I just got back from my holiday in Tokyo. Bloody long way from Bermuda.
Whilst there I picked up a shamisen and some accessories from Kameya shamisen shop. What a great place! Lovely shop with wonderful warm, helpful people. They recommended Bachido as the place I should learn to play! I will take their advice 
What did you get for the shamisen?
And how good is their selection of accessories? Will probably visit myself…
If I’m not mistaken they are the people who do the Fibersen. Great service. I was in the process of buying a new Doukake from them at the same time as I had shipped my Dou off to Masahiro to get the Fibersen put on it. They guy e-mail me after he realized that the shipping addresses were the same, confirmed my order and put them all in one box.
Real cool guy, great stuff on the website.
It seemed to me like they had a lot of accessories, mostly tucked away behind a counter. That said, I have never been in another shamisen shop to compare against…I wanted to visit more, but it didn’t seem fair to drag my wife around Tokyo in search of the perfect bachi
Oh wow! That’s awesome that they knew about Bachido!! I’ve been wanting to visit Kameya and such shops for several years, but I’ve always been a bit shy to go. The folks there seem like such nice people, this year I just might finally make it happen.
Happy that a great time there, Philip!
Definately worth going Kyle. I had great fun getting there, got lost several times once I came out of the station. Still have not worked out how to find things in Tokyo with only a street address. Wish I had a phone with GPS sometimes, but I enjoyed getting lost too.
I bought my shamisen online from Kameya two years ago. Two months ago I went to Tokyo and found the shop and had a wonderful time meeting the family of Kameya. Shamisen shops are rare in Japan but Kameya is first class.
I have been dealing with Kameya for decades! They take good care of my nagauta shamisens, and I bought a karin practice model there. It is worth it to drop in even if you don’t buy anything, although I don’t know if anyone speaks English other than the son, Isao. They can also tell you about the izakaya that has the best sake in Japan (= in the world). Hint: it’s in Sangenjaya.