I found a listing for these on Ebay. They are Shinobue/Fue made by Suzuki ($30-$90 plus $17 shipping from Tokyo) they look to be very well made (check out the taper on this bamboo! 
).
Anyone have experience with these or a simular flute. They have 7 toneholes and are available in 8 different sizes (tunings). Here’s a link to one of their listings: Pardon Our Interruption...
All the Best!
Jordan
I tried just once in my life (though I am Japanese).
8 hon choushi is the most similar to what we call the muscial scale in classical music (for the scale in C).
Lesser the number, it decreases the tone by about demi-tone, however, the traditional Japanese scale is very ambigueous so if you think to play as solo, no probs.
In addition, there are some shinobues that are made for the musical scale. a=440
You’ll find some general info here: http://www.mejiro-japan.com/