I have a pair of Ryoba saws from Dieter Schmidt Fine Tools;
http://www.fine-tools.com/ryoba.htm
These cut quickly and leave a very clean edge, however the finish does get messier if the teeth on the opposite blade get into the cut. I am finding it difficult at times to get straight or vertical cuts due to the flexibility of the blade and my technique. I think they do need a fair bit of practice to get the best out of them.
I also have some Z saws from;
http://www.woodworkprojects.co.uk/index ... ort=normal
The guy who runs this is very helpful and posting was quick and he does some very good deals on bulk orders. The Z saws are "meatier" and they also have blades specifically for Oak, which I've used and work well. I've found these seem to give a less than clean cut though in comparison to the Bakuma.
I wouldn't say Japanese saws are over-priced, but they are expensive to get in Europe and it is very easy to damage them if you're a beginner. As a starter I'd thoroughly recommend the 250mm Ryoba from Fine Tools. It will cut most types and sizes of wood, both across and along the grain leaving a very smooth finish, so is a good multipurpose saw. I've ripped through 4" thick seasoned oak with this and it was surprisingly easy to do, however I'm not good enough to do this straight yet. I also ripped 2" thick oak for a length of 45" which was also fairly easy apart from my own ability on straightness and verticality
The larger sizes are really only necessary for large bits of wood. If you can get on with one of these, then you can move onto the more specialised single tooth type and back saw type.