Help on buying Stones (and maybe board) in Tokyo

pennyarcade · Post by **pennyarcade** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 11:10 am

Hi! This forum is a great find, with so much useful info.

I have the opportunity to go to Japan on a trip and would like to buy my dad a decent Go set (he's been playing forever on a beat up board with glass stones).

Questions that I have are:

Is it cheaper to buy in Tokyo or buying here in Canada?
What places do you recommend I go to in Tokyo? I don't speak Japanese, so they will have to be at least accommodating to tourists' hand signals and such.
My budget is in around 800 USD for the whole set (board, stones and bowl). What can I expect to get for that budget?

I've done some research and found a couple of places that seem to have good reputations:

http://www.kiseido.com/ (the website is messy and the prices seem high)
http://www.kurokigoishi.co.jp/english/ (I have already emailed to ask about possibility of a set price sent to Tokyo). One question about this website is whether the off pieces (boards) are that bad in terms of quality.

Thanks in advance!

Jujube · Post by **Jujube** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 12:54 pm

Wow that's so cool. I'd love to buy a board from an actual shop instead of off the Internet.

I got my board from Kurokigoishi and stones too.

I paid about £100-150 to ship a package that was about 15 kilos. This is all worked out through Kurokigoishi's online shop automatically. I also had to pay import VAT and duty. This was maybe another £120.

If you buy in Tokyo you are required to declare the purchases at Canadian customs, no? I don't know how the system differs from the UK.

So it might be not too different in cost compared to buying it online.

Maybe you can take the tags off clothes but a Go board is a bit harder to smuggle

As for the description of the off-spec products (I assume that this is what you mean by off-pieces?) they seem very thorough. I can't comment on how they are though. I doubt they would sell it if they weren't happy. Just be aware about what you're actually buying.

The exchange rate isn't as good now as it was last year. Also, Kurokigoishi put their clamshell prices up at the start of the year. That's why they do their Blue Label range, again can't comment on these.

I would still think that for your budget you could get a nice multi-piece construction honkaya / hyugakaya table board, clamshell stones and cheap cherry or chestnut bowls. I have the cherry ones and they are lovely.

If you want a single piece thick table board you might have to stick with glass stones. There are some very nice glass stones out there. EdLee mentioned these ones that kind of had a sparkle like how glass is when it shatters, they sounded fascinating.

You probably won't get a kaya floor board on your budget. However you can probably get a nice spruce board. Just be aware that they do look deceptively thick on photos because they are taken at an angle.

Also, be aware of the difference in cut. You can have a kiura board next to a tenchimasa board and one costs 10 times as much as the other. My board is oimasa. They generally go tenchimasa > masame > oimasa > kiura / kiomote.

LifeIn9x9 · Post by **LifeIn9x9** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 1:49 pm

I would suggest visiting this small shop in Shinjuku

http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~goban/engli ... rsion.html

The prices are on the website and the owner speaks a little English. I would suggest picking out what you want beforehand and using that as a starting point when you get to the shop.

oren · Post by **oren** » Wed Mar 16, 2016 1:51 pm

pennyarcade wrote:

Is it cheaper to buy in Tokyo or buying here in Canada?

Japan is cheaper.

[*]What places do you recommend I go to in Tokyo? I don't speak Japanese, so they will have to be at least accommodating to tourists' hand signals and such.

For buying a go set, it may be harder. Nihon Kiin branches may be your best bet for people more used to dealing with foreigners.

[*]My budget is in around 800 USD for the whole set (board, stones and bowl). What can I expect to get for that budget?[/list]

Shin-kaya table board, regular slate and shell stones, nice wooden bowls.

I've done some research and found a couple of places that seem to have good reputations:
http://www.kiseido.com/ (the website is messy and the prices seem high)
http://www.kurokigoishi.co.jp/english/ (I have already emailed to ask about possibility of a set price sent to Tokyo). One question about this website is whether the off pieces (boards) are that bad in terms of quality.

Kuroki is great but nowhere near Tokyo. You would save the shipping cost by doing that, which may be worth it. You'd have to work with your hotel to see if they can receive it for you.

I know of a few around Tokyo, but I'd need to spend some time looking them up. Kiseido is a good option to talk to as well.

pennyarcade · Post by **pennyarcade** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 8:02 am

LifeIn9x9 wrote:I would suggest visiting this small shop in Shinjuku

http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~goban/engli ... rsion.html

The prices are on the website and the owner speaks a little English. I would suggest picking out what you want beforehand and using that as a starting point when you get to the shop.

Thanks! I assume that you went there before? What is the quality like?

LifeIn9x9 · Post by **LifeIn9x9** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 11:58 am

I am not sure how to answer your question, he isn't a manufacturer so he sources items from all over Japan. As you can see from the website, he sources many precious and expensive items, which are of exceptional quality.

pennyarcade · Post by **pennyarcade** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 12:14 pm

oren wrote:
I know of a few around Tokyo, but I'd need to spend some time looking them up. Kiseido is a good option to talk to as well.

Oren, if you could just mention the name of the stores, I can then do some investigation. appreciate it!

pennyarcade · Post by **pennyarcade** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 12:15 pm

LifeIn9x9 wrote:I am not sure how to answer your question, he isn't a manufacturer so he sources items from all over Japan. As you can see from the website, he sources many precious and expensive items, which are of exceptional quality.

That's a great answer: I just wanted to know if the business is honest and carries quality items.

LifeIn9x9 · Post by **LifeIn9x9** » Fri Mar 18, 2016 2:36 pm

Here is another option, closer to the Japan Shogi Association, but easily accessible from the JR

http://igo-shogi.game.coocan.jp

pennyarcade · Post by **pennyarcade** » Mon Mar 21, 2016 2:54 pm

So some of the retailers contacted me back. I wanted to know preferences of board construction. Is multipiece Kaya better than new kaya (effectively spruce)? If so, how many pieces would be the max you would consider?

I also read that multipiece are better at resisting warping. Is that true?

sybob · Post by **sybob** » Mon Mar 21, 2016 3:34 pm

pennyarcade wrote:I wanted to know preferences of board construction. Is multipiece Kaya better than new kaya (effectively spruce)? If so, how many pieces would be the max you would consider?

I also read that multipiece are better at resisting warping. Is that true?

I wouldn't bother about construction too much.

In my view (=personal) I would definitely prefer original kaya over new kaya/shin kaya (if all other aspects - like price - are equal). My preference is not based on board construction, but an aesthetics and sound. Never mind multi/single piece.

Also, AFAIK, it is difficult to make a bold statement like 'multipiece is better resisting warping'. It will then depend on the craftmanship if the board is properly/durably made and the joints sturdy. You may also want to reflect how you weigh the aesthetics of a board, because many like the view of a single piece board. I think the aethtics are also more important than your question suggests: some prefer whiter/oak like appearance, others a yellowish board, others a more brownish or reddish board, a darker board, a softer kind of wood, etc.

I would't bother about warping also, because the risk is very limited, as far as I know, especially if you store it properly. And even so: I like the look of an extensively used board, a little warping not detrimental.

I also want to stress the importance of a matching set. No use in beautiful and/or expensive stones if you don't have a matching board, vice versa. I think that is also more important than the construction method.

tj86430 · Post by **tj86430** » Mon Mar 21, 2016 9:15 pm

pennyarcade wrote:So some of the retailers contacted me back. I wanted to know preferences of board construction. Is multipiece Kaya better than new kaya (effectively spruce)? If so, how many pieces would be the max you would consider?

I also read that multipiece are better at resisting warping. Is that true?

I would take multipiece Kaya over shin-kaya any time (of course it is a matter of price too, but provided that both are offered at a reasonable price). I don't know about max nbr of pieces, but it seems to me that there is not much sense to use more than perhaps five? (I think my board is four-piece kaya).

I don't know about warping, but it seems plausible.

tchan001 · Post by **tchan001** » Mon Mar 21, 2016 11:48 pm

Multiples vs Single piece(s) wood(s) go board
http://lifein19x19.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=10562

Also check out the diagram on the cuts at SL
http://senseis.xmp.net/?kaya

Life In 19x19