Just Bento

Ah, that would explain it. And is there also some odd law about not being able to sell both to Japan and to the rest of the world? Japan is the only country they can't ship to! Seems very strange. When I see something there that I want, I have to get Yoshio to find it elsewhere so he can buy it and get it delivered to his Mum for him to bring back next time he's visiting. Postage from Japan is not cheap.

I think the Royal Mail must be government subsidised too, because anything I buy from England has either cheap or free postage and gets here way way faster than anything from America.

Edit: No, that doesn't explain it. The rrp in England works out to only 1900 yen, and in the US to 1724 yen. So they're cheaper even before the discounting.

Bento & Co has become a great favorite of mine, and not only because they stock most of the styles of items which appeal to me, and very little of what doesn't, and ship at light speed; Thomas Bertrand is a consummate businessman and such a joy to deal with on the two occasions I've asked for information or assistance that I'd rather snorkel to Japan than buy from some other firms I could name; this, while the customer service at Amazon has given me more than my share of sick headaches over the years, but per volume they're not so bad.

That is not to say I won't recommend my friends and family go through Maki's Amazon links to purchase the book (if they get to it before I do, as I have some gift plans in that direction). I certainly will, and it's likely the deliveries will all come in fine; any road, the risk is worth getting Maki some well-deserved bonuses certes.

However, since I was placing an order when I found The Just Gorgeous ... er, Just Bento Cookbook on Bento&Co, I took the chance to have it now rather than wait; for the roughly US$6-10.00 difference in price, which I can make up by skipping a few subway rides at US$2.50 a pop, I paid for what otherwise would be months of waiting. I'm really thrilled to have in my hands and read through several times in the past couple of days a cookbook that will help me in lots of ways now when I need it most, and besides has given hours of pleasure already. :-} I also decided to say no more of it on the forum once I learned of the Amazon arrangement, but changed my mind when I saw your reply and thought others might care to hear my reasoning on the subject.

Another element in this connection is that by paying the small extra bit, I have supported a business I really, really appreciate and do *not* want to see "go away" like so many other small family-operated purveyors whom I sorely miss -- and finally, by doing so I've earned a 20% discount off my next order with them, which needless to say will substantially surpass US$6.00.

Thus it's a win for all involved, as the overall calculation produced benefits difficult to argue with, and I'm frankly delighted with every aspect of this purchase.