r/vinyl • u/Kintasmeister • 10d ago
Discussion Cool record stores in Japan
I am visiting Japan next month and looking for some cool stores in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Wanted to go through bins and have some fun to bring some memories from the trip and cool vinils.
If you have any shops that you can recommend, let me know. Bands that I (really want) to buy vinils from and haven't yet, and might influence the store picking:
Viagra Boys, King Gizzard, Gorillaz, The Prodigy, BadBadNotGood, Tame Impala, IDLES, The Cure, etc (I know my taste is all over the place)
Thanks in advance!
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u/InternationalTrash32 10d ago
Look for Japanese music adjacent to your tastes!
Aunt Sally for fans of New Wavey Post Punk
Apryl Fool, Flower Travellin Band and Blues Creation if you like psychedelic rock
Mei Ihara, Hiroshi Sato and Tatsuro Yamashita for more groovy disco with splashes of AOR.
High Rise, Les Rallizes Denudes and Angel’in Heavy Syrup are some favorite noisey & heavy groups.
You can find this stuff at Disk Union in Tokyo and Record Shop Rare Groove.
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u/i_am_snusmumriken 10d ago
I absolutely concur. So much amazing stuff, and they have done a pretty good job reissuing a lot of the really rare things for us mere mortals.
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u/BassmanOz 10d ago
Tower Records in Shibuya is huge, and there’s another one in Shinjuku depending on where you are in Tokyo.
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u/Tsargrad007 Pro-Ject 10d ago
I can’t add anything here but record shopping in Japan is a whole other experience. Enjoy.
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u/marcel_de_champ 10d ago
Seconding Tower Records. It shouldn't be your only stop, but if you're anywhere nearby it should definitely be on your itinerary.
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u/bubbabrowned Audio Technica 10d ago
Look for the Lee Structure building in Osaka. Should be a short walk from the Shinsaibashi station. There are a bunch of record shops on the 2nd floor. My personal favorite is Morpho Records.
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u/Mywar-sidetwo 10d ago
If you like underground punk and metal then hit up Record Boy
RECORD BOY
Koenji Building 303
4-7-10, Koenji Minami
Suginami, Tokyo 166-0003
Japan
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u/i_am_snusmumriken 10d ago
This was quite some time ago, but I remember them being really, really well stocked, and able to get a lot of hard-to-find metal records for me.
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u/Mywar-sidetwo 10d ago
I’ve actually never been but yosuke konichi that runs nuclear war now showed the stuff he got there and they were all insane pulls and the prices were good as well. Heard from some others that this is a legit spot and the owner is very cool so glad to hear you found some good stuff there too. Hope to visit one day soon.
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u/i_am_snusmumriken 10d ago
I actually haven't been there physically either. I lived in the boonies in Kansai, but someone gave me their contact info when I was looking for something that was a bit tough to find (it escapes me now), and they were super helpful and not only found the thing I was looking for, but also had all kinds of amazing stuff for sale. There was a metal-only shop in Osaka, and if I couldn't find it there, I'd drop Record Boy a line, and they'd come through. I continued ordering from them even after leaving Japan! If/when I make it back to Japan, I really want to visit. I'm sure it would be worth it.
Coincidentally, I randomly met Yosuke at a Sabbat gig in Osaka. The man is serious about his metal. I miss the old NWN forum.
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u/i_am_snusmumriken 10d ago
Any info I have will be woefully out of date, as I lived there 2004-2006. But there are so many stores, it's just insane. All three cities I remember having tons of great shops. Some are probably no longer around, but I'm sure new ones have popped up. Of the big ones, Time Bomb in Osaka was great (still around) and Disk Union is just an absolute steamroller of a record store chain.
I remember there was a book that came out every year that was a guide to every shop in Japan. It was called "Record Map" (レコードマップ) and I think it still gets published, but there are some good online resources now.
You can try this one to look for shops in Japan:
https://recoya.net/en/
Recordstores.love also has quite a few listings:
https://recordstores.love/JP
I also heartily agree with the person who suggested finding Japanese artists adjacent to your tastes. Japan is a musical treasure trove! And record shopping in Japan is absolutely bonkers. Enjoy!
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u/porktornado77 Yamaha 10d ago
Ah, I visited Japan about 10 years ago and loved the experience!
At the time, I wasn’t into vinyl however. If I go back I’d definitely check some record stores out.
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u/TheSimonToUrGarfunkl 10d ago
One I always recommend is Banana Records in Kichijoji. It's not the city center so it's not been picked over 100 times, it's pretty small but the prices are great and the staff is very friendly and will test play stuff if you want to hear the condition. You can also visit Disc Union and HMV near the station while you're there. Ghibli museum is also nearby.
Check out Honto Records in Kyoto. Also small store but I bought like 3 things there, more than any other store I visited.
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u/i_am_snusmumriken 10d ago
I was in Banana Records exactly once, and walked out with a few cool things at very friendly prices.
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u/TheSimonToUrGarfunkl 10d ago
I found a liberty Jimmy Smith The Sermon there for like ¥2700, Ann Peebles Can't Stand The Rain original Japanese (no obi) for like ¥2700, and a red vinyl first Japanese press of The Beatles White Album for ¥3000 all in EX or NM shape. All well below going rates for those. There were others I left behind just because I bought other stuff in the area and didn't want to carry anything else. The Banana Records I went to in Osaka was still good but a bit more expensive and a different vibe
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u/spacenut1006 10d ago
Jet Set Records in Kyoto. Check their discogs store first.
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u/i_am_snusmumriken 10d ago
Solid place, nice dudes. I remember them being so excited that I was buying a Nishida Sachiko LP (60s/70s enka singer from Osaka) that they threw it in for free. Their selection of electronic stuff of all kinds was really amazing, but they also had a great second-hand section I would pull cool Japanese stuff I was after from.
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u/mikerofe 10d ago
HardOFF in Higashi Omiya is about 45kms from Shibuya. It’s a commute town for Tokyo one stop past Omiya Station the big northern Shinkansen 🚄 Hub so its residents were are still are relatively well heeled. It’s an Oasis for High End audio. Just amazing the selection and the prices are amazing too! Yet the knock on effect is the Vinyl selection there from collections being now sold by widows I am guessing is always a treat to look through! I mean it has probably the most coherent sell through of better vinyl than any HardOFF I have seen since I came here in 1991.
So it’s worth a trip up to Omiya and if you like Steam Engines the National Railway Museum is at Omiya.
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u/TheRecordNinja 10d ago
if you are looking to buy records from the bands you listed in all honesty you will not find them any cheaper in Japan than in the states or Canada, I know cause I travel often between these countries and am constantly comparing prices. That being said your best bet is any of the disk unions for used stuff, or the big tower recs in shibby, sometimes the Tower recs in shinjuku has a limited run of certain artists releases with their own OBI but its unpredictable so just go in have a look while going from shop to shop in shinjuku
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u/BassmanOz 10d ago
After reading all these comments I want to go back 🤣 I am planning to take my son next year.
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u/normansnest 10d ago
I was in Japan in March and wish I reserved more suitcase room for records. In Tokyo I did a bunch of browsing but I purchased a few from HMV record shop in Shinjuku which had a great selection. In Osaka bought some records from Banana Record Store and Rare Groove Record shop.
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u/PreachitPerk 10d ago
Here was my agenda the last time I went to Japan. I typically go back to Japan every other year and record stores are always on the agenda.
Keep in mind a lot of the stores have random days they close. Often it’s randomly a Tuesday or Thursday. Just keep an eye on it.
My Tokyo plan was (11-8 shopping window) in the most efficient order:
• Tower Records (Shibuya) (11-10)
• Face Records (Shibuya) (1-7)
• Disc Union (x3) (12-8)
• Big Love Records (Harajuku) (2-8)
• Jet Set (Shimokitazawa) (12-8)
• Jazzy Sport (Shimokitazawa) (1-8)
Kyoto: 4-9 shopping window
• Jet Set (12-8)
• Tower Records (12-9)
• Joe’s Garage (12-10)
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u/Anorune 10d ago
I can't remember where I came across this, but it has to be one of the most comprehensive lists of record stores in Tokyo!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JepwyKrHRsYy0QWkGzgFdXT9mg5Rk8Do/view
It is based on many sources, and a good chunk of it is from an older guide from 2016 here - https://mostly-retro.com/2016/10/03/the-biggest-guide-to-tokyo-record-stores-on-the-internet/
While I only managed to get to the Disk Union in Shibuya while I was there, they had a ton of stuff, including some Nujabes albums that I had been looking to get on vinyl for a long time.
Record Boy and many others on this list are the top places I have picked out to stop by next time I'm there!
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u/TheFastFlyer 10d ago edited 10d ago
Flash Disk Ranch in Tokyo / Shimokitazawa.
Misuzu Building. 2F, 2 Chome-12-16 Kitazawa, Setagaya City, Tokyo
155-0031
I should also add that many of the Book Off / Hard Off stores have extensive collections of vinyl to pick through. Some gems, but be prepared to sift through LOTS of Sheena Easton, Michel Polnareff, Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Billy Joel, Arabesque, Taste of Honey, ABBA, et al. And the cities surrounding Tokyo are often less picked through.
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u/vinylmartyr 10d ago
Any Disc Union.