I love Japan and that looks like a good reason to go back! (actually any thing is a good reason to go back.
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I have at least a half dozen packages of shredded squid in my pantry at all times. I use it a lot in things I cook and for snacking on.
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How long will you be in Japan?
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At least 2 years. My husband is here to help establish a new office in Japan. If it’s successful after 2 years, we’re probably here permanently. Then maybe he can start a branch in another, more relaxed part of Japan…preferably the cheaper southern area… with less hills…Tokyo is so hilly… but I’m really enjoying my time here.
Even though it’s Tokyo, it’s still way cheaper than California, and the people are very friendly- though i know they get friendlier the more I’m in the “countryside,” they are still very friendly here.
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Some of the most hospitable people in the world. I have been in like 27 countries and Japan has a very special place in my heart.
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What amazing fun! I would be so poor after a visit there.
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OMG. I’m glad I didn’t totally wear you out on Sunday!
It’s killing me to not go visit this shop, but I walked 16K steps yesterday and just got hit with a cold, so I’m laying low. And living vicariously…
Bonus? I was a total champ on the public transportation yesterday thanks to you!
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That’s awesome! It was nice to have a small glowforge meet up in tokyo. And I’m still recovering from karaoke with the family in Friday. I think i still would’ve gone even if i had run a marathon the day before because i needed the grey (or is it gray?)
Im personally thankful they had one single sheet of something i could make work, because the next shop they recommended was another 30 minutes opposite from home.
Maybe if i can get a few people together, we can have a small get-together at the shop. I want to learn how they polish these pieces with zero surface scratches.
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Ooh. Maybe they would do a Zoom class at some point. I noticed they have a bunch of videos on their site with all sorts of great tutorials.
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I didn’t even notice. I guess i was too busy trying to find gray in their inventory. Too bad they aren’t open today. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip. Today my body hates me. I just hobbled back downstairs to go back to bed.
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An amazing adventure! And what a mass of treasure to discover. I have not even managed to make it to the po-box a half mile away in months as even walking across the room is hard. Reading about it is like hearing about a real live video game.
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Any chance they’re flame polishing it? You get a glass smooth surface with no scratches.
Or you get a melty mess. All depends on your skill 
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They told me they use a stone grinder.
I bought one piece, only because it was the closest color to what i needed, but they only had this tiny piece.
But the other scraps they had are left over pieces from them cutting dog-tag style keychains and earrings. So they were jagged and small, but every one of them was smooth with rounded edges. I can’t imagine grinding ALL of those pieces. At first i thought they told me they used a rock tumbler. But it was stone grinder…
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Wow! Thank you for sharing the pictures! I love the lace and floral. I wonder what the coffe ground acrylic will smell like when you cut or raster it. (I have some 3D filament that smells like coffee when I print with it…)/ All of the colors are wild! I now live a 7.5 hour highway drive to my nearest acrylic shop. But the delivery trucks know how to find my house…
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I’ve never lived near an acrylic shop that i know of. It was a change being able to see the pieces in person. I used to order from out of state. The ones i tried going to in person in California, the sign shops and “acrylic shops” wanted to charge me ridiculous prices. The ones i went to never had a person come in asking to buy sheet acrylic before. One shop told me 60 dollars for a piece of 12x20 clear acrylic, so i just ordered online.
This place isn’t cheap either, but i imagine if i actually sold physical products made from the acrylic, i could easily make the price worth it. It’s a bit pricey for wanting to test, so i need to get to work and make things!
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Like exotic hardwoods vs basswood, you put the same amount of work but the value of the result can be much greater. One thing I learned that was a big difference between the way Japanese and Americans think was that here the box it comes in is often cardboard and tossed away, while there the quality of the container speaks a lot of the quality of the piece inside and kept with the piece for life. This may be mostly for gifts, or artwork as it was an artist friend that sold her stuff in Japan that I learned it from, but making such containers might be a worthwhile thing to look into.
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Oh, my goodness! I would get in trouble for spending too much at a store like this! I saw so many beautiful pieces I’d love to have! The colors and patterns are exquisite! I’d love to find such a store near me (southern US- closest to Atlanta, GA).
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What do you use to color in the acrylic letters?
If you’re talking about this:
that’s layered acrylics - so white background, and red and grey letters glued to the white.
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Yes, i like to buy colored acrylics (along with clear). But the ones in the sign were solid colored acrylics.
If you’re asking about the acrylics in the store, he owner uses a variety of methods, including mixing recycled paints from old paint cans in his manufacturing process, to make acrylic.
Ive colored clear acrylic in the past with alcohol inks. This is one project that I’ve colored before:
And here is a different picture of the sign i made so you can see the letters and their shadow.
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