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Buying an electric guitar while in Japan - looking for information and advice.

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HT986M2HT986M2 Frets: 169
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Hey guys,

I'm going to be in Tokyo for a couple of days later in the year.  I've always been a fan of MIJ guitars, and I'm hoping to pick up a souvenir while I'm over there.  I'm just looking for information on what's what, and how to make the most of the opportunity.

There will be other sight-seeing to be done while I'm there, so I'll really only have a few hours max to set aside around Ochanomizu 'Guitar Street'.  With that said, I obviously appreciate I'm not going to be able to do the most in-depth comparisons.  It will be more about seeing what catches my eye and (hopefully) has a favourable price versus buying at home.

I know I'll have the advantage of being able to look at a lot of harder to find branding over there such as Edwards, Orville etc.   However, I'm also wondering if MIJ brands such as Ibanez and ESP will be cheaper?  I'll probably be avoiding anything by the big 'USA' brands, since - although they do Japanese-specific runs - they are everywhere and I suspect they will be charging a premium.

I don't necessarily want to buy a guitar just for the sake of it.  So basically I'm looking for information on how favourable pricing will be for MIJ brands, and if there are any specific harder-to-find brands and models that are worth keeping an eye out for?

I'll be doing my best to take the potential guitar as carry on in a beat-up case (if the guitar is new), but I'd also be interested to hear the experiences of anyone who may have asked the stores to ship back a guitar for them.

Thanks!
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