A few pictures from Tokyo

On the hunt for vinyl in downtown Shibuya.

Getting close.

Paydirt

The best find was Yamano Music in Ginza, which stocked Japanese jazz labels on vinyl, probably not obtainable outside Japan. High quality recordings and high quality vinyl - I bought six!

Steve

I don't think I ever found anything that costs less in Japan. You have to pay to breathe in Tokyo!

True, not the place to visit if you're looking for bargains. I go there for the stuff that's not available anywhere else, including real Japanese cooking.

Steve

So Shibuya district is the main area to buy records?

I was wondering where to look. Later this year I will be having a meeting in Osaka, so I'll try and find an opportunity to get to Tokyo.

Andrew

I focused my search on Shibuya and Shinjuku. I used this as a reference, but wasn't totally successful in tracking down all the places that sounded promising.

There's a big HMV in Shibuya which had plenty of dance/hip hop as well as mainstream LPs, but I suspect the range, while exciting for Aussies, wouldn't be any better than what you already have in the UK. This might also apply to some of the other outlets I saw such as Disk Union and Recofan.

I think the real opportunity lies in the Japanese jazz labels, all of which I've never seen on vinyl elsewhere eg Eighty Eight's, East Works Entertainment, Venus Hyper Magnum - all high quality. Yamano Music in Ginza has a good range, but there are probably other places as well.

Steve

Seen these before? CDs packaged in LP sleeves.

Closeup

quote:

Originally posted by Geoff P:
I don't think I ever found anything that costs less in Japan. You have to pay to breathe in Tokyo!

Many Japanese electronics such as Accuphase or Stax can be had for cheap(er).

Er.. make it WAY cheaper.

Ok, if it's not against forum rules, these people will export at the lowest price available in Japan + 5% (add shipping and import duty as applicable). They normally deal in projectors but Accuphase and similar are also on their website.

http://www.pricejapan.com

Allan

Allan,

yeah. but you can *haggle* in Japan and beat the pricejapan's commision.

quote:

Originally posted by Geoff P:
I don't think I ever found anything that costs less in Japan. You have to pay to breathe in Tokyo!

Many things are cheaper in Japan than the UK. Overall, I'd say the cost of travelling there is less than that for a Japanese person visiting Britain. It's possible to eat a tasty, nutritious resturant meal for around £3 for example. The equivalent from Wagamama would be £10. Blue Note, Impluse etc. Jazz vinyl in 70's local pressings (ie the next best thing to US 1st pressing) for around £4 a pop, would cost £15+ in the UK. Look for the Disc Union shops in Shinjuku and other spots. Basic T-shirts and the like from somewhere like Uniqlo are far cheaper than Gap. Cameras: my IXUS was about 60% of the UK price, Dynavector Cartridges a similar amount cheaper. I'm sure other examples of consumer electronics and hi-fi are similar.

quote:

Originally posted by Yo-yo Master:
Seen these before? CDs packaged in LP sleeves.

Oh, man ... I can't believe it!

When CDs first came out over 25 years ago, and all the record shops reconfigured their displays for long-boxes (and then yet again for CDs wrapped only in plastic), I had this exact idea.

Not only would it have saved all the hassle for retailers and manufacturers, but we would still have nice big album cover art and, increasingly importantly, LEGIBLE liner notes.

Fred

You were way ahead of your time, Fred.

Steve

Was there recently
Should check out Recofan... real load of vinyl
Jag

quote:

Originally posted by fred simon:
Not only would it have saved all the hassle for retailers and manufacturers, but we would still have nice big album cover art and, increasingly importantly, LEGIBLE liner notes.

Fred

Sort of, but it's slightly illogical to have a cover the size of something that actually isn't in there, just because it would have been like that 20 years ago. Know what I mean? When I sold off all my vinyl a few years back the space I saved was huge, and I couldn't find the space for 700 LP's now. They used to be in long lines on the floor around the room and that's OK when you are a student, but in a grown-up environment it just won't pass the wife test. I have about 950 CD's currently and they are on shelves, although space is getting critcal.
I don't know what the answer is, but it's probably somewhere in between. I have a couple of Japanese CD's in replica LP sleeves that are CD size, one of these the Yessongs album complete with booklet & triple gatefold sleeve. These are lovely and I could be very happy if all albums were like that. I find digipaks OK, but the problem lies in that CD's are considered portable and no longer confined to the listening room. I couldn't see anyone taking an armful of 12" LP sleeves to the car for instance. I think we here who take our music so seriously are in a minority, sadly.
But I do agree; CD jewel cases are crap and unworthy. Maybe 7" single size would work nicely.