Gaijin Gourmet - The Most Delicious and Healthy Places to Eat in Japan for Under $5!

Hi! Just to let you know that when you are in Japan, that you can eat a delicious, healthy, safe meal for under $5 (USD). No kidding.

Where to find that information? Well, the Gaijin Gourmet (that's me) has temporarily moved. I'll be blogging Gaijin Gourmet articles showing you where to go to get the best deals in Japan over at the Robot55.jp site. 

Why did I move there? Well, because we are also going to start making a series of videos in English for folks coming to Japan and looking for the best places to eat well on a budget.

I have already written about the best budget sushi chain in Japan; the best noodles shops; and the best places to get salads! And I just completed the newest in the series:

Gaijin Gourmet - Sukiya! Japan's Best Gyudon (Beef Bowl) robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-sukiya-japans-best-gyudon-beef-bowl/

Here's a snippet:

"It's time for another installment of the world famous (and Original) Gaijin Gourmet. Today I simply must introduce to you good folks a chain restaurant in Japan that, if you are traveling here on a budget and with kids, you'll want to know about.

The restaurant is Sukiya. Sukiya has almost 2000 shops in Japan so they are everywhere you are. And most Sukiya shops are open 24 hours a day. The only shop that has more restaurants is McBurgers, but I don't have to introduce them to you. A few reasons: 1) McBurgers is not healthy. You don't want your kids, or yourself, to be eating that stuff. 2) Sukiya has an extremely healthy menu with lots of very reasonably priced and delicious items. 3) The kids love Sukiya!

Sukiya is a "Gyudon" chain. That means they specialize in serving some cooked meats on a bed of rice. It's delicious and the price will drop your jaw. Since I am watching my weight, whenever I go to Sukiya, I always order the salad (there's no salt or dressing on it, you add those yourself if you wish) and the "Healthy Gyudon" (that is called, "Gyudon Light" on the menu.) It is "light" because the calories are so low because this delicious menu item has a block of Tofu instead of the rice.

Sukiya is the ultimate answer to travelers on a budget who want to eat healthy and food that is not full of salt and oil. I give Sukiya 5+ stars. Seriously, I think you can't beat them for taste, quality, cleanliness and price. A high quality, healthy and (Japanese style) low calorie meal can be had for as little as ¥380.

I usually order Gyudon Light (¥380 yen) and a salad (¥100) and drink the tea (free). I'm happy, I've eaten healthy and the damages? ¥480. Are you sitting down? That's about $4 USD and THERE IS NO TIPPING!"

Folks, this morning set at Sukiya with a baked salmon, rice, pickled veggies and miso soup is under $4 (USD!) Incredible! 

I'll be writing a bunch more of these in the coming months (the plan is to write at least one a week, so I hope you'll go to check it out on Robot55.jp. 

If you are on Facebook, please come and "Like" our Facebook page and then you'll see the new articles when they are posted.

So check it out, OK?

Looking for great deals on cheap eats in Japan?:

Gaijin Gourmet – Best Soba Chain in Tokyo？Yude Taro and ¥220 Draft Beer?! robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-best-soba-chain-in-tokyo？yude-taro-and-¥220-draft-beer/

Gaijin Gourmet: The Best Premium Salad Bar in Tokyo? – Sizzler in Setagaya robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-the-best-premium-salad-bar-in-tokyo-sizzler-in-setagaya/

Gaijin Gourmet! Great Cheap and Delicious Soba in Gaienmae on Ginza Line! robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-great-cheap-and-delicious-soba-in-gaienmae-on-ginza-line/

The Gaijin Gourmet: The Best Salad Bar Deal in Tokyo at Big Boy – My Favorite Rock N Roll Diner!! robot55.jp/blog/the-gaijin-gourmet-the-best-salad-bar-deal-in-tokyo-at-big-boy-my-favorite-rock-n-roll-diner/

Tokyo’s Best Cheap Sushi is in Okachimachi!? 東京の一番安くて美味しい寿司屋？御徒町にあるの？http://robot55.jp/blog/tokyos-best-cheap-sushi-in-okachimachi/

The Gaijin Gourmet: Soba Wars At Hanzomon Station in Tokyo robot55.jp/blog/gaijin-gourmet-soba-wars-at-hanzomon-station-in-tokyo/

Organic Marketing: The Future of Advertising

The old order of marketing and advertising is falling by the wayside. The future of advertising is not tomorrow, it was a few years back. And if your company is not on it now, you are way behind the curve.

There are examples all around us of the new way to advertise. Some big (and fashionable and cool) companies are doing it. They are laying the foundations and showing everyone how it is done... Let me repeat that: They are showing everyone how it is done! Yet 95% of the companies see it but do not copy or follow or, well, maybe they "just don't 'get it.'"

These businesses are like dinosaurs. I reckon that when that huge-a*sed asteroid hit the earth several millions of years ago, the brontosaurus were standing there and, weeks and months, after the temperature had dropped dangerously low, they began to think, "Gee... It's getting awfully cold..."

Do you think the dinosaurs thought, "Maybe I'd better move to where it is warmer?" Nah. They didn't. It may or may not have helped. But certainly standing there and doing nothing, or doing the same thing they had always done, wasn't a good option.

My God! If I had a few dollars for every company I see everyday standing, there doing nothing, or doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, I'd be a millionaire! (Maybe only a million yen because I hate going outside too much, but you get the idea!)

The old way of advertising:

Talk to people in suits and give them money. They run a full-page advert in a newspaper. It says, "That's a great place to eat steak. It is soooo delicious!" Cost of this advertising: $5000.00 or more.

Joe Happoshu sees the ad. You see the ad. Do you go there? Nope. Why? No one believes this sort of advertising anymore. 

The new way of advertising: 

Your friend at the office says to you one day, "Say! Have you tried that new steakhouse on the corner? It's really good." Do you go there? Yes. you do. Why? Because you believe your friend. Cost of this advertising: Zero.

There's an old saying: "Credibility is very hard to get. It is even harder to buy."

So why does your company continually try to buy credibility?

The new way of marketing is to build a reputation by using organic methods to spread the word of mouth. Organic means that we use Social Media and blogs and we tie up other (cool) companies and make a mutually beneficial marketing programs that are very low cost and gets the word of mouth buzzing. It must be organic; it must make sense to the public... People interested in one aspect of the marketing will be drawn to another if we fit the pieces of the puzzle together correctly. And bloggers (that people like your friend in the office read) write about you.

Sure, sure... Your company and staff (and your advertising agency) pay lip service to blogging and Web 2.0 and 3.0, but if you were to actually sit them down and explain to you a concept like Web 3.0 I'd wager a donut that they can't do it and I'd wager a year's worth of donuts that they DON'T do it. 

The problem with most Japanese companies is their advertising people are so stuck with the old way of doing things, they just can't get their head around concepts like Web 3.0... Web 3.0!? You kidding me? Look at most company Internet web pages and you'll see that they are stuck with Web 1.0 concepts. Concepts that are nearly ten years old!!!

As a funny aside, I was mentioning to someone how it is a waste of money to buy advertising on the Internet to have a paid ad at the top of the page for results for a Google search. The guy told me that they were spending ¥2 million yen (about $25,737 USD) per month on that.* Inside, I cringed. I told him that he could do the same thing for free (it requires effort though) and he told me that he "had a good engineer." I told him that there is a big difference between an engineer and a blogger...

Stop for a second and think about that logically! Thinking that an engineer could be good at advertising and marketing is just laughable if you stop and consider it... If you are running a big company and spending a big budget on SEO or banners ads for top results on Google searches, then I ask that you do, STOP RIGHT NOW and think about that for a few seconds!

You have an engineer running your advertising and marketing promotions for the Internet? Quick questions? Do they blog? Do they Facebook, Twitter or do any other Social Media? And, the killer question; This person is in charge of your company public image and face on the Internet; would you be comfortable with that person speaking in front of a crowd of, say, 1,500 people? No? Then why in the hell do you believe this person carte blanche for the Internet where there are 500 million people?

Sounds pretty dumb, doesn't it? You'd be surprised at how often I see this everyday. In fact, this is not the exception, it is the rule. Any questions why business is down?

The new way requires ideas, creativity and effort. It doesn't require geeks who have poor social skills or huge sums of money to be thrown to wonks with stale ideas or your own company marketing people sucking a lot of air through their teeth. 

They require ideas and creativity. Here's one I arranged last year:

A major pizza chain wanted to promote their New York pizza and their new online ordering system. They've asked me for ideas. I have given them many so far. This was the idea I gave them this time:

Order a pizza online and get the chance to win a vacation for two, business class to New York for 5 nights in a 5-star hotel.

Simple. 

The pizza chain got a great 2-month campaign and visibility and buzz at no cost to them (I was paid a small coordination fee). The airlines? The hotel? They got their name, photos and advertising on 17.5 million flyers delivered to people's homes; 7.8 million menus inserted into newspapers; 3.8 million direct mailing to subscribers of the pizza chain; 250,000 flyers on boxtops delivered with pizzas to customers homes; top page visibility on the pizza chain web page which receives over 12 million unique views per month. And write-ups in major Japanese magazines as well as a huge buzz campaign on Twitter and Facebook. 

Cost to airlines and the hotel? Zero. Simply the cost of providing the gifts.

Not only did all three of these entities enjoy a great promotion that was organic (Makes sense, right? Everything is New York related) This campaign ran for two months. If you do an Internet search for this campaign in Japanese you'll will find over 606,000 results. Those results are almost all bloggers and mentions on Social Media about the campaign.

If any these entities arranged this promotion through Dentsu or Hakuhodo, it would have cost them at least $100,000. I arranged it for about 1/20th that price.

This campaign did not require any email registration or any actions by the end users at all. They didn't even need to order a pizza! All they needed to do was go to the website and become a member of the online ordering service that the pizza chain has started. No purchase necessary.

In spite of the fact that nothing was necessary to join the contest, purchase or enroll, the pizza company had over 16,000 direct email inquires from end users. Throw that in with the word of mouth promotion from innumerable bloggers and Tweets and you have a killer promotion. That is an awesome result!

Am I bragging? Well, thank you. Yes, I am. 

Is your company missing the boat? If you are in Japan, I'd wager that you are. It is funny that Japan is so technologically advanced yet we find that so many companies do not take advantage of all the tools available.

Is is laziness, fear or the hesitation to take responsibility? I'm not sure but some people are really blowing it for their employers. Don't believe me? Here's a recent article that talks about how a whopping 40% of Japanese companies don't even use Twitter. Of course, Twitter is a small part of the puzzle (and, actually, a very minor piece of a bigger puzzle) but the fact remains that such a high profile FREE media is not being utilized by Japanese companies shows that this is just the tip of the iceberg of a bigger problem.

Are you going to do something about it? Or is sucking air through teeth the best way to get the job done?


* = Advertising strategies do need to change with the times. Internet click ads had a click through rate of 3% when the idea was fresh and new in the 90's... By 2003 it was down to .28% ... Today? Last I saw, about two years ago, it was something like 0.07%.... And yet, it is still one of the most expensive methods to advertise. Go figure. 

The Trash Patrol - Security Cameras on Trash Cans!

This is an article about something I had never ever seen before in my life: the Trash Police. OK, that's not exactly correct. I can't say "Police" because I didn't see any individuals; but I did see security cameras and a sign. So that means somebody is watching.

Somebody is watching their trash can. Seriously. Really.

Nearby my house is a small apartment. I walk by there almost everyday. Yesterday I noticed something posted on the trash bin. It was a sign that said that the trash can was being monitored by security cameras.

"A man works hard for his trash. He doesn't want anyone digging through it or stealing his trash."

I guessed....

But no! This sign said there was a security camera and that the only people who could throw trash away in it were the people who lived in the apartment behind it.

That's kind of weird, I thought. Maybe somebody had thrown away a human body or some crime had been committed nearby that trash can.

Anyway, I thought I'd share it with you. You know things are getting weird when they install security cameras on trash cans.

Family Members Should Never Lend Money to Each Other

“Neither a borrower nor a lender 
be. For oft loan loses both itself and friend.” - Shakespeare's Hamlet

Recently, I've had a serious writer's block. But something happened the other day that has shaken me up and I want to write about it. Today's post is an amazing story in how it displays just how stubborn and stupid people can be and, on top of that, it is a true story. 

Those are the easiest to write for me. You just can't make this stuff up. 

This story is about one of the oldest reasons people destroy their families and lose dear old friends: Money. Specifically, lending money or "borrowing" money from friends or family.

It's one of the oldest stories in the book: a family member borrows money from a sibling and, whether the money deal goes good or bad, the mere fact that there was a money exchange destroys the family because, win or lose, succeed or fail, someone feels that they were cheated in the deal.

This is what happened to my family. 

My oldest brother borrowed money ($10,000 in the early nineties) from my youngest brother to invest in some sort of new business that the older brother was starting up. 

They are both idiots; one for asking a sibling for money, the other for giving it.

The business went bad, if you ask my older brother. If you ask my younger brother, it went bad too, yet my older brother somehow wound up with a multi-million dollar court settlement. 

As I understand it from the both of them, initially, the business went bankrupt. My older brother, claims that he lost all his money when the company went belly-up. So bad were the loses that he had to sue another company for copyright infringement in court. He won, hence the multi-million dollars.

It is a complicated issue. Who won? Who Lost? Did the company go bankrupt solely because of the copyright infringement or did it go bankrupt due to incompetent management? (Give you one guess which reason I think it was...) Why didn't the younger brother share in the settlement? Why didn't the younger brother even get any of his money back?

I don't know. I wasn't a part of this and didn't want to become involved.

I became aware of this transaction a full year after it had already blown up in everyones face. I was living in Japan and had no idea that this deal had even occurred. One day, my father asked that I intervene and mediate in this case as it had turned into a full-fledged war. Upon discussing mediation with both brothers, they agreed - promised - that they would abide by whatever I decided that was fair to resolve this issue.

I wanted nothing to do with it, but my father was getting old and in poor health so, I reluctantly agreed to try to solve this issue. It wouldn't be good if this situation destroyed the family and my father passed away while this still boiled.

Now, before I go on an important point is that, at this time, there had been no court case and my older brother had not yet been awarded any settlement. This is an important point to remember. Because, conveniently for my older brother, he will claim that the court case had nothing to do with the business. The younger brother claims it does.

I have a very holistic view of these things and don't like the cherry-picking idea as it seems to lend itself to selective morality in far too many cases. Dear reader can decide for themselves.

I asked that both brothers provide me with documentation about this business deal. The interchangeable words I noticed in these mails were "loan" and "investment." Soon, I received an avalanche of emails from both brothers concerning items about "who said this" or "you said that."

It was too much of a clusterf*ck to deal with, by that point. I didn't know what to do. It weighed heavily on my mind. Who was right and who was wrong? I didn't know.

One night, I went to my favorite drinking place and there were two Buddhist priests there who I sometimes played Chinese Checkers with. We had a few drinks and I started telling them about my troubles with my family. 

These guys have always had the most calm and reasoned advice. They are great. After listening to me for a while, one said,

"I see. This is a difficult question to answer as to who is wrong and who is right. But I will say that, in spite of that, it is an ancient story that has gone on, over and over, throughout the history of mankind: A family is destroyed by money. Don't you, in the west, say, 'Never lend money to family or friends'?"

"Yeah." I replied. 

He continued, "I think we can agree on is this; there are stories about families being destroyed by money and these stories are at least 5 millennia old. I think it is too difficult to try to place blame here. But one thing we can agree on is that this situation is like a cancer eating away at your family. I suggest that it is best not to place blame, but to put things back the way they were."

A light went off in my head! I thought that was genius!

I went home and the next day I triumphantly wrote to my brothers that I had decided what the best course of action was: To put everything back. 

I told my older brother to apologize (because family should never borrow money from family) and to give back the $10,000. I told my younger brother to apologize and accept the $10,000 and never complain about it again.

My younger brother reluctantly agreed (after I berated him for a money transaction with a family member). My older brother reneged on his promise and said he would never pay back the money nor would he apologize. He claimed that he needn't apologize because the younger brother was trying to make money too. I countered that the apology wasn't for that. I said the apology was for the entire situation and causing so much trouble for the entire family. 

Hell, I had nothing to do with this crap and I was sorry it happened.

L'Enfant Terrible

My older brother was adamant. He said that he would never apologize. He said, "I haven't done anything wrong, so I'm not going to apologize." Once again I said, "It's not for doing anything wrong, it's not accepting any guilt. It is apologizing for the entire mess."

He would have none of it.

That just shows how obstinate my older brother is. Imagine, you witness some old lady walking across the street. She is hit and killed by a car driven by someone else. You see her family later and they ask you what happened. Isn't it normal for most people to say, "I'm so sorry!" Of course it is. "I'm sorry" isn't an admission of guilt. It is showing some empathy for people.

On a side note, I think my older brother has a problem with serious denial and telling the truth. If this deal were such a 'great deal' like he claimed, when he first asked my younger brother for money, then why didn't he invite me to join? - I had much more money than either of my brothers at that time....

But I digress....

I realized then that my older brother didn't have the money and I suspected that this excuse of not apologizing was actually a cover for not having the money. No problem. I then told him, "Look to make peace in the family and to try to fix things for our nearly 80-years-old dad, I will secretly give you the $10,000 and you give it to our younger brother. You don't have to pay me back. Then you say, "Sorry for the entire mess" (not admitting you did anything wrong) and hug and make up for the problems.

"If anything, do it for our dad." I added

But my older brother wouldn't do it. He refused. Saying sorry was a mountain too high to climb for this person. I was appalled.  My patience with this little child was nearing an end. 

By this time, this problem had grown to crisis proportions. My younger brother had fought over and over with both my dad and older brother about this. Though my younger brother I have always enjoyed a good relationship, he was no longer speaking to either of them. My younger brother was angry that, even though he felt that he was 100% in the right, my father always took sides of my older brother.

I did admonish my father about it. But, bless his heart, my dad wasn't the kind of guy who would put his foot down. Had my mother still been alive, my older brother would have never been able to get away with this.

I took no sides. I just tried to make it right. (If my mom had been alive, I know what she would have said. I'd have taken her side).

I was asked to mediate. I did. I offered the $10,000 (Free. Not a loan. A gift) and asked that my older brother give the money to the younger brother and apologize. I told my younger brother that, if he gets the $10,000, to accept and to apologize too. 

My younger brother accepted the terms, my older brother refused. Time went by and, after continued fights with my older brother and father that just kept making things worse, my younger brother's heart grew harder and colder still.

Finally, I gave my older brother an ultimatum. I told him that,

"This families problems are your making. Everyone knows that you don't borrow money from family and friends, yet you did. Then, when this problem became great, you came and asked for my mediation, I didn't want to get involved, but you asked. I did it for the family. You said you'd follow my decision. But you don't.... You have no honor.

Our father is sick and would like to see peace in the family, but, in your narcissistic obstinacy, you refuse. It's been nearly ten years, you asked for my help, you lied and refused. 

This borrowing money from family and friends is an old story and we all know what will happen. Father will die someday and you will still be the one responsible for this mess.

Now, until the day you fix this problem, I have no way to force you into doing what is right. So, until you do apologize to your younger brother and fix this mess you created, I will never speak to you again." 

That was at least 15 years ago.

My father died on Saturday night Sept. 25, 2011.

My brothers still haven't spoken to each other in about 20 years.

I have no intention of ever speaking to my older brother until he does what he said he would do. I am astounded that a guy who gets a multi-million dollar settlement cannot fix a $10,000 problem with his brother. I seriously think this person has some serious issues.

What do you think?

(This article originally appeared in 2011 - dates have been altered for today)

The Ventures, The 60s Surf Band, Still Big in Japan!

(That's me holding the poster for the "Ventures Final Show in Japan." I did drink with Don Wilson - the guy who is second from right - the one that looks like Rock N Roll Santa Claus. How could I forget that face? Nice guy.)

--------------------------------

This is a short post about some guys who really inspire me. You know them as "The Ventures." They were huge in the sixties all over the western world.
They are still big in Japan...

Here's what Wikipedia says about the Ventures: 

"The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling instrumental band of all time. In 2008, the Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their instrumental virtuosity, experimentation with guitar effects, and unique sound laid the groundwork for innumerable groups, earning them the moniker "The Band that Launched a Thousand Bands".

While their popularity in the United States waned in the 1970s, the group remains revered in Japan, where they tour regularly to this day. "

It's true. The Ventures are still big in Japan.

May I brag? I have drank with Don Wilson at a rip-off bar in Roppongi before...  I think that must have been in about 1988 or 1989. I have a photo around here someplace... If I can find it, I'll put it into this blogpost. Don was a nice guy and the boss of the bar was kissing his ass the entire time I was there and Don put me on the guest list for the show... (So, how could I forget, no matter how drunk I was? And I mean, how many people look like Burl Ives or a a Surfer Santa Claus?)

And don't really remember too much from that night excepting that Don was a nice guy, soft spoken, and I drank too much.

We drank Dom Perignon and it was outrageously expensive (I remember that). And I didn't have to pay anything, they paid. I was blown away that they would pay for some shitty DJ in Japan's drinks....

I vaguely remember the bar's name (I think it was "Chalace" or "Chantay" or something like that) and I have been by there in the last few years but it is now gone.

Good riddance.

I think it was like ¥90,000 (almost a thousand US dollars) for a few bottles of Dom Perignon and some snacks. What a rip off! Thank God my girlfriend and I didn't have to pay!

Anyway, like it says, the Ventures are still big (sort of) in Japan to this day. So big that they are actually having a "Final Show." Well, what the hell? I guess so, I thought all the original members were dead?

Anyway, a Final Live, they have!

It's kind of like my Punk Band when I was a youngster: every show we played was our "Final Show" (or "Last Final" or "Totally Final" or "Really, We're Not Joking This Time, Final" or "Seriously, the Final Final.")

But this just goes to show that if you have a brand and a name and an image, you gotta stick with it and live the dream.

The Ventures are playing Japan (again!) and the tickets are ¥6000 each! Holy Holy! That's $50 (USD) a pop! And the venue they are playing at The Mozart Hall at Katsushika Symphony Hills Mozart Hall and that place holds about 1300 people! You do the math: $50 x 1300 = $65,000 to go to Japan and play one night? Why not?

And that's not to mention what they get selling merchandise and a bunch of money from sponsors.

Is that cool or what?

So, well, the point is that:

1) Ventures are still big in Japan.

2) The Ventures can still come here and get paid to play and have fun.

3) They must all be in their late 60s or early 70s yet they can still tour the world and be treated like Rock Gods in Japan.

4) They probably still get to go out drinking in Japan and spend $1000 a night yet some rich Japanese person picks up the tab.

Scoff all you want... But you won't find me disrespecting these people.

They rock! They have lived the true "Rock and Roll Dream."

I wish I can do the same when I'm 80 years old! Don't you?

NOTE: Holy Shit! I just found out that Don Wilson was born in Feb. 1933! That makes him 82 years old as of the writing of this article! Wow! What a wonderful life! And he is on his final tour of Japan! You rock Don!!!! You are a hero!

------------------

This article reprinted from Robot55 ロボット・ゴー・ゴー (http://robot55.jp/blog/the-60s-surf-band-the-ventures-still-big-in-japan/)

2015 Kanda Festival in Tokyo, Japan!

2015 Kanda Festival in Tokyo, Japan! Article in English and Japanese. Great photos too! http://bit.ly/1Rx7Ewz 

The Kanda Matsuri is one of the three great Shinto festivals of Japan, along with Gion Matsuri in Kyoto and Tenjin Matsuri in Osaka! Kanda Shrine was founded in 730 AD.

Japan's ¥100 Bullet Train Coins

Did you know that the Japanese mint released 300,000 new ¥100 coins into circulation to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Shinkansen Bullet Trains the other day? No? Well, it doesn't seem like most people knew about it, either.

My wife's mom just came over and gave a set of the coins to my son. That's how I found out about it

Here's what the Japanese mint says about these coins from their webpage: (http://www.mint.go.jp/buy-eng/international-eng/eng_shinkansen_coin_program_index.html)

"A bullet train Shinkansen, which was developed for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, has been widely known for half a century, domestically as an important infrastructure supporting the lives of the Japanese people, and internationally as one of the symbols for Japan’s high technology. On October 1st, 2014, the Shinkansen marked the 50th anniversary of its opening. We release a series of commemorative coins featuring Shinkansen to commemorate of this anniversary between 2014 and 2016. It will include one 1,000 Yen silver proof coin and nine 100 Yen clad coins."

Since the mint only released 300,000 of these, I guess that's why not too many people had heard about it; the mint might have intentionally tried not to advertise too much because people go crazy over stuff like this. 

I know I would have. I collected coins and stamps (and baseball cards, comic books, etc.) when I was a kid.

As it was, according to my wife and mother-in-law, people were lining up at banks and post offices around the nation on the day of release to try to get a set. I'll bet you half a donut that the people who did line up - and were lucky enough to be able to get a set - did the "Apple Store" thing; they must have lined up from the night before. And, since each bank and post office only received a few sets, the sets were all gone within the first one minute on release date.

There's no way I would ever do that for computer stuff... For commemorate coins for my kid? Or for my own collection? OK. I suppose so.

It seems that there were lots of disappointed people who tried to get a set but couldn't.

These sets were virtually impossible to get if you were in Tokyo, but I hear they were a bit easier to obtain if you lived out in the country... 

Hokuriku Shinkansen 100 yen coin

Joetsu Shinkansen 100 Yen coin

Tokaido Shinkansen 100 yen coin

Sanyo Shinkansen 100 Yen coin

Shinkansen 100 Yen coin reverse

My kid seems to like them. I reckon the little boy in all men would like them too!