Buying Knife (Kono) in Japan - experience?

I have a colleague coming over who wants to help me getting a Kono HD2 that I cannot find in the US/Canada and that has a long waiting list for vendors outside of Japan ...

Now, I want to make it as easy for my colleague as possible to get that knife for me. He lives close to Tokyo, but I would like to avoid sending him around "knife hunting". Any experience with online stores in Japan or certain vendors? I know that few of them sell direct outside of Japan, but I figured it'd be much easier within Japan. I contacted Kono directly, but they have not responded (yet) ...

Maybe anyone here went on a knife expedition to Japan in the past?

Thanks!

i thought they were only selling wholesale to over seas ? i think i read somewhere that the shop is just a office. could be completely wrong tho