Ryan Ginstrom wrote:

> "Eric Takabayashi" <etakajp@yahoo.co.jp> wrote in message
> news:3F86B2CA.C59451D2@yahoo.co.jp...
> > marc wrote:
> >
> > > > So what's wrong with Niigata, the Tohoku region, Harrisburg, PA; Ohio,
> or
> > > > Indiana, that people might consider them god forsaken?
> > >
> > > They have too few 7-Elevens.I thought we had this conversation already.
> >
> > I consider the local Daiso 100 yen shops (the original), and Daiei
> supermarket
> > to be much more useful than any convenience store. On one of those
> > see-a-celebrity-live-for-one-month-on-10,000-yen shows, I see there are
> stores
> > in Osaka and Tokyo with crazy ass daily sales like ONE yen per 100 grams
> of
> > meat (good meat), which we don't have here, but Fukuyama is good enough.
>
> I always thought those super sales you see on TV are gimmicks the stores use
> to attract customers through TV exposure. Same with those ultra cheap
> ryokans and such that you see.

As long as it's true, that is, the goods are actually available at that price
as claimed, who cares? In Hawaii, the loss leader stores use to attract
customers to otherwise lackluster prices, is Spam (TM).

There is a monthly magazine called German Car or somesuch, and there are insane
deals not even advertised in Goo Online, on BMWs and Mercedes Benz. One shop
seems to specialize in dressing up BMWs in more modern parts, thus making a 97
look like a 2003 with a new grille and lights, for example. Their cheapest car
was a 3 series from 89 or 91 that looks lowered with aero parts for 30,000 yen.

I want a 540i or 750i myself, but for 30,000 yen, I'd put up with a lot of
shortcomings in a BMW, even if it were not actually running and could only be
used for parts (still a bargain) or posing in your driveway. At least in Japan,
even old cars look good.