Reviews

Pretty much exactly as described...nice and roomy. I will be using mine as a carry-on for an upcoming plane trip and there will be plenty of room for a book or two, a magazine, my wallet, cell phone, digital camera, as well as snacks and wipes, etc for my pre-schooler. I like the front pouch, it has pen holders in it, in case you want to use it for a book bag...it would be nice for that, also. Very sturdy design, looks cool just like the photo. Large enough to carry a laptop, also, I would think.

Though it's sturdy in itself, my 10 year old couldn't carry all her 6th grade school books in it. She still loves it though, especially the bullet holders which are used now as pen holders. Very authentic, indeed. My fashionista rated it as VERY cool.

Product received exactly as described. Good heavy material with lots of room. Received item same week ordered. Would order from again.

This product is really nice and well made and sturdy. It differs a bit from the picture, mostly in the color, but I am still very satisfied with it.

This bag looks awfully cool, but over several months of light use it has developed a small hole in the front pocket. One of the metal buttons on this pocket pulled out of the fabric when I tried to pull it open.

Reviews

I build custom bicycles. There are a myriad of lighting systems for cyclists. Some range from nine dollars to over five hundred dollars. This particular light is not bad at all for the price. Depending on what your application is you have two mounting options and brackets. I mounted the light on a springer front end using one of the supplied brackets upside down and after enlarging the mounting hole. It is a reasonably well built light that is functional and surprisingly bright if aimed properly and you use both bulbs at once. It gives clear reasonable light for sight, but most importantly it allows motor vehicles to see you. The switch is a bit cheaply made and the contacts are sensitive but the LED bulbs and 9 volt battery power are efficient and work well. You can even remove the visor on the light if you prefer. All in all for the price it's a great light with perfect vintage style for a cruiser bicycle, and with the visor removed it can also work well for a vintage British 3 speed. The mounts are a bit flimsy, but with better hardware (stainless steel) you can make it reasonably tight and secure. It is the better of the lights out there of this style, and it is MUCH better than a vintage light that uses two D batteries and a flashlight bulb that is dim, yellow and has a black spot in the middle from the bulb. It looks great, works well and is cheap-all reasons to get one, and forget the made in Japan vintage lights on ebay. I would like to add that in addition to a headlight you should also use a flashing red LED taillight. Be safe.

Reviews

I have purchased Ellusionist cards in the past, and when I saw this new series, I decided I had to give them a try. The cards (like all Ellusionist cards) are good quality playing cards for everyday use. The unique feature with these cards are the faded, cracked look that makes them appear much older than they are. After opening the deck, the thought came to me that historical reenactors (such as cowboys, civil war and maybe even rendezvous) would like these for use at the reenactments. While they probably aren't of period design, they would be better than a "new" deck of cards. The cards themselves are of very good, but not great quality. You should expect a year or more of fairly constant play, but they aren't as high quality as KEM. However, they also don't cost near as much either. In summary, if you enjoy playing cards and are looking for something a little different than every other playing card out there - these are the cards for you.

Reviews

Alec, a disconnected, detached, melancholy young adult, tries to escape his family ties by moving to Japan and starting life with a clean slate. Except he can't. His awkwardness follows him and creates similar situations halfway around the world. Alec's lack of depth is astounding. He falls for an older Japanese woman, only to realize he lost her after she declares how difficult it is to love him. There's no urgency to his feelings, just acceptance of whatever happens. And then misgivings later. Or reliance on other people's advice. The book ends with a choice Alec makes, and one is left with the feeling that ultimately, it wouldn't have mattered what he decided. Schwartz' strong suit in this book is creating many endearing minor characters, particularly Grandfather. I am not comfortable with melancholy people, and do not enjoy reading about them. They bore me to tears. So to be fair to this writer, I wish to say that there are large swaths of literature that are highly regarded for which I have no patience. I might be in the minority.

Before the white foreigner in Tokyo became a common premise, this book was published. It was the writer's first novel, and I remember seeing it at the Tattered Cover (Denver's famous independent bookstore) and thinking it would be interesting to read about Tokyo and Japanese culture. This was in 1990 -- way before it became "cool" to ponder Japan (and even before we thought they were going to take us over with their televisions). This was also before there was so much hype surrounding novels, before novels were an event, or were praised for having incomplete sentences, stream of conciousness, and being full of themselves (wow, how genius!). I read this book finally a few days ago (a whole decade plus after buying it -- ooops!). I feel it was truly refreshing to read an old school, straight up novel, minus all the "look at how smart I am". It's a coming of age novel, and it was ahead of the Japan-phile curve. I think the other reviewers are kind of hard on this book (of course the narrator is selfish -- he's a recent college grad -- who isn't selfish at this stage?). The book won't change your life, but it's a good read, and you will feel sympathy for the narrator, who is trying to figure out his place in the world.

This is a book of contrasts. On the one hand, it is not your stereotypical story of a foreigner lost in Japan. The primary character, Alec, does speak Japanese and we get a sight (or perhaps a glimpse) of the world away from Roppongi and Nishi-Azabu. Apart from a few quasi-errors, I thought that descriptions of time spent away from the hackneyed gaijin hang-outs was the best part of the narrative. At the same time Alec remains rather detached from (and ungrateful towards) many of the people around him, preferring to take advantage of beautiful down-on-their-luck women and be pandered to by mother-substitutes. As a result, he is probably not the most sympathetic of main heroes. The family break-up sub-plot was rather limp but realistic enough.However the biggest failing in the novel is the almost total absence of humour. And Japan without a sense of humour is about as much fun as the drive from Narita to Central Tokyo.

I disagree with the other reviewers as to Schwartz's capturing of the Japanese portions of this book. Obviously Schwartz appears to have hit many of the images that those not familiar with Japan may have (without being stereotypical), but most of the images he evokes are not the real thing. From the start, for example, I have never known a Japanese family to host a foreigner without going to the airport to pick them up; I don't know of any bus from the airport that goes to Takedanobaba station; etc. Many of the vignettes, in fact, could have been gleaned from skimming the Western press (NY Times, Time, etc) social/cultural coverage of Japan. However, Schwartz's brief dips into scenes at a private boarding school and Ivy League college do hit the mark, making me think that he should have spent some more time doing his homework on the main setting (Japan).Beyond his characterizations, I found the story of a fresh-faced college graduate burdened by a Freudian mother complex, depressed by his parents' divorce, and engaged in ongoing conflict with a more athletic older brother so ready for exploitation (however cliche it may appear to some) and yet, it winds up rather lackluster. The author's depiction of Alec's self-absorption -- and at the same time, self-loathing -- was set out at least half decently in those scenes where he interacts with (and often treats poorly) Japanese women.Not the worst book of fiction written about Japan by a non Japanese, but far from the best.

Not too bad, from a descriptive standpoint. Schwartz is very familiar with Japanese tradition and customs and introduces his readers to these concepts freely. He does a wonderful job relaying the scenes about Japan as well, from the urban chaos to to serene outskirts. Where Schwartz seems to struggle is in the character development of Alec and the supporting cast. Too many of the plot devices used to move the story along seem contrived, seemingly there to 'force' a character to react to his or her surroundings. There is an almost 'unnatural' appearance to the way the characters respond to their situations, almost rushed and forced at times. Schwartz' work in Reservation Road is significantly stronger -- take a look if you get a chance.