Misawa

Ichi - Where did you find out about the sword shop in Misawa? I am going to head over there once I find it (Japanese addresses are a bit hard to pinpoint - they do not believe in marking addresses on the actual houses and shops up here) But, I would like to see if there are other shops in some larger cities up here, chiefly Hachinohe and Aomori. Thanks Scott

Thanks for the info - What about the possiblity of finding good items are flea markets?

I am new to Japanese sword collecting and I have been reading up on what to look for in finding genuine Nihonto. I currently live in Northern Japan. I am just starting to find some items here in both small antique shops and flea markets. The question I have is do you hear of many fakes being in this region? I would think living in northern, rural Japan, the market would be pretty pure - there are not many swords to choose from, and not too many customers looking at those items. (Hence, no need for influx of fakes) However, I don't have much experience in collecting to be sure. So any thoughts on this region would be great. Also, I have visited some large flea markets down in larger Japanese cities like Tokyo & Kyoto. Are there possibilities of fakes in those markets as well? Or, are there diamonds in the rough to be found there? Or, should I just wait until returning to the US to purchase? Thanks Scott V.