Index: src/org/python/core/packagecache/PathPackageManager.java
===================================================================
--- src/org/python/core/packagecache/PathPackageManager.java	(revision 7173)
+++ src/org/python/core/packagecache/PathPackageManager.java	(working copy)
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@
 import org.python.core.Py;
 import org.python.core.PyJavaPackage;
 import org.python.core.PyList;
+import org.python.core.PyObject;
 import org.python.core.PyString;
+import org.python.core.PyUnicode;
 import org.python.core.util.RelativeFile;
 
 import java.io.BufferedInputStream;
@@ -38,7 +40,11 @@
                 + name;
 
         for (int i = 0; i < path.__len__(); i++) {
-            String dir = path.pyget(i).__str__().toString();
+            PyObject entry = path.pyget(i);
+            if (!(entry instanceof PyUnicode)) {
+                entry = entry.__str__();
+            }
+            String dir = entry.toString();
 
             File f = new RelativeFile(dir, child);
             try {
@@ -96,7 +102,12 @@
         String child = jpkg.__name__.replace('.', File.separatorChar);
 
         for (int i = 0; i < path.__len__(); i++) {
-            String dir = path.pyget(i).__str__().toString();
+            PyObject entry = path.pyget(i);
+            if (!(entry instanceof PyUnicode)) {
+                entry = entry.__str__();
+            }
+            String dir = entry.toString();
+
             if (dir.length() == 0) {
                 dir = null;
             }
Index: src/org/python/core/imp.java
===================================================================
--- src/org/python/core/imp.java	(revision 7173)
+++ src/org/python/core/imp.java	(working copy)
@@ -436,7 +436,6 @@
     }
 
     static PyObject find_module(String name, String moduleName, PyList path) {
-
         PyObject loader = Py.None;
         PySystemState sys = Py.getSystemState();
         PyObject metaPath = sys.meta_path;
@@ -468,7 +467,10 @@
                     return loadFromLoader(loader, moduleName);
                 }
             }
-            ret = loadFromSource(sys, name, moduleName, p.__str__().toString());
+            if (!(p instanceof PyUnicode)) {
+                p = p.__str__();
+            }
+            ret = loadFromSource(sys, name, moduleName, p.toString());
             if (ret != null) {
                 return ret;
             }
Index: src/org/python/core/SyspathJavaLoader.java
===================================================================
--- src/org/python/core/SyspathJavaLoader.java	(revision 7173)
+++ src/org/python/core/SyspathJavaLoader.java	(working copy)
@@ -115,7 +115,10 @@
                 SyspathArchive archive = (SyspathArchive)entry;
                 buffer = getBytesFromArchive(archive, name);                
             } else {
-                String dir = entry.__str__().toString();
+                if (!(entry instanceof PyUnicode)) {
+                    entry = entry.__str__();
+                }
+                String dir = entry.toString();
             	buffer = getBytesFromDir(dir, name);
             }
             if (buffer != null) {
@@ -155,7 +158,10 @@
                 }
                 continue;
             }
-            String dir = sys.getPath(entry.__str__().toString());
+            if (!(entry instanceof PyUnicode)) {
+                entry = entry.__str__();
+            }
+            String dir = sys.getPath(entry.toString());
             try {
 				File resource = new File(dir, res);
 				if (!resource.exists()) {