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Thank you for the link, Zephyrness! The days when I thought I didn't need a mortar and pestle seem to be ending.

Of the Japanese stores that have a Web presence, there are two in my neighborhood and one in an adjacent neighborhood. I'll get to them after the next few dozen other tasks :)

Coming a bit late to the party too - I agree, it is the texture that makes a difference, also to some extent the shape both of the bowl and of the base - a good, wide, base that doesn't roam around the table as you grind is helpful

As a former lab scientist, brought up by 2 pharmacists, I've always used "composition" (dense unglazed ceramic) mortars with a pestle of the same material on a wooden handle; I also have a small glass lab set, which I use when I want a small amount of a crushed spice, and it looks so nice on the shelf!

The great advantages of composition are that the pestle is lighter and easier to grip than stone, which is a boon as my wrists get weaker with age, and it's virtuall indestructible - I have dropped mine, slung them in the dishwasher, all are at least 50 years old, they don't mind anything.

Really tiny scientific M&P sets are made of agate and often repurposed as decorative items, they are used for grinding samples before puting them into analytical equipment such as spectrometers. 

I only use three sizes of suribachi and wooden pestle. But, you only need one medium sized one. Light and easy to clean.  Perfect for sesame seeds because the grooves keep seeds from flying out.  

Also have a large Mexican molcajete made from volcanic rock but only use that for serving and used it few times.  Too heavy and hard to clean for me.