WTB: A Paradosu (Japanese umbrella cane)

[Terminusvitae]

I had a link to a seller on Japanese Yahoo! who was selling them, but the link is broken. So, here's a pic:

http://x68stage.ddo.jp/casper/sunbbs/f/060223091825.jpeg

It's an umbrella cane in which, via a sliding mechanism, the umbrella furls and unfurls from inside the cane itself. I had one of American make when I was in my early 20s, but someone (me) managed to break the shaft of the cane, and no repair shop or even a metal shop could/would fix it. A friend of mine who used to live in Japan directed me to a link on Japanese Yahoo!, but the seller wouldn't ship outside of Japan.

So, who lives in Japan and is willing to buy one and sell it on to me? I've searched every flea market, yard sale, junk shop, and antique store I've visited since that fateful day when mine was destroyed, and I have never found another umbrella cane like it.

I'm going to keep this thread going until I get my hands on one!

[Terminusvitae]

Sadly, I'm still searching for the kind of umbrella cane I've described in the first post. I had one years ago, but it was destroyed in an accident, and I have never, ever been able to track down a replacement. There was a posting for a can exactly like the one I had on Rakuten, but the seller would not ship outside Japan and the item is no longer listed on that site.

I know there have to be other umbrella canes like this out there. If anyone knows where I can get one, even if it's an international seller, I would be greatly appreciative.

[Steve W]

Whoops, sorry, I posted a rakuten.com link that you've already looked over.

[Terminusvitae]

Whoops, sorry, I posted a rakuten.com link that you've already looked over.

It may indeed have been one that I'd looked at before; part of the trouble was that the seller I'd mentioned in the first post took down their listing a month or so after I originally created this thread. If there's a new seller (or an old seller) with one of these gadgets, I wonder how much bargaining it would take to convince them to ship outside Japan just this once.

I've thought about trying to get an umbrella cane contracted through one of the many metalworking/CNC shops here in town, but I'd probably get laughed out of the building for having such a ridiculous request.

[Terminusvitae]

I may have found a lead. There's a website called Nicheee that has this product listed for 2,900 yen:

http://www.nicheee.com/archives/1985174.html

It's on an older page on their site, but if I can get a response from their Facebook people (one of the times I wish I knew a lick of Japanese), maybe they can point me in the direction of where this kind of umbrella cane can be purchased.

[Gameguy]

Are any of these ones suitable? It seems most places design them so they can still be used as a cane even when you're using them as an umbrella. I guess they assume people will still need the cane to walk even when it's raining.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/230939967/german-hidden-umbrella-gadget-cane-1920s

http://greysonplace.com/crook-handle-hidden-umbrella-cane

https://www.amazon.com/Vista-International-9504-Umbrella-Stick/dp/B0010XWVT4

https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/pin-stripe-gentlemans-hidden-cane-umbrella

[Terminusvitae]

Are any of these ones suitable? It seems most places design them so they can still be used as a cane even when you're using them as an umbrella. I guess they assume people will still need the cane to walk even when it's raining.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/230939967/german-hidden-umbrella-gadget-cane-1920s

http://greysonplace.com/crook-handle-hidden-umbrella-cane

https://www.amazon.com/Vista-International-9504-Umbrella-Stick/dp/B0010XWVT4

https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/pin-stripe-gentlemans-hidden-cane-umbrella

I appreciate your checking around, Gameguy! Sadly, those umbrellas aren't quite like what I'm looking for, but I'm hoping to be able to track something down.

[Terminusvitae]

Dang it: no response from Nicheee. They probably don't take international orders or don't bother answering messages written in English. Not that I can blame them, as I imagine any number of places here in the States would figure it's too much trouble to try to translate Japanese.

[jb143]

Have you tried doing a reverse image search? And then on all the similar images it finds? I saw several Japanese Yahoo! listings, blog posts, what appears to be store listings, etc... Might lead to something.

[Gameguy]

Have you tried doing a reverse image search? And then on all the similar images it finds? I saw several Japanese Yahoo! listings, blog posts, what appears to be store listings, etc... Might lead to something.
I tried that originally but didn't have much luck, everything basically linked to different pages that all seemed to link to the same source which was several years old and now out of date and defunct.


Dang it: no response from Nicheee. They probably don't take international orders or don't bother answering messages written in English. Not that I can blame them, as I imagine any number of places here in the States would figure it's too much trouble to try to translate Japanese.
Just a possible tip, if you have to email someone in another language just run it through google translate before you send it. Explain in your message that you've had to translate it to excuse any possible broken or awkward language. It's more considerate to try and translate it yourself if you can.

[Terminusvitae]

Have you tried doing a reverse image search? And then on all the similar images it finds? I saw several Japanese Yahoo! listings, blog posts, what appears to be store listings, etc... Might lead to something.

I admit I forgot all about reverse image searching. Definitely, as you say, more information is popping up. I'll save a few items as bookmarks and get back to them when I have more time. Thank you for the tip!

[Terminusvitae]

So, even directly chatting with a representative from the Rakuten sales site didn't turn up any leads. I know these things exist, so I may just have to hop a plane to Japan and wander the streets of Tokyo until I find one or get stabbed.

[Nz17]

Now I can't guarantee this, but I think what you are looking for could be more easily found if you search for the Japanese words "umbrella" (傘) and "cane" (杖) on various retail sites or Web search engines. Searching for 杖傘, I was able to find some on Amazon.co.jp but the sellers wouldn't ship internationally. However they looked to be the type of product that you are seeking.

What about the ones where the umbrella fabric is on the outside but it is otherwise the same? I found a bunch of those on eBay.

What about the kind where the cane part and the umbrella part separate into two?

[Terminusvitae]

Sorry for taking so long to thank you for the advice, Nz17. I'm still looking (and at this point it's probably my Sisyphean task), but your suggestions have helped me find several more sites to search.

It would be easy enough to find either of the other umbrella cane types you mentioned, but I want to exhaust every avenue I possibly can before I commit to finding a different style of umbrella cane than the one I had.

[Gameguy]

I kind of hoped that your next reply would have been to say you finally located one. If anything, if you finally give up and buy a different umbrella, preferably an expensive one with high shipping costs, then you'll find the actual one you want somehow back in production and easily available for a good price.