Cheapest place to buy an Apple laptop?

I'm looking to get a Macbook, but I'm not sure what a good place in Japan would be?
I know many electronic stores in USA would have below retail price and sales every now and then, but I have no idea about Japan.

I could get one through eBay, which will save me about 300USD compared to retail prices for a mint condition one, but I kind of want a Japanese keyboard too.

Any alternatives to an Apple store @ retail pricing? Would there be sales during Christmas/New Years or something? Or would I be better off just getting one now?

I would think about this. You are unlikely to get much discount on an Apple product anywhere and it may well turn out to be cheaper at home. Also I wouldnt bother with the Japanese keyboard. Most Japanese people I have seen use a standard qwerty and dont bother with the Hiragana mapping.

Thanks for the reply. The Japanese keyboard is pretty much just for the aesthetics to be honest ;P

It probably would be cheaper back home, but I will be here at least until February, and lugging around a 3.5kg brick of a laptop isn't very practical right now.

You can try online retailers like kakaku and rakuten.
the kakaku.com deal below offers the mac book pro retina display for 94114yen if you sign up for a hikari internet contract in your home. Could be a good deal for someone just moving to Japan if not then 134114yen which is still cheaper than directly from apple
http://kakaku.com/item/K0000431335/?lid=ksearch_kakakuitem_image

rakuten price shown is not so different than buying direct from apple but here is the website anyway
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/hotlinworld/kh-hh-md212j-a-1024/

Alternatively you can buy in a large electronics store like yamada denki, yodobashi, bic camera etc. They all have point cards (ask) which you can use to get discounts on future purchases. Its usually quite a good deal compared to most of the worthless point cards I have in my wallet. Everytime you make a purchase they will ask you if you want to collect more points or use the existing points as a discount. Also dont forget to stick your card in the fruit machines on your way out for some bonus points.

Also dont forget to stick your card in the fruit machines on your way out for some bonus points.

Maybe it is different in Tokyo, but all the Yamada Denkis around me have gotten rid of their point cards :( You can't use the cards in the machines anymore, and they steer everyone to the smart phone apps or IC chips when you sign up for a new one.

It is kinda annoying because it is just one more step to get a lousy 50 points!

Still, if you were to get a laptop with them, you would have a lot of bonus points to spend on things like software and accessories, so Yamada Denki is a good deal. Other big electronic stores like Yodobashi Camera also often have good deals and sales. If you are okay in Japanese, you can also often bargain places down a bit; we've gotten some good deals on things like TVs by bargaining!

@ scarredragon
Yeah actually I have not bought any big electronic items for a while so you might be right about those machines all changing to smart apps etc. It makes sense but there is something fun about those fruit machines.

good point about bargaining....these days yamada denki etc are becoming more like showrooms not shops. People check what the products look and feel like before buying from another on-line retailer. All the denkiya sans are really scared about this situation because it takes away their business so if you show them the price you found online then the shop staff might match or beat the price. I have not tried it myself but a Japanese friend was telling me this situation is quite common nowadays.　I think the media are calling this phenomenon of checking in the shops and then buying online as ショールーミング (showrooming). Its something the shops are not happy about.

Bargaining huh? Sounds interesting. How much do you think they would go down? :P

as low as the price that you show them you found on line. But it is not guaranteed, it depends on the staff and your ability to communicate.

I found some prices here:

http://kakaku.com/item/K0000389688/

Are these brand new or are they refurbished or something, and that is why they are so cheap?

Could anybody please confirm this?

Yes, I believe those prices are legit. I checked out a few listings from some of the better known stores and they look like they are new stock.