Some of my most quality based items were crafted in Japan

[Naer]

My casio digital piano
my seiko solar watch

And my foil shaver

Always admire fine Japanese engineering and craftsmanship

Do you own"made in Japan" items?

 

[lxskllr]

Two chainsaws, four handsaws, a file. Probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. I hold Japan in the same esteem as Germany. I'm always pleased to see a 'made in Japan' label.

 

[herm0016]

Two chainsaws, four handsaws, a file. Probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. I hold Japan in the same esteem as Germany. I'm always pleased to see a 'made in Japan' label.

their tools are some of the best.

 

[dasherHampton]

My playstation models were all pretty darn good.

1 lasted for like 7 years, 2 lasted like 5 before I gave to away (as far as I know it still works) and I still have my BC 80 GB 3 and launch 4.

I need my 3 to last long enough for me to actually get into TLOU and play through the damn thing to see what all the fuss is about.

 

[gill77]

DSLR, automobile.

 

[Fritzo]

Japan is one of the countries I respect the most. The work ethic there rivals the US in the 1950s and they went from a rep of making cheap junk to making some of the world's most reliable and innovative products.


- Yamaha FG5 - one of my best acoustic guitars. Solid choice for performing.
- Audio Technica - used their mics for decades
- SONY - Well....just about anything from SONY is cool. I still use a 1990's SONY receiver because the preamp on the phono jack is fantastic!
- Nintendo - who doesn't love anything Nintendo?
- Seiko - my wife and I got matched Grand Seiko watches for one of our wedding anniversaries. They're real head turners during formal events.
- Toyota - I bought a 2006 Scion xA off the lot new, still have it, and the only repairs I've needed to do in the last 15 years were a belt, an alternator (which was on top of the engine and replaced in 20 minutes), and a new muffler. I used to use it to go to work, then gave it to my daughter, then my wife drove it to work for a while, and now it's used as a weekend pickup truck. You can fold the back seats down and it'll fil 24 bags of mulch
- Shun and Global - my most prized chef knives.

Lots of others...

 

[dasherHampton]

- SONY - Well....just about anything from SONY is cool. I still use a 1990's SONY receiver because the preamp on the phono jack is fantastic!

I use a STR - DE715 in my living room to this day.

It was the first expensive piece of stereo equipment I ever bought. Iv never felt compelled to upgrade it.

 

[Fritzo]

I use a STR - DE715 in my living room to this day.

It was the first expensive piece of stereo equipment I ever bought. Iv never felt compelled to upgrade it.

There's little reason to. Unless you go ultra high-end, receivers have actually gotten worse over the years. They used to focus on sound quality only, but now they have to split the budget on Bluetooth compatibility, wifi connectivity, apps, device compatibility, etc.

 

[BoomerD]

Two chainsaws, four handsaws, a file. Probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. I hold Japan in the same esteem as Germany. I'm always pleased to see a 'made in Japan' label.

Nowadays...sure.
I'm old. i remember when "Made in Japan" was the mark of cheaply made junk.

In my life, cheaply/poorly made products have been:

Made in Occupied Japan
Made in Japan
Made in Taiwan
Made in Korea
Made in China
Made in Thailand
Made in Vietnam

Now I'm seeing (so far mostly clothing items) made in various African nations.

Yes, there was a time when "Made in the USA" didn't necessarily mean better...as workers just stopped caring.

 

[purbeast0]

Most of the components in my home theater are made in Japan, aside from my speakers, which are a some pretty high end stuff made in Wisconsin I think. I'm also pretty sure Xbox Series X is not made in Japan.

But my projector, receiver, PS5, Switch, amp for subs ... those are all made in Japan I believe.

Not sure where Verizon FIOS boxes are made either.

 

[MrSquished]

Not much anymore, even all my Olympus OM-D bodies and lenses are made in Vietnam or an older one was China. I have a few very fine Japanese kitchen knives that are made in Japan, and they are absolutely gorgeous and sharp as the devil, a few watches like my Bulova Curvs and a Seiko. My PS4 Pro.

 

[Stiff Clamp]

Not sure what items I possess were made there. My Toyota was made in the NUMMI factory, back in the day. Which was in California, right? Anyway the VIN is a USA VIN.
The fact that it has been my daily driver for so many long years speaks well of the brand.

 

[Fritzo]

Nowadays...sure.
I'm old. i remember when "Made in Japan" was the mark of cheaply made junk.

In my life, cheaply/poorly made products have been:

Made in Occupied Japan
Made in Japan
Made in Taiwan
Made in Korea
Made in China
Made in Thailand
Made in Vietnam

Now I'm seeing (so far mostly clothing items) made in various African nations.

Yes, there was a time when "Made in the USA" didn't necessarily mean better...as workers just stopped caring.

I tell you what- Indonesia is turning into the new Japan. Their manufacturing infrastructure is growing exponentially and their production quality in general is very high. I noticed a lot of new mid-range guitars and music gear is being made there, and the samples I've seen so far have been fantastic.

 

[IronWing]

I haven't bought much from Japan lately. I guess my Kowa spotting scope was the last thing and it's pretty high quality.

 

[MrSquished]

I tell you what- Indonesia is turning into the new Japan. Their manufacturing infrastructure is growing exponentially and their production quality in general is very high. I noticed a lot of new mid-range guitars and music gear is being made there, and the samples I've seen so far have been fantastic.

Orbitgear makes packs and technical clothing. I'm Indonesia. Top notch quality

 

[Scarpozzi]

I like going to gift shops in tourist destinations and looking at where souvenirs are made.

15 years ago, a lot of Hawaiian souvenirs for sale were actually stamped "Made in the Philippines". Last year, many I saw were made in China.

It's pretty funny when you think about it and consider people still buy that crap.

 

[lxskllr]

When I was a kid it was Hong Kong that made the bottom of the barrel junk.

 

[BoomerD]

When I was a kid it was Hong Kong that made the bottom of the barrel junk.

Ah shit...I forgot about HK. IIRC, thet were after Japan and before Taiwan.

 

[Muse]

Two chainsaws, four handsaws, a file. Probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. I hold Japan in the same esteem as Germany. I'm always pleased to see a 'made in Japan' label.

I remember when Made in Japan meant it was crap. That was the 1950's, possibly extending into the 1960's, don't remember. But that all changed and in time Made in Japan came to mean it was very likely well engineered, well made, and made with pride. Now, I won't say it's universal. Some Japanese electronics isn't so great. Sony seems to have been better. A lot of Korean stuff is really good now. Taiwan is making by far the fastest chips on planet earth.

 

[Muse]

Japan is one of the countries I respect the most. The work ethic there rivals the US in the 1950s and they went from a rep of making cheap junk to making some of the world's most reliable and innovative products.


- Yamaha FG5 - one of my best acoustic guitars. Solid choice for performing.
- Audio Technica - used their mics for decades
- SONY - Well....just about anything from SONY is cool. I still use a 1990's SONY receiver because the preamp on the phono jack is fantastic!
- Nintendo - who doesn't love anything Nintendo?
- Seiko - my wife and I got matched Grand Seiko watches for one of our wedding anniversaries. They're real head turners during formal events.
- Toyota - I bought a 2006 Scion xA off the lot new, still have it, and the only repairs I've needed to do in the last 15 years were a belt, an alternator (which was on top of the engine and replaced in 20 minutes), and a new muffler. I used to use it to go to work, then gave it to my daughter, then my wife drove it to work for a while, and now it's used as a weekend pickup truck. You can fold the back seats down and it'll fil 24 bags of mulch
- Shun and Global - my most prized chef knives.

Lots of others...

I was really interested in boats at one point and worked for around 3 years on the docks at a marina where a lot of boats were sold, mostly new, some used. This was around 1977-1980. So, I spent most of my working days on boats, maintaining them. I had occasion, by virtue of this work, to go to a few boat shows. I went to one of these shortly before I stopped working on the docks and had a revelation. One of the exhibited boats (I worked almost exclusively on sailboats) was a Yamaha. It's price was similar to the ones that were for sale by the company I worked for. However it's superior quality was obvious to me. The contrast between what I was used to and what I was seeing when I toured that Yamaha was absolutely amazing. I was thoroughly disillusioned by this experience, and I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I shortly got fired when I made a flippant remark that my boss didn't like. I never looked for work on the docks again.

My acoustic guitar IS a Yamaha, however the sticker inside says it was made by YMMJ in Indonesia. I bought it at my local Costco warehouse must be around 20 years ago now. I don't know enough about guitars to pronounce upon it's quality, but it's nice looking, not too hard to play (I had its action improved by a guy I know who owned an instrument shop), it's an F310P.

I had two Sony receivers, I bought them at the same time at the same store, IIRC in the Sunset district of San Francisco and brought them home on B.A.R.T, some time in the 1970's. One was an engineering marvel and pretty expensive, the other a budget model. The latter went in my bedroom, the former in the living room. The expensive one died first. I looked into fixing it and didn't have it repaired. I think the problem was in one channel. My GF at the time asked me if she could have it and I gave it to her. The cheaper one eventually had a problem with the tuning mechanism. I have it in my garage now. Can tune it to one station, should still work. Minimal power, but OK.

My first portable FM radio was the famous Sony Walkman, I bought it about 1980 and still have it. I repaired that thing so many times it isn't funny. It looks like a caricature of itself. I don't know how else to describe it. Epoxy, splints, all manner of tricks and ruses to keep it working. I suppose it still does, but it's old tech and I don't bother.

Matsushita is the large Japanese conglomerate who had (maybe still has) the reputation for making the best consumer electronics around. I used to try to stick with them in general. They do NOT include Sony. They DO include Panasonic and several other brands.

 

[Muse]

I use a STR - DE715 in my living room to this day.

It was the first expensive piece of stereo equipment I ever bought. Iv never felt compelled to upgrade it.

Um, I think my best receiver was an STR-V55. Fancy breakthrough technology, (although just 55watts/channel). But it did die. The cheap one I got was, I think, the STR-V15? 15watts/channel? Doesn't seem possible but in the 1970s they didn't make cheap 100w/channel receivers like you came to see later AFAIK, much less 150w/channel.

Edit: I think I should get some Japanese kitchen knife/knives. Suggestions?

TBH, maybe I missed an era or something but my experience suggests that China has never come close to the abysmal quality that Japan was once known for in its post war exports.

 

[Fritzo]

I was really interested in boats at one point and worked for around 3 years on the docks at a marina where a lot of boats were sold, mostly new, some used. This was around 1977-1980. So, I spent most of my working days on boats, maintaining them. I had occasion, by virtue of this work, to go to a few boat shows. I went to one of these shortly before I stopped working on the docks and had a revelation. One of the exhibited boats (I worked almost exclusively on sailboats) was a Yamaha. It's price was similar to the ones that were for sale by the company I worked for. However it's superior quality was obvious to me. The contrast between what I was used to and what I was seeing when I toured that Yamaha was absolutely amazing. I was thoroughly disillusioned by this experience, and I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I shortly got fired when I made a flippant remark that my boss didn't like. I never looked for work on the docks again.

My acoustic guitar IS a Yamaha, however the sticker inside says it was made by YMMJ in Indonesia. I bought it at my local Costco warehouse must be around 20 years ago now. I don't know enough about guitars to pronounce upon it's quality, but it's nice looking, not too hard to play (I had its action improved by a guy I know who owned an instrument shop), it's an F310P.

I had two Sony receivers, I bought them at the same time at the same store, IIRC in the Sunset district of San Francisco and brought them home on B.A.R.T, some time in the 1970's. One was an engineering marvel and pretty expensive, the other a budget model. The latter went in my bedroom, the former in the living room. The expensive one died first. I looked into fixing it and didn't have it repaired. I think the problem was in one channel. My GF at the time asked me if she could have it and I gave it to her. The cheaper one eventually had a problem with the tuning mechanism. I have it in my garage now. Can tune it to one station, should still work. Minimal power, but OK.

My first portable FM radio was the famous Sony Walkman, I bought it about 1980 and still have it. I repaired that thing so many times it isn't funny. It looks like a caricature of itself. I don't know how else to describe it. Epoxy, splints, all manner of tricks and ruses to keep it working. I suppose it still does, but it's old tech and I don't bother.

Matsushita is the large Japanese conglomerate who had (maybe still has) the reputation for making the best consumer electronics around. I used to try to stick with them in general. They do NOT include Sony. They DO include Panasonic and several other brands.

In the early 90s Matsushita was the star of PC swap meets as they had some of the lowest cost/best performing CD drives on the market.

My first 2x speed CD drive was a Matsushita. I remember being super excited because I bought X-Wing on CD at the same time, so I had incentive to get it hooked up. If I recall it had its own proprietary interface and card it had to use. Compared to using floppy disks this was SO futuristic

 

[Fritzo]

Edit: I think I should get some Japanese kitchen knife/knives. Suggestions?

TBH, maybe I missed an era or something but my experience suggests that China has never come close to the abysmal quality that Japan was once known for in its post war exports.

Check out Shun and Global. Don't get a set, get 3 knives: an 8" Santoku, an 8" or 10" chef's knife, and a paring knife. (Optional: a 10"-12" serrated knife comes in handy for slicing bread if you do that a lot).

As for China/Japan: it has to do with ethics, government, and oppression. China regulates and oppresses its people, so as a result workers there tend to get abused and companies do shady things to get around regulations (if there even are any). This "always trying to scam the system" mindset leads to poor production quality. Now- manufacturing quality HAS improved there, but it still has a long way to go. Workers aren't paid well, they fight for low wage jobs due to population...it's not a nice place to live if you're in the manufacturing trade.

Japan was like this at one time, but the Japanese have an honor system they abide by, and that reflects on their work ethic. People are paid well there, education is stressed so engineering skills are always advancing, and the manufacturing quality reflects that. Korea is following this same path.

 

[DigDog]

defective parts joke?

An american company subcontracts a parts manufacture to a japanese company; their spec sheets says "to be produced as detailed - 3 subspec parts per 1000"
The japanese company ships the product, and attaches a note "1000 parts as requested; instructions unclear, 3 additional subspec parts crafted and included with shipment".


It's well known that Japan produces *everything* with a higher level of .. with a higher level. Better work ethics, better attention to detail, they put a great social importance in the pursuit of perfection.

It does come at a price that impacts them on the global market. They are difficult to work with. They are overly attached to tradition.
In 2010/2011 i was working as a videogames tester, and the Japan office used PAPER FORMS as their bug tracker. THEY . WROTE . PAPER . AND . FAXED . IT .

While sitting at their computers.

They kill themselves with work too.

It's not right to say that they are bad at innovation, but they have a tendency to move forward and ignore lateral thinking. You can bet your left asscheek that the next Honda engine willl be better, but you need an 'murican to build you an electric car. That sort of lateral thinking.

And finally, their stuff is eeeeexpensive.

 

[Muse]

Check out Shun and Global. Don't get a set, get 3 knives: an 8" Santoku, an 8" or 10" chef's knife, and a paring knife. (Optional: a 10"-12" serrated knife comes in handy for slicing bread if you do that a lot).

Are those dimensions the blade length or tip to tip including the handle? I do slice bread frequently. I have a German knife for that, 13" tip to tip, the blade is 8" long. I keep it super sharp, it's unserrated. I have serrated knives but when this thing is really sharp it does a great job, as long as the loaf is nice and firm. I let my loaves cool 3+ hours before slicing, a cool loaf slices better than warm. My loaf slicer:

ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS
SOLINGEN GERMANY

NO STAIN FRIODUR
31070-200mm (8")

My favorite day in day out blade is one I found in the bushes next to our town's swap meet!!! It's a handsome thing, 11.25 inches tip to tip. On the blade it says: Molybdenum Japan


I sharpen it nearly daily. I wash and dry it after each usage. I figure that the edge will hold better when so treated.

I'll pursue your suggestions, thanks!