Hi all,
(If this thread would do better somewhere else please move it)
Wow, what have I missed here in my absence?
I haven't been here for 18 months or so as I went through a lot and have ended up moving to Japan. Of course I brought as many lights as I could with me, although many had to go due to restrictions on how much I could carry through customs. I also sold off/gifted any lights that had "weird" cells in them due to my fear of being unable to acquire fresh cells for a while. That was a sad day
I was making do with the lights I did bring with me - some very nice AA/AAA cell lights - but the bug is biting again and I want to try out some higher powered lights (considering 18650 lights for the first time). However normal stores here do not sell those, or the cells/chargers. I'd like to ask if anyone has any advice on where I could buy nice lights out here in Japan. As a foreigner who has only been living here for just over a year I am barred from applying for any form of credit card yet (I tried), and Japanese debit cards... well, they are strange and only work in Japanese ATMs. Bummer!
Are there any Japanese mail order/online stores that will accept cash on delivery? Japanese language only is fine as my Japanese is good enough to be able to use an online store but I can't seem to find them via Internet searches (hitting my limit on my language skills).
(Incidentally I noticed cash on delivery is very popular here and offered by many online stores, possibly because so many people don't have a credit card?)
Failing that, good old brick and mortar stores would be fine too - I live in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
For when I do finally manage to get a credit card I'd also appreciate any information on how importing foreign goods works here - any warnings or information on how to pay the taxes would be appreciated. In England it was easy - you'd get a card through the door and you'd phone them (to pay the charges by credit card) or enter your parcel number on a website to pay the tax. Your package would then turn up a couple of days later. How does it work here?
All suggestions welcome.
(If this thread would do better somewhere else please move it)
Wow, what have I missed here in my absence?
I haven't been here for 18 months or so as I went through a lot and have ended up moving to Japan. Of course I brought as many lights as I could with me, although many had to go due to restrictions on how much I could carry through customs. I also sold off/gifted any lights that had "weird" cells in them due to my fear of being unable to acquire fresh cells for a while. That was a sad day
I was making do with the lights I did bring with me - some very nice AA/AAA cell lights - but the bug is biting again and I want to try out some higher powered lights (considering 18650 lights for the first time). However normal stores here do not sell those, or the cells/chargers. I'd like to ask if anyone has any advice on where I could buy nice lights out here in Japan. As a foreigner who has only been living here for just over a year I am barred from applying for any form of credit card yet (I tried), and Japanese debit cards... well, they are strange and only work in Japanese ATMs. Bummer!
Are there any Japanese mail order/online stores that will accept cash on delivery? Japanese language only is fine as my Japanese is good enough to be able to use an online store but I can't seem to find them via Internet searches (hitting my limit on my language skills).
(Incidentally I noticed cash on delivery is very popular here and offered by many online stores, possibly because so many people don't have a credit card?)
Failing that, good old brick and mortar stores would be fine too - I live in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
For when I do finally manage to get a credit card I'd also appreciate any information on how importing foreign goods works here - any warnings or information on how to pay the taxes would be appreciated. In England it was easy - you'd get a card through the door and you'd phone them (to pay the charges by credit card) or enter your parcel number on a website to pay the tax. Your package would then turn up a couple of days later. How does it work here?
All suggestions welcome.