Vinyl Shops in Tokyo, Japan and Japan in General

Discussion in 'Music, Movie and Hardware Store Guide' started by mikemoon, Jan 17, 2014.

  1. rcdupre

    rcdupre Flying is Trying is Dying

    there used to be more bootlegs in Tokyo, back when I was interested in that stuff...It used to be they were
    all factory pressed silver discs, now a lot of it is cdrs and copied artwork....I think this Page thing is from the store "Dust and Dreams"
    not sure it's still there...at Disk Union there's an "unofficial" section after the normal one for artists like Hendrix, Genesis, Queen, Stones, Zep, etc...
    (more importantly, MILES DAVIS !!)
     
  2. samsondale

    samsondale Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tenafly, NJ, USA
    I mainly do my record shopping in Kobe as well. I've been to that 'messiest' record store and found it to be very stressful. I was in constant fear of causing a landslide.
     
    Jimmy Agates likes this.
  3. s m @

    s m @ Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    ^^^Ha ha, yes, it's clearly the same one. I'll dig those pics out before I go, so that everyone else can see what we're talking about. I just more or less stayed away from the more huge stacks, I figured it was too much trouble just to even figure out what was there, let alone what condition it'd be in after being under all that weight for who knows how long. I did find a great Japanese copy of Time Fades Away there, though, for $10. I've thought of volunteering a couple days of my time to help the guy clean up, just to see what's in there, but in the end I don't even think there's enough room in the place to clean up. No place to build but up, ha.
     
  4. Jgirar01

    Jgirar01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    I mentioned earlier that I was going to Tokyo for three months in a July for work. Mostly interested in the 60s stuff like Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Dylan, Stones, Zep, Floyd, a Joplin, etc. many other bands from the 60s. Anything I should be looking out for that I can't get here in the good old USA? Pressings I should be looking for, Japanese lps?
     
  5. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    I was with a Chinese friend and she spoke Japanese. She told me he was indeed Yakuza. This was around 1999.
     
  6. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    I also went to Nagoya that same trip in 1999. I found a pretty good bootleg shop that seemed to be operated by a western guy, maybe American, but he didn't seem to friendly to his single female staff.
     
  7. mikemoon

    mikemoon Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    I saw a lot of rare stuff that you never see here in the USA and I'm talking about US and UK pressings. Most of the US stuff is a bit higher but there are things in these stores you only see online - less of the common stuff. The UK pressings of certain preferred titles can be obtained for good prices. I found US pressed hip-hop lps to be cheaper than US. The sought after Japanese titles that I was looking for were really hard to find. You can find a lot of well priced Japanese vinyl though.
     
  8. s m @

    s m @ Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    Yeah, the fun thing to me about shopping for vinyl in Japan is not so much looking for specific things, and they generally know the value of things of course, they're not dumb. It's the more random stuff you find, not the expensive. Because Japanese stuff can often be manufactured to an exacting standard, and because the typical Japanese owner tends to take far better care of their LP's that someone from NA might..... you can find some gems. Plus, again, it's just loads of fun to crate dig there, for whatever reason. Hope I have time to hit some stores in Tokyo, that should be another level.

    Gotcha, makes sense. I won't bother asking why you were walking around Tokyo with a box of bootleg tapes ;). Kind of hilarious to imagine a yakuza heavy dealing in classic rock boots, but strangely I can easily to see it over there.
     
  9. hvbias

    hvbias Midrange magic

    Location:
    Northeast
    Anyone care to comment on how the Japanese King or Toshiba Blue Note vinyl reissues are priced in the shops now? When I was there a couple of years ago they were reasonable (ie less than Ebay).
     
  10. yookmook

    yookmook Forum Resident

    i will go to shinjuku next month.

    hope i can find some good 60 70 's rock vinyls.
     
  11. yasujiro

    yasujiro Senior Member

    Location:
    tokyo
    Still reasonable very, very much.
     
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  12. yookmook

    yookmook Forum Resident

    how about Blue note Japan vinyl?
    still reasonable price?
     
  13. Jgirar01

    Jgirar01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    Getting ready to go to Tokyo for three months. Great thread. Does anyone have any recommendations of things to look out for specifically that are good value to buy in Japan. Looking for jazz so the above comments help and 60s 70s classic rock type things I can't get in the states- Dead, Neil Young, Dylan, Zeppelin, Floyd, etc etc.
     
  14. yasujiro

    yasujiro Senior Member

    Location:
    tokyo
    Y E S !
     
  15. s m @

    s m @ Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    OK, I didn't get around to posting these photos before I left, but now that I'm back: Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...... From Motomachi, Kobe, Japan....... weighing in at untold thousands of records........... The World's Messiest Record Store.............

    Freak Out Records!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]


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    [​IMG]

    And finally, the piece de resistance:





























    [​IMG]

    Yes, in order to pay for your finds, you do actually have to hand him your Yen overtop a pile of CD's and LP's.

    I did ask his permission before taking these photos. And I figure the free advertising is enough to justify posting them here. My wife tells me that the place has been like that since she was in high school (so 15 or 20 years minimum).

    These photos were actually taken a couple of years ago. I was just there, and I actually think it's gotten worse. To get to the jazz 'section', you have to shuffle sideways (it's too narrow to walk facing forward), occasionally kicking over LP's or CD's that are on the floor because you can't see your feet. And then when you get there, you have to move piles of stuff around so you can file through the section. This and the rock section, I assume because they see more traffic, are the only areas that are even somewhat accessible. 90% of the LP's are totally blocked or in huge horizontal stacks, and are totally inaccessible. Not sure if the photos adequately convey this but it really is just........... completely off the charts. You honestly can barely even shop there are all, and again, most of what's there is simply not accessible. There are LP's everywhere. Still, it's actually a pretty decent store. I left there (because I already had so many LP's that would be difficult to transport back) relatively clean Japanese editions of... Miles in the Sky, Pangea, In Concert, to name just a few Miles Davis titles.
     
  16. Jimmy Agates

    Jimmy Agates CRAZY DOCTOR

    Wow I just got back from Japan and saw some messy stores but none anywhere neare that disaster above...makes me wonder if the person who runs it even knows what they have or indeed where it would be if they did!

    The prices for second hand stuff is incredibly cheap (in general) over there and the condition usually very very good at minimum. I showed massive restraint but still picked up about 55 cds!
     
  17. rcdupre

    rcdupre Flying is Trying is Dying

    incredible pics of that Kobe store!
    for jazz you need to checkout the Disk Union Jazz LP store upstairs on the left at the end of the block,
    the block where almost all of the DUs are in Shinjuku (a few store down from the jazz CD store)..went there yesterday...also the DU jazz store in Kichijoji,
    and the grand-daddy of them all, the DU jazz store in Ochanamizu, AFAIK it's the biggest jazz store on the planet....
     
    JRM likes this.
  18. Jgirar01

    Jgirar01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    At the airport heading to Japan for three months. Staying in Azabujyuban which I think is 3-4 miles from Shinjuku and some other good record store areas. Has been interesting reading these posts and I am looking forward to seeing these stores. Might have to wait for three weeks until the wife leaves Japan to dive in! Still not sure what to look for that I can't get online but looking forward to the search.
     
  19. s m @

    s m @ Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    Won't that make it more complicated when you're trying to get her to bring back tons of LP's for you?
     
  20. yookmook

    yookmook Forum Resident

    anyone has visitted disk union soul blue branch ?
    do they have vinyl to buy?



    is it near to disk union mainstore?
     
  21. rcdupre

    rcdupre Flying is Trying is Dying

    yeah was there yesterday, shinjuku, very small...i don't think they have vinyl, but maybe....will let you know ina few days...it's about a block from main store on the same side of the street...
     
    yookmook likes this.
  22. yasujiro

    yasujiro Senior Member

    Location:
    tokyo
    They have but not much.
     
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  23. yookmook

    yookmook Forum Resident

    anyone has vistdisk union soul blue branch
    thank, i 'm looking for marvin gaye vinyls. hope they still there.
     
  24. yookmook

    yookmook Forum Resident

    thank , can i check the grade of used vinyl before buying at disk union.?

    i 'm afraid some vinyls may have a lot of noise surface.
     
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2014
  25. LST7006

    LST7006 Forum Resident

    Location:
    P. O. Box 9847
    Yes, you can. Ask sales person or let them play vinyl you'd like to check.
     
    yookmook likes this.

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