'Howl, howl, howl, howl, howl'- most useful Shakespearian quote ever, y/y?

[flemmings]

The answer to my woes is obviously Iwase Books, who were good with my ZeroSums and Gangans back in the day. Just one little wrinkle: to order anything you must print the order form from a #!@&%$%! PDF and 'mail or FAX' it to them.

The Japanese and the FAX machine, dear god what is it with the tenacious Japanese love of the FAX machine? I don't have a FAX, I have never had a FAX, and the people I know who *do* have FAXES left over from the 90's like my doctor, don't use them because they waste a fortune printing spam messages. Hell, I don't even have a working printer these days. I never use it: anything can be scanned and emailed.

But Iwase? You have a webpage, yes? You even have an email address of sorts though you don't give it out. Why don't you have e-mail orders? Why in fact, when you want to tell me my subscription is running out, do you call me long distance from BC to tell me in person?

21st century, guys, 21st century. You cannot halt the march of progress.

Comments

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Hey, I hear the banking machines in Japan now stay open past 5 on Sundays and are even (gasp) operational on holidays!! While I don't mind the Japanese attachment to money- you're less likely to get mugged for your wallet there- the Japanese attitude to banking is still in the 19th century. Hell, even the 19th century honoured bankers' cheques. But I distinctly remember going to the one office of Canada's Royal Bank in Tokyo and being told that the Royal Bank there would not cash a money order from a Royal Bank in Canada because they didn't do that sort of thing. We are a bank but we are not in the business of banking, evidently.

[summer-queen.livejournal.com]

Not all banking machines are so convenient, alas, especially if you're foreign and your options are limited. Imagine my woe at discovering the Postal ATMs closed at 1900 on weekends in Ikebukuro (and are STILL closed on holidays). WTF. What if you were out drinking, ran low on cash and had the late night munchies? Guess you were just plain SOL at that point. Apparently 7-11s are joining this century with 24 hour ATMs that we heathens can use, but of course, there's not a 7-11 to be had around there, only AM-PMs.

[rasetsunyo.livejournal.com]

yyy absolutely.

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

Hheheh, I have two clients (cattle markets) that insist on faxing me their market reports. This boggles me because they obviously had to type them up somehow right? Are they using a computer to type them up? COULD they, in fact, email that electronic file to me so I don't have to retype everything? WHY YES! But noooo because a fax is 'reliable'.

I was looking through that book, Tokyo: A Certain Style, where they feature the interiors of hundreds of Japanese apartments/houses in their 'natural' state and I was amazed that even tho someone lives in a two tatami closet they STILL had a fax machine tucked in under their TV or bed or bookshelf.

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

There used to be online fax services, through which you could fax things without ever having to have a fax or a printer ...

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

yesh theye loves ye olde fax machines!

[petronia.livejournal.com]

Piping in with the business school perspective - I just handed in a group paper on 7-11 Japan. XD It turns out they own 7-11 U.S. outright. Their supply chain management is amazing but they can't implement the Japanese system in North America because Americans drive cars and refuse to eat bento from the convenience store. Otherwise (comment directed toward J at this point) we'd be able to pick up our packages at the corner store instead of having to wait at home.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Americans drive cars and refuse to eat bento from the convenience store

But the 7-11s here do have sandwiches and pitas and nachos and such. It's not that far to yummy bento and yummy Japanese pastries, and I *so* wish they'd bring those here.

I pick up packages from the PO which is just down the street, and for large packages- I'd rather wait at home for the takkyuubin guy to do the hauling.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Aarrghh- tempted, but all that's wrong with the present printer (very basic b&w, vintage '94) is that it needs a new ink cartridge, once I remember what kind it takes. I don't use it mostly because I don't have a convenient place to put it, which means I wouldn't have a place for yours either. But thanks very much for thinking of me.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

But this form must be filled out, and as it's a pdf you have to print it out to fill it out. I hate pdfs and I hate faxes and I hate oooh shiny! ancient technology that makes life more difficult instead of less.

[cerisier.livejournal.com]

I just happened across a 7-11 a couple minutes away from the north exit of Ikebukuro station the other day! It was kind of miraculous. XD