I am STUMPED. How do ya’ll find a MIJ Rick copy?!? I’m heading to Tokyo for a trip not so soon, but I like to have knowledge before hand. I’m Going there for 2-ish days and on one of those days, I’m going to Ochanomizu guitar street which would definitely increase my chances of finding one! But, do any of you own one? what are your experiences?, Any Cons?, Any brands? and most importantly, have you guys ever bought one from Guitar street? or which shops there are most likely to have one? thanks!
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@Howard lives close and was just there over the weekend. If anyone can point you in the right direction, it’ll be him.
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I just saw a ton of actual Ricks. I did see at least one Greco clone. I am sure there’s a lot more.
As for stores for a Rick clone I would start at the used shops like Shimokura Second Hands; however they are all located in the same area so just go to all the stores.
To get there just go to the Ochanomizu Chuo-line station and take the west exit, for Meidai-dori. Once out of the gates you’re there, it’s the big street. Just hit both sides of the street going south for a couple blocks, and the alleys off them.
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Definitely need to check out Ochanomizu next time I go, I somewhat intentionally skipped it because I was hopping all over and didn’t want to end up toting around my fragile and expensive souvenir I HAD to get the whole trip. (Bought a Seiko 5 in Akihabara instead 
)
Have you ever shipped an instrument to the west from Japan? What level of difficulty could I expect in terms of filling out paperwork as a gaijin that can at best sound out some kana?
Guessing shipping prices are pretty volatile with the JPY exchange rates, but if you have any kind of ballpark for something like a bass-sized carton (and the carton/packing itself) that’d be good to know too.
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I made a topic to help:
I live here so I have not ordered overseas but several others have.
I recommend Ikebe Gakki for this.
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Excellent, thanks!
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Also had good luck on Reverb for Japanese stores
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