Vinyl Shops in Tokyo, Japan and Japan in General

I'm new to ordering records/vinyl LP's . But I live in Hawaii so its pretty reasonable shipping for me from Japan. I find the Japanese packaging and overall service to be far superior to any other service I've ordered from....its not even close.

 

Update and the shops situation from the fine people at One Box Record Fair

One Box Record Fair in Tokyo

An update on what has changed since the pandemic hit.

New/ re-opened stores:
Central
Echo Records (Jimbocho) psych, 60s, and more
Glocal (Harajuku)
Face has a new store in the Miyashita Park Mall in Shibuya
Disk Union has a new branch in the basement of Shibuya Parco.
Judgement Records (Higashi Nakano). Jazz/ Beatles
Uptown, Koenji (post punk/ Chinese indies etc). also has live events and a bar)
vasistas (Jimbocho) has the old stock from Modern Music
Tohto, Yushima
Pianola, Shimokitazawa
Big Romantic, Shimokitazawa. Taiwanese records & food
Pink Moon, Shimokitazawa
Ranamusica, Shimokitazawa
Ella Warehouse, Shimokitazawa (club/ dance 12s)

More out of the way spots:
BBQ Records, Toshimaen
Kankyo Records Sangenjaya
Dare Records Machida
7 inch Hayakawa, Sagamihara
Physical Store, Shimo Igusa
Dotei, Hachioji
Rare, Kunitachi
3LA, Oji (punk, hardcore)
Tentrecord, Nishi Ogikubo (consignment store)

Stores that have moved/closed:
Tower Vinyl has moved from Shinjuku to Shibuya
RecoFan in Shibuya has closed and is now in Musashi Koganei but with a fraction of the vinyl.
Kichijoji’s Disk Union is now in the basement of Parco. The Jazz one hasn’t moved.
The old basement Jazz Disk Union in Shibuya has moved to the 5th floor. All the other floors in that building have relocated a block away.
Tony has moved to new premises beside Zero CC in Jimbocho
Disk Union Hard Rock/ HM store in Ochanomizu has moved to the basement of their Classical store

 

Is Dance Music Records store still in business?

 

Verbose recap of my recent visit below.
TL, DR: Yen/Euro exchange rate is crazy and I wish I could go back tomorrow. **** Latehansa and their baggage handlers.

Day 1 – December 18
Got to Haneda ONLY 26 hours late because of a missed connection in Frankfurt.
While they were at it they found the time to crush this expensive Samsonite piece of luggage my old lady let me travel with.
You now need to get 3 qr codes to get into the country (one for covid, one for immigration and one for customs) but the process was fairly quick. Haneda is kinda desolate compared to my previous visits.
Was supposed to go see Greenmachine at Earthdom if I had gotten there on time, no luck. Balzac was also playing later the same night at Shelter in Shimokitazawa but that was a long shot anyways.
Got on the monorail to Tokyo and then Yamanote to Otsuka where I had booked my stay at Superhotel (they were kind enough not to charge me for the first missed night).
Refreshed quickly at the hotel and straight off to Disk Union Ikebukuro to unload some records I wanted to sell.
Picked up a few titles there and then off to Shinjuku to buy a tourist data sim. One week sim cards were over 5000 yen at Haneda from the only teller opened when I got there.
They had no idea what I was talking about when I asked for one at Bic Camera Ikebukuro. Got one for for 2500 yen at the big Bic Camera that once was Biqlo in Shinjuku.
Fiddled a bit to get all the settings right but the damned thing just wouldn’t work. Instead of starting to raze all the Disk Unions I had to walk back to the store and the guy told me it MIGHT need a wifi connection to get it started. This was not mentioned in the manual.
Got some connection and off I went to Disk Union 2 and 3 in Shinjuku.
Browsed a little before it was 8 PM which is now the closing time for all the Disk Union shops.
Walked a few blocks down to Kabukicho to get an unhealthy dose of my favorite ramen in town.

Day 2 – December 19
Woke up early because of jet lag and all that, took the train west off to Musashi Koganei to hit RecoFan which opens a little earlier than HMVs and Disk Unions.
Shop is at floor 4 of this big Donki building and has a bit of the old Shibuya store vibe but maybe ¼ of the stock. Managed to buy a few decent cheapies.
Travelled further westward to Tachikawa for Disk Union which was still closed since they only open at 12 now, damn.
Got a sizable loot there too before moving back to Kichijoji for Disk Union and HMV.
Disk Union has moved and is closer to the station now. HMV is still at the old spot in Coppice building and they offered to do tax free for my purchase. Hell yeah!
Went to the Hard Off at the end of the arcade to check out the hifi selection (I had brought one extra piece of luggage just in case) but nothing really caught my eye.
Kept moving back towards central Tokyo on the Chuo line stopping at Nakano, I think I only got maybe a couple of records at the Disk Union there. They rearranged the store here and it feels smaller than before. Maybe this is just my mind playing tricks on me.
Now back to Shinjuku to finish browsing all the remaining Disk Unions spots + HMV at Alta.
Bought ****loads of stuffs, got tax free at HMV again and managed to leave behind a bag of records at the punk hardcore Disk Union shop.
I am getting old, I know. I also had no time to get back to Disk Union Ikebukuro and get the yenbucks for the records I gave them. All that is for tomorrow.
All the Disk Unions were giving away 50 yen (WHOA!!!) discounts with each purchase reciept and even it felt stupid using them with the current exchange rate, once my walltet was full of them I started using them away like there was no tomorrow.

Day 3 – December 20
Slept in a little and walked right from my hotel to Disk Union Ikebukuro where they gave me a fair amount of $$$ for that bag of rubbish I brought all the way from home.
A few stops south and I went to Disk Unions Takadanobaba where I found a very good deal on a very expensinve Strapping Your Lad lp.
South again to Shinjuku to get back my records from Disk Union punk, which they had put aside for me under my name (not sure where they got that from), arigato gozaimas, gomennasai!
On and on, south to Shibuya, usual rounds, HMV and all the Disk Unions, also the new one at Parco. I liked the old grotty locations better, these new swanky stores just don’t hold the same lore. Didn’t find anything at HMV I think, not sure.
From Shibuya to Shimokitazawa, Disk Union and General Store then back to Harajuku to check out some MALE FASHION. Another confirmation of my old age as I didn’t find anything remotely interesting from all the clothing shops (Edwin, Momotaro, Neighborhood…) I used to love. Nice walk down to Shibuya to catch the Yamanote train back to Otsuka.

Day 4 – December 21
Straight to Akihabara to check out the audio stuffs at Yodobashi and Hard Off. Really wanted to bring back some crazy 80’s linear tracking front loading turntable but again nothing to write home about.
Walked to the Jimbocho Disk Union where I never seem to find anything worth my while and then again up the slope to the Ochanomizu shops.
The old stairy hard rock metal store has moved to modern digs in the basement right by the jazz store. Spent a good chunk of cash at this one and at the all genres store.
Got on a long ride down to Yokohama and then to Tennocho to visit my favorite denim store in the world (Denimio) where I got a nice pair of Oni’s kinda cheap compared to the retail prices over here in the EU.
Back to Yokohama proper and for the first time I got lucky with the Disk Union there. Got maybe 6 or 7 record there. They were running one of the old color scheme sales (buy 3 orange, green and yellow and get X% off this and that).

Day 5 – December 22
Last day in town, my bowels were a bit agitated after all that spicy ramen and curry tonkatsu, the weather was so-so for the first time since I had arrived and all the running and hauling had finally got to me as I felt very tired that morning.
So I took it easy to Ueno and then went to RecoFan Seekbase at Akihabara which I had forgotten about the day before. This shop is right under the train tracks going up to Ueno. Another ¼ of the old RecoFan Shibuya stock seems to be here. They have lots of 100 yen and cheapies boxes if that’s your thing. There’s a cool Mandarake action figure shop in the same building.
Went back to Shinjuku to pick up the last few pieces.
Got maybe 10 grindcore tapes from the heavy metal Disk Union and a couple of records from Nat Records in Nishi Shinkuku.
I think most of the shops in the area I remembered about (Vinyl Japan, Red Ring, RecordCity…) are now gone.
Saw some books I wanted to get (Roger Dean, Hipgnonis and more) at Book Union but really did not feel like bringing any more weight all the way back home. Also resisted to urge to get this Septic Death 7” that was about 15000 yen cheaper than the best Discogs prices.

Day 6 – December 23
No Uber in the Otsuka area so I got on an old Crown Vic needlework-ridden taxi to Haneda.
Checking in at the premium economy Lufthansa counter took FOREVER because of some taiwanese lady ahead of me in line travelling with that seemed like THOUSANDS of odd boxes.
Barely had time to walk to the gate and off I was to Frankfurt and home again.

 

Thanks for the terrific report Johnny. Go a bit easier on the spicy ramen next time!

 

Well, I don't think that's feasible

 

I think there was a discussion here earlier about the prices on jazz — you might find interesting this footage from the Osaka record fair last month, where Rich from DGMono was digging for some 1950—60s jazz classics (mostly reissues and some originals) via a remote shopping service. So you can see the prices and grades for most records they go through. The dig starts around 09:24 mark in the clip.

 

The new Shibuya situation



I left a whopping 200 yen discount on the table!

 

HMV points card. Not sure how many yen per stamp

 

That's an awesome list. Thanks for providing it!

 

@MightyVinyl was the hunting in Kobe worth the time?

 

TBH I don't think I made it to Kobe. I did spend a day in Kyoto and it was interesting. A few shops, very far apart, and a few bargains. But it's a lovely city and I wish I'd had more time to check out the temples & touristy stuff.
One shop was in the living room of a small apartment, everything reeked of cigarettes but I managed to find a couple of things.

I just don't have any memory of Kobe, so I don't think I actually made it there.

I'll be back in Tokyo in March/April for 3 weeks, and bringing my sister, nieces and a grand-niece over for a week to Tokyo so they can do Disney. Will do more touristy stuff in that week with them than I've done in the 7-8 trips total!

Thank you Johnny for the awesome update & intel! Can you share the name of the Ramen restaurant? I always stay at the Hotel Century Southern Tower in Shinjuku so it's probably fairly close to me, I'd love to check it out.

 

I forgot to mention that I got a nice order today from the Disk Union office San Francisco (Burlingame). They seem to order from me 2-3 times a year. Today was nearly $300 of US vinyl, a mixture of 7" and LP. Some promo, some stock copies. Heavy on The Carpenters (3 US copies of their first LP alone, along with a couple of promo copies of other LP's and singles!) Laura Nero (multiple copies of some promo singles), Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, and Jackie DeShannon, along with one item each by James Taylor, David T. Walker, Ry Cooder, Rickie Lee Jones, Steely Dan, Pieces, Johnny Bristol, and Rod Taylor.

I wonder if I'll find them in the racks upon my visit in March-April?

 

It's Zundoya in Kabukicho
Google Maps
ラー麺ずんどう屋　姫路濃厚とんこつラーメン

 

Been in Tokyo for 5 months now, expat for work. Taking my wife and granddaughter to Kyoto in two weeks as they are here for Spring Break. Any must visit record stores in Kyoto if I get a free hour?

Have been out and about in Tokyo and haven’t found much at Disk Union , found a few out of the way shops that were good. The dollar is still pretty good so prices are not bad. The record stores are really busy on weekends and people tend to know exactly what they are looking for. US and UK rarities in abundance but the prices in those are through the roof. Been buying near mint white label Japan pressings of mostly clsssic rock when I come across them with OBIs. Definitely many stores I visited in 2014 are long gone seems many closed in the Shinuya and Shinjuku areas during the pandemic.

 

I do highly recommend Shimokitazawa. Based on MightyVinyl recommendation I have gone most weekends. Shinjuku Recirds is awesome and the owner a big Jeff Beck fan is great to chat with even with limited English. He was an A and R rep for Japan and a big Clapton Beck fan. Has written many books and magazine articles and does events talking about his stories. General Record Store is another good spot there. Laid back area with many great restaurants and used clothing fashion. Bought 80 percent of what I have bought here in Shinjuku Records.

 

I haven't been to any of these besides JET SET Records - which was mainly new and a bit overpriced, at least back in the day. But there seems to be quite a few shops clustered in the neighborhood across the Kamogawa river from the Keihan Sanjo station, at least according to Google Maps. Kind of wish I had known about the store Hardbop when I visited Kyoto last November - looks like it's mostly jazz. If you're looking for rock, Joe's Garage might be more up your alley.

Here's a map showing the cluster: Google Maps

 

Looking at completed eBay auctions from Japanese dealers there are loads of cheap albums and 45's over there.

 

Hey Johhny - would love to know what you consider 'rubbish' - and what they are buying right now?

 

I mostly had a bunch of random doubles on cd, some sealed hip hop 12"s, a beat up copy of Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (japanese pressing, no obi), a VG OG pressing of Nevermind, 2 new sealed pressings of Hives and L7 records (some store sent them by mistake and did not want them shipped back).
There was more for sure but I can't remember right now.
In the past they used to give all their estimations on some paper forms and you could keep those.
Nowadays it's all done thru a tablet, click ACCEPT and you only get the yens back.

Not sure what they are buying now.
I remember back in the day they had flyers in store with their most wanted records and the relevant values for them.
Don't think I saw any of those in this last trip.

 

With all due respect, hardly rubbish.
Hip Hop 12's in top condition, especially sealed, are worth $'s from Kichijoji to Kakadu, so no surprise there.
'Nevermind' I don't even need to mention.
No wonder you got decent cash back.

As you were kind enough to share and respond, I'll do the same.
Here's the latest downloadable Disc Union flyer on what they are buying from the ROCK/PROG categories (Japanese titles up front, foreign titles afterwards) including prices they'd pay for NM/NM copies, which makes fascinating reading.

 

I meant rubbish as in 'valuable records is so-so conditions that the median Discogs/eBay buyer will make a fuss about' so it's easier to just drop them there
Also the cd's were real no value trash.

Yes, that's the type of flyer I was talking about.
I also remember something along those lines for audiophile stuffs from Audio Union.

 

Workshop is a great shop for 60s/70s rock in Kyoto. Friendly knowledgable owner and prices were fair when I visited back in 2019.
Google Maps

 

Thank you so much for sharing this! Appreciate it and will let you know if I can get there!

 

Made it to Joes Garage after sampling all the street food on Nishiki Market on a rainy day. The food was amazing had some kind of fish on a stick, beef skewers and octopus . Joes Garage was still the same as you remember cigarette smoke smell as soon as you enter. Lots of decent priced classic rock but nothing must buy. Guy running it was nice but my granddaughter didn’t like the smell. Kyoto was just awesome again and so different from Tokyo. We stayed in Gion in a ryokan and it was a great experience. The golden temple is amazing and such a wonderful city. Everyone we met was friendly even a taxi driver who dropped us off at the bamboo forest then got out to take our picture for us in the rain. Great experience in the ryokan and my granddaughter said it was her favorite part of her Spring Break visit.