Compared to other countries, in Japan, physical media are popular. Nowadays, digital music media is overtaking the music scene, but in Japan, many people still buy CDs or vinyl records.
And so in Japan, there are a lot of record shops, especially in Tokyo.
Vinyl Record Shops in Tokyo
Where are the places to buy vinyls? Check out our guide here!
Disk Union
If you have a hobby of collecting CDs or Vinyl, I recommend you go to DiskUnion in Tokyo. It’s the best record shop in Japan and you can find 2nd hand vinyl and CDs that are significantly cheaper compared to other shops. Disk Union has many stores in Tokyo, for example, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shimokitazawa, Ikebukuro and Ochanomizu and more.
Their shops categorizes media in detail, so it’s easier to find. For instance, there are 3 or 4 floors in the Shinjuku shop, and they separate them by genre such as, Alternative rock, Progressive rock, Latin, Jazz, Metal, Dance music, Classic and Japanese music etc. This shop is also famous for many overseas artists, who visit there to buy vinyl privately. Thurston Moore, member of Sonic Youth visited Disk Union Shinjuku this April. Jimmy Page, known as the guitarist of Led Zeppelin also visited that shop in 2014. So now you can believe how popular the shop has become!
Big Love
If you like to buy indie rock bands from western countrys, you can try Big Love in Aoyama. Big Love is an independent record shop, and they order a lot of minor rock bands from all over the world. The bands they stock are generally not well known in Japan, but their taste is exceptional. The xx, who came to Fuji Rock Festival in Japan this year, were introduced to Big Love record before their debut. Several years after Big Love pushed one Danish indie rock band, Communions, they became famous and invited Communions to a small Japanese music festival this February. And one of the most famous rock bands, Radiohead, chose Big Love to sell their exclusive indie record, Burn the Witch. This record was sold only at two record shops in Japan; Big Love in Tokyo and Flake Record in Osaka.
Where Do You Buy Your Vinyl Records in Tokyo?
For enthusiastic Rock music fans, Tokyo is the place to be! There are many indie gigs you can see and exciting second-hand CD and vinyl record stores. Have you bought vinyl records in Japan before? Let us know your favourite shops!
Reiya
Japanese
