Hey guys I know it’s been a while since anyone heard from me. I have finished my move and am getting settled in out here in Japan. I am about 30 mins away from Hiroshima on MCAS Iwakuni. I haven’t been able to find any hobby shops around here (then again I cannot read Kanji so I might have found them and not know it). I was wondering if anyone knew of some good places in the hiroshima/ Iwakuni area to get models and supplies. I have had a few crash courses in Japanese so I can get by in town ok but the written word and spoken are two totally different beasts.
Thanks in advance.
Ben
You might want to try e-mailing JHulk. He lives in Japan, so he may know. The only thing I am familiar with is www.hlj.com, which is mail order
Sorry, can’t help with the Home Islands, I know of a couple good places on Okinawa, though. You’ll be getting some answers soon, I’d imagine.
Ok thanks for the replies guys.
There should be a hobby shop right out the main gate, across the street from Maganda’s and Terry’s. Walk out the gate, cross the train tracks, cross the main street out there in front of the base, and it will be on the left. When I was at Iwakuni (granted more than a few years ago), there was a small shop in the PX Annex, I have heard it has been moved into the PX proper, that was run by the same guy. He spoke English, and the shop outside the gate was his “main” store. If you were in his on-base shop and asked him about something, and he had it off-base, he’d usually offer to bring it in the next day.
The big shop in Hiroshima is called “Hobby Center Hiroshima”, take the trolley from Hiroshima Station like you were going to Hiroshima Stadium. Get off at the Sogo Department Store (if I recall correctly, the trolley stops right out front). When you get off, Sogo should be on your left and there should be a Mizuho Bank across the street on your right. You need to be on the Mizuho side of the street, and with the bank on your right and Sogo on your left walk straight a couple of blocks to the MID building. It will be on a corner, the Prefectural Offices will be across the street. Hobby Center Hiroshima is in the basement, open 10:00 to 20:00, closed Tuesdays and the 2nd and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. Tel. is 082-249-5177. HTH
Lance Braman
www.hlj.com
Oh, I forgot to mention: if you still can’t find what you are looking for, we ship domestically, so look us up!
Lance Braman
www.hlj.com
I found the Hobby Shop outside the main gate. I went out there with my wife and my son this afternoon. They seem to have a lot of models but not much in the way of paints or tools. It’s pretty cramped in there but that can be said of almost every shop in Iwakuni.
I would have bought the Hasegawa 1/48 Machi C205 they had in there but I forget my Yen and they didn’t take credit cards. Maybe next weekend we will head out to Hiroshima to look for the one out there.
Thanks for the help guys
Ben
If there is a Yuzayuya (sp) nearby you could give them a try. The one in Yamato was great, it was a 4-story craft store w/ a toy shop in the lower floor. I had a great selection of supplies,too. Also see if there is a Palco in the area. The one in Hon-Atsugi had a Post-Hobby shop in it with a great selection. - Calvin