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This is a question Waste of money

I once paid a small fortune to a solicitor in a legal case. She got lost on the way to court, turned up late with the wrong papers and started an argument with the judge, who told her to "shut up, for the love of God". A stunning investment.

Thanks to golddust for the suggestion

(, Thu 30 Sep 2010, 12:45)
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A few moons ago
I was in the land of the rising sun and though it'd be a good idea to look up and see how much an authentic Katana blade would set me back and if I had the proverbial snowflake's chance in hell of affording it.
I asked around - in itself a feat - and was finally (Tokyo addressing anyone? Non-fucking-existant!) directed to what looked like someone's front room in a Tokyo backstreet. The other half was starting to get a bit sweary at me by now as this was looking more and more like a News Headline by the minute (think "2 Tourists disemboweled in Tokyo Backstreet").

It turns out this is probably the most famous and authentic place to buy a very sharp, 800 year old, strip of metal on the planet. Here they had what has to be the most impressive array of bladed weaponry that I have seen outside of the Tokyo Sword Museum (or The British Museum when the TSM lent them). No price tags, of course.

The very Zen looking old man sitting Lotus in the corner looked up and smiled. I asked (realising by now the answer was going to be a resounding "no") if there was anything I was likely to ever be able to afford while keeping both kidneys and the wife. I also did the international sign of can-I-have-the-bill-please, you know, the finger-pen on paper-hand.

In the best British accent by an oriental gentleman I've ever heard (OK, who wasn't brought up on the UK, you know what I mean) - not a trace of L-R swap or the inability to pronounce certain consonants - he said: "Unlikely, sir."

You see, the cheapest blade he had went for £25,000. The most expensive was more than triple what my house is worth.

I sat there for half an hour talking to him about swords. He was a fantastic chap.
(, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 7:05, 2 replies)
Great story!
Have a click!

As a bloke who's borked somewhere north of two grand on swords over the years, I feel the collective pain here.

May I suggest for future purchases you look at Korea? Same traditional folding methods, comparable quality but significantly less outlay.
(, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 11:02, closed)
Yes, but still
It's a bit like getting a Nissan 350Z when you could have a Porche 911. It's just as good, a lot cheaper and nowhere near the same :)

/edit: And thank you.
(, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 19:30, closed)
I put it to you....
...that the best way forward was to buy the cheapest sword, disembowel him with it, snatch all of the other swords, have a spectacular fight out of the back street. Steal a car, race across town, avoiding the Yakuza mobsters, Japanese government officials and the agents of a shady pan-global corporation that mysteriously appear on the scene, each wanting the swords for their own nefarious purposes.

All of this culminating in a tense stand-off on top of a multi-story car park between yourself and the 3 rival factions. Throw a bag of swords to each group, allow them to fight amongst themselves while you leap aboard a helicopter that appears for no reason, fly to Hollywood... sell the story to a film director and use the profits to buy all of those swords legitimately......

Thats what I would have done anyway.
(, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 11:50, closed)
damn, Damn, DAMN
A golden opportunity WASTED!

DAMN YOU KRAPOTKIN!
(, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 19:31, closed)

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