I just ran across some Asahi tools and saw their lightweight line. It's their RYE line, you have to click on "Catalogs" at the top right of the page and then it's the 3rd catalog down. Pretty cool. :

https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.asahi-tool.co.jp/&prev=search

 

[Ratchet Guy]

Yup, hard to imagine isn't it! That was the tool section, which was about 1/4 of the floor space. The rest of the place was for....well, the rest.
The place is part of a large complex which includes a department store, a mall with a food court, and a movie theater!

May I ask what is the home center name and where is this located?

 

[Kensgarage]

All that was at a "home center"?

Holy ****! The Japanese don't screw around when it comes to tools.

As an aside, I've always liked the colorful and frenetic packaging and advertising.

The Japanese don't "screw around" when it comes to anything.
It's called pride.........something not heard of very much around here.

 

[superautobacs]

Wow! AMAZING THREAD!

I just ran across some Asahi tools and saw their lightweight line. It's their RYE line, you have to click on "Catalogs" at the top right of the page and then it's the 3rd catalog down. Pretty cool. :

https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.asahi-tool.co.jp/&prev=search

You found some locally!?

I'm a happy user of their LOF series. It was a love-at-first-site relationship .





I also have a small assortment of their Revowave wrenches as well. The ring ends are belt sanded rather unevenly and the broaching marks on the open ends are not cleaned up too well though. ....but it's reminiscent of some wrenches manufactured decades ago, when attention to perfection weren't necessarily taken to great lengths. That said, they are wrenches, and they function well.






Their midget combi wrenches are finished very well though:

May I ask what is the home center name and where is this located?

Monte had the same question:

Store was located in Shizuoka--same prefecture where Ko-ken factory is.

http://www.encho.co.jp/tenpo/ten91.html

 

[eborcim]

wow tool overload...kinda like a kid in a Christmas toy store.

 

[Fedwrench]

Hey look at those midget combination wrenches, I wonder if that's where SK got the idea for their new X Frame wrench cut outs? :lol;

 

[2oolhound]

You found some locally!?

These are what I found locally. I like those light weight ones. You have some nice pieces there.

 

[superautobacs]

These are what I found locally. I like those light weight ones. You have some nice pieces there.

Huh, that reminds me.... several years ago I saw a couple Asahi "ASH" DOE's at my local KMS store, in their consignment section. I figured they must've been included as part of a kit to assemble whatever machinery that was imported from Japan. Perhaps that might be the case with your collection?

FYI, the 14/17/24mm wrenches are newer with the new JIS logo.

 

[2oolhound]

I got mine from a machine shop that moved to china. It was actually a big sapphire making factory with a machine shop but all the big stuff went to china.

 

[frenchy3]

Awesome. Pm sent