Responses from Whole/Natural Prey Suppliers
Even though you can not buy them and may not be able to read it, it is still fun to browse through all the beautiful artwork and goodies and get some ideas along the way. So with that in mind, here is a hand-held guide through the top online ferret shops in Japan, those being the ones that come to the National Championships:
Show me! Show me!
SHOPS:
Interferret Shop: One of the major sponsors of the JFA shows. The best and easiest description for Interferret is that it has all the variety that the old ferretstore.com had. The colorful tags at the top let you browse through all the sections. If you do not feel like clicking through all the the sections, here is a translated list, Left -> Right:
home - FOOD - TREATS - SUPPLIMENTS - OUTDOORS - HEALTH CARE - BODY & BEAUTY - HAMMOCKS ETC. - PLAY TOYS - FERRET GOODS FOR HUMANS - HOMES - CAGE ACCESSORIES - FASHION - SUMMER GOODS - OUTLET
HIGHLIGHTS:
. Just about everything is a must see. Probably the most comprehensive online ferret store in Japan.
In addition to the store, you might want to visit this page brought to you by Interferret. The top half is directions to the store while the bottom portion with all the thumbnails are short ferret clips called "show breed introduction movies". The buttons to click look like this:
Junk-mart
Yes, an unfortunate name. One day I will ask them why, but name aside, very friendly people with lots of goodies. To the left you will see in English "item list". Below that are links to these following sections:
NEW ITEMS - CELL PHONE STRAPS - METAL PINS - POSTCARDS - STICKERS - NOTEPADS/BOOKS - TOTE BAGS - HAMMOCKS - BEDDING - TOYS - HANDY GOODS
HIGHLIGHTS:
. HANDY GOODS has special sized hangers for your fuzzy clothing
. STICKERS has some of the cutest and cleverest stickers I have ever seen here. I personally have "Itachi Inside" on my laptop and "carnivorous" on my electronic dictionary. ("itachi" means weasel.)
Tamura Norie's Knit Kits
Not an online store, but a popular vendor at the shows. This is the only site she lists since she does not sell online. It is a blog of her and her 2 ferrets, Koge and Kuma. There are always pictures of her knit goods and her fuzzies, so it makes for a nice visit.
HIGHLIGHTS:
. The knitted goods, especially the handknit ferrets.
MameMarimo
Another very popular vendor with original goods. They have recently opened an online store as of April this year. And, not surprisingly, everything is sold out. The picture above is from that "sold out" section. There is nothing to shop for right now. ^.^ This is their blog where you can view many of their previous creations. Even better, click the gallery link shown on the left HERE and see some really amazing works from 2006 and HERE for 2007!
HIGHLIGHTS:
. Famous for her oven-baked clay ferret figures which are often featured in JFA's postcards. These are an absolute MUST see.
Ferret-ya
Currently they are updating so links to the goods are down. As always, I will continue to check and post the direct links as they become available.
HIGHLIGHTS:
. Have the absolutely best aprons and tote bags. (as many of the American Judges will attest to.~.^ )
The Old Weasel Lady
Not an online store, but another vendor at the shows. This is the only site she lists since she does not sell online. It is a blog of her and her 2 ferrets. There is always lots pictures of her painted goods and her fuzzies, so it makes for a nice visit.
HIGHLIGHTS:
. All her ferret related posts can he found HERE
LaLa's Factory
Online clothing store. They were at the 16th Championship, but they had no handouts (or ran out). Fortunately, going through older files this morning, I found their card in with the 15th Championship so I was able to add them too!
After you click "Enter" on the top page, the store front will open. On the left are the categories. Although the sell other goods and have many "brands", they are mainly known for their handmade clothes. The categories from the top left until "Other Goods" are as follows:
TOP - Site Map - How to Order - Regarding Sizes - About our store
VESTS - LONG VESTS- BANDANNAS - MUFFLERS & NECK PIECES - DRESSES - JAPANESE STYLE PIECES - COLD WEATHER PIECES - HAWAIIAN - COUNTRY - NAMEABLE - MATCHING SETS - STRAWBERRY KIDS (brand) - COSTUMES
HIGHLIGHTS:
. Clothes. Clothes. and more Clothes! Everything is nice here, though.
Faru's Forest
Another online store. Faru's specializes in cell phone straps and little home decorations also made of clay. They warn that these are particularly delicate though.
HIGHLIGHTS:
. The ferrets in the dessert dish are very cute. The dessert is a popular summer dish called "anmitsu".
Although 95% of retailers in Japan will not ship overseas, apparently, you can now request items through this store, Crescent Shop. I have never used it, so I can not speak for how it works or how good it is. What I can offer is a way to try and lower your S/H costs. They may say, "Forget it. It's our way or the highway, baby.", but it is worth a try to try to get them to change their Shipping.
SHIPPING:
As with most things, there are options. And although EMS is well-known, it is not the only way to ship from Japan. Matter of fact, I NEVER ship EMS unless a client requests it.
Shipping Options:
EMS: strictly airmail. As such, it is expensive, but fast.
SAL: a mixture of sea and air shipping. Takes 2-3 weeks, or twice as long as EMS (1/2 as long as Funabin.)
FUNABIN: strictly sea mail. As such, it is cheap and slow. Runs around 4-6 weeks to get your goodies.
I personally prefer and recommend SAL.
