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Japan Record Shops!


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Thanks again Stump. Loved the photo essay you posted at the beginning of this thread.

 

I took literally thousands of photos when I was in Tokyo in October 2015, I'll post a few showing a couple of the shops and a bunch of the finds.

 

I have so many photos because the Japanese stores remove the price sticker as part of their inventory control procedures. Thus, if I wanted any record of what I paid for an individual item I rapidly deduced that I would need to just take photos of all the items before I took them up to the cash register. Used my iPad (which I was using to navigate via Google Maps) and photo'd almost all of the items I'd bought. If anybody ever wants I can post a few of those so you get an idea of what the prices were like.

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Pictures of the outside of Disk Union, this is not the ones in Shinjuku or Shibuya, I forgot the location but it was in Tokyo proper and not one of the far-flung outer stations. If you look closely you'll see the Disk Union logo near the top of the picture. Most things in Tokyo are above street level, so you have to get used to looking up and scrutinizing the signs. 

 

The other picture was taken inside that store.

 

 

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Here's one of the Disk Union complexes in Shinjuku. There's another store up the street that's all Prog on one floor, accessories on another, metal on another, etc. 

 

This one is the "general"/classic rock location so I spent more time here than at the others combined. The 3rd picture shows one of the other complexes in Shinjuku.

 

First pic is me doing the obligatory "selfie" outside on the street.

 

 

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More October 2015 finds...  note that this one includes a BUNCH of cool tour programs I found, including a very elusive Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway tour program. One of my favorite finds of the trip!

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Edited by mightyvinyl
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Good Stuff Mightyvinyl.   Once you get hooked on Japan whether it is music, food, sights, or just the plain wackiness.  It is hard not to go back again

 

I would be a dead man bringing home that much vinyl.

 

 

 

 

YCC, I always found prices erratic.  for some things you think are they are joking and then other things they have no idea how to price.   Although with the internet over past few years it is easier to google for rarity etc, even if you go no further than discogs.

Edited by Demondes
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YCC, I always found prices erratic.  for some things you think are they are joking and then other things they have no idea how to price.   Although with the internet over past few years it is easier to google for rarity etc, even if you go no further than discogs.

 

I think the secret is there that what the Japanese value as rare, special, or desirable, varies significantly from what we in the West sometimes think something should be worth. Try selling (for example) a Catherine Wheel 2nd album for 20000 yen to a Japanese customer - they just wouldn't pay that (unlike myself). 

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Wow love this thread . I get my Japanese presses from a seller on Discogs who has a shop called estacio records . Grade A (NM) with Obi $19.90 us . He sells a lot of jazz rock fusion records which I had in the 80s and trying to buy some back [emoji3]

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Wow love this thread . I get my Japanese presses from a seller on Discogs who has a shop called estacio records . Grade A (NM) with Obi $19.90 us . He sells a lot of jazz rock fusion records which I had in the 80s and trying to buy some back [emoji3]

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I definitely do not want to try to use this forum as a vehicle for promoting my store on Discogs but I can't resist throwing in a quick plug.....

I don't try to be the least expensive seller there - I focus equally on both price and on service and accuracy of grading - but you might give my listings a perusal in the future. I doubt I will have as many Japanese fusion titles as Estacio does, but I will probably be picking up a lot more of it on the upcoming September trip, and I did pick up some amongst the 1500 items I bought last September that are now listed on my store on Discogs.

Edited by mightyvinyl
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I definitely do not want to try to use this forum as a vehicle for promoting my store on Discogs but I can't resist throwing in a quick plug.....

I don't try to be the least expensive seller there - I focus equally on both price and on service and accuracy of grading - but you might give my listings a perusal in the future. I doubt I will have as many Japanese fusion titles as Estacio does, but I will probably be picking up a lot more of it on the upcoming September trip, and I did pick up some amongst the 1500 items I bought last September that are now listed on my store on Discogs.

Just to confirm that my post was only to inform where I get my Japanese pressing from since I cannot go to Japan [emoji3] no intentions to promote anything. Estacio has a shop front hence I mention him.

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I definitely do not want to try to use this forum as a vehicle for promoting my store on Discogs but I can't resist throwing in a quick plug.....

I don't try to be the least expensive seller there - I focus equally on both price and on service and accuracy of grading - but you might give my listings a perusal in the future. I doubt I will have as many Japanese fusion titles as Estacio does, but I will probably be picking up a lot more of it on the upcoming September trip, and I did pick up some amongst the 1500 items I bought last September that are now listed on my store on Discogs.

 

Unfortunately for you (and us), you're in the USA.

And postage from your region, sucks.

 

I find stuff all the time on Discogs from multiple US sellers, and have to ignore it - it's just too expensive for me to touch, given the postage I'll get whacked in US$.   :(   The pound is no better, but at least the Euro countries offer *some* relief.

 

Anyway, back to Japan. 

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Does anyone have any recommendations for "day trips" from Tokyo to other vinyl meccas? I traveled to Yokohama last year, as there's a couple great stores there.

 

Anything else within a couple hours from Tokyo that has great vinyl stores?

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Ha you have cleaned Tokyo out of good vinyl?

I have been to sales in department store basements in regional cities within 1-2 of Tokyo (eg Mito Ibaraki). But dont know how you find out about these types of sales without being in the city already, or without being able to search the web in japanese. The events i am thinking of are like the record fairs we have in Australia and smaller regional record shops.

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Try these links

Still Tokyo area focus (ikebukuro etc.)

www.oneboxrecordfair.com

blog.cdandlp.com

Also citymaps website will let you type in record store and a city name and will bring up a combination of stores. Whilst not great as it doesnt limit stores to just local area.

Edited by Demondes
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