you can get some great deals on stuff here for a variety of reasons. many stores are on some hard to get lists. getting large allotments of trophy/hard to find wines. many stores here treat their wine as a simple commodity, rarely changing prices as mkts change over time. also they don't adjust for fx moves so if $ gets stronger, their yen prix is unchd. i got a case of 1990 montrose for $45 a bottle for example when $/yen was 145. nuts. also the 1996 verget's were here at better prx than in the states. lots and lots and lots of it. also liquor taxes are small here. vodka for example is almost free (absolute bottle about $8-10).....champagne is cheap (dom peri for about $62, grand dame for about $70)......they sell dom in some convenience stores in central tokyo. no joke. many of the wines in wine spectator are cheaper in tokyo than what the mag says they shud sell for in the us. also since taxes are low i just air ship boxes of aussie wine for substantially less than you wud pay in states even after air freight and import duties.