Here's what Metropolis' John McGee wrote about us:

The English-speaking proprietors at these Japanese antique shops can help salve even the most acute collecting afflictions.

An easy place to start is in Kurofune, a three-story house of antiques crouched behind a cherry tree on a Roppongi backstreet. Owner John Adair, a gregarious Chicago native who opened his shop 25 years ago, calls it "the broadest-ranging collection of any shop in Tokyo." With over 50 tansu (chest) on hand, it's also one of the largest.

Adair specializes in only the highest quality unrestored and unrefinished Japanese antiques. "I look for unusual things, not necessarily expensive things, in their original condition," he says. These include old maps, signed ikebana baskets, porcelain hibachi, and indigo-dyed futon covers.

Still, you can expect to pay up to ¥7.5 million for the lustrous patina that the wood on some of the most desirable items-tansu, kitchen chests, sea chests and other well-loved furniture-have developed over decades of use. Adair says the main reason for such high prices is the declining numbers of quality items. Since the bubble, the antique market has become increasingly tight. "We had a much, much larger and broader selection of top quality pieces 10-15 years ago," he says.

Adair's advice to shoppers is to buy what you like, preferably in original condition, and to always buy the best you can afford. For those visiting flea markets, he adds, "Caveat emptor… a lot of stuff is rebuilt or refinished. You're fresh meat at a flea market, but then so am I."

From Metropolis, August 15, 2003