Just wondering. Of course I don't mean "1978-big" but rather, as big as it was in 1997?! If I went to Japan in the next year or so, would it be realistic to expect at least a small bunch of awesome crazy vinyl shops in greater Tokyo? I am not afraid of traveling for an hour or two from Shinjuku. Having been in the JPN vinyl collector's scene for a short while, I got a good impression of how big vinyl really was in Japan, but I'm not sure if that's still the case (just like retro games are also vanishing from places like Akihabara...) Anyone? Are there used vinyl shops left? I'd love something like G-Front for vinyl and hi-fi... one is already enough. Good condition and affordable prices are a must, though. As long as the prices are around the same as YAJ, I'm good. Have you guys ever tried to buy Japanese vinyl from ebay? Well, fuck that!! Rip-offs, rip-offs everywhere! This being said, Tokyo Eyes: Japanese vinyl as a seduction tool, love it. Also features a Megalo-II and a Virtual Boy, this movie is awesome.
Most good hard offs or the likes of have big vinyl sections for used stuff while small indie places normally still carry it too. I couldn't say for Tokyo but if where I live has store that carry vinyl then so should a big city like Tokyo.
I was in Tokyo for a year during 2007. There were lots of vinyl places with old used vinyl (don't know much about new releases of contemporary artists as I never looked for that). Places were scattered throughout the city. Even my daily walking commute down Wasedadori from Takadanobaba had at least 1 or 2 no name used vinyl stores with lots of old records which were always in good condition. An anecdote: The store clerk at one of the shops asked me a question while I was checking out, I was going on autopilot not really paying attention and figured he asked me something about bagging it or so, so I just went "hai" - then he takes the record out of the sleeve and holds it up. We stare at each other awkwardly for about 5-10 seconds (a long awkward time in real life) before I understand that he asked if I wanted to check out the condition of the records.
There's tons of vinyl shops in Shibuya & Shinjuku. I'm not aware of other parts of town, but I know there's a couple in at least Shimokitazawa, and I assume plenty in the other larger parts of town. Disc Union has a multi-flour shop in Shibuya, and a few stores in Shinjuku. I walked into the one in Shibuya and bought Check Your Head just the other day. Some of the others are quite obscure though. You'll be going to a room that sells only Jazz records, or maybe something like world music or God knows what. I moseyed into one in Shinjuku one time and it was nothing but high priced rare items. For all I know they were worth that as I had no clue what any of them were. 20,000 - 30,000 for many, many records seemed a bit excessive though. For the major shops though, you can get some good deals, and they let you listen as long as they're not sealed. Technique in Shibuya as well as Disk Union still stock new techno and house. Basically the only two left. There used to be like 7-8 record shops in Shibuya lone (4 of which were Cisco). Oh, the old days.
their is a awesome record store up meguro dori I read . run by a chain smoking hippy. sells vintage clothes, computer games too stacked to the ceiling.it has been there for years and allways looking like the aftermath of a quake. Very cheap too. Got all the motown shit for mixing. Certainly a place to spend hours hunting in it. A local secret of a place
