I will be heading over in a couple months.
Please recommend me some stores in Tokyo for electronic music - techno, house, dub, electro - vinyl & CD, new and 2nd hand.
As above, Jet Set (smaller than the Kyoto one but worth checking), most of the Disk Union stores (skip the non-electronic themed Shinjuku stores, Tachikawa can also be skipped), Technique, Coconuts Disk. Even HMV in Shibuya has some cool stuff. Actually didn't find anything worthwhile at Recofan.
Regarding CDs, you can find tons of stuff at Book Off stores for next to nothing. Somehow I always saw one while walking around. Well worth checking.
An update on what has changed since the pandemic hit.
New/ re-opened stores:
Central
Echo Records (Jimbocho) psych, 60s, and more
Glocal (Harajuku)
Face has a new store in the Miyashita Park Mall in Shibuya
Disk Union has a new branch in the basement of Shibuya Parco.
Judgement Records (Higashi Nakano). Jazz/ Beatles
Uptown, Koenji (post punk/ Chinese indies etc). also has live events and a bar.
vasistas (Jimbocho) has the old stock from Modern Music. Sat. Sun. only
Tohto, Yushima
Pianola, Shimokitazawa
Big Romantic, Shimokitazawa. Taiwanese records & food
Pink Moon, Shimokitazawa
Ranamusica, Shimokitazawa
Ella Warehouse, Shimokitazawa (club/ dance 12s)
More out of the way spots:
BBQ Records, Toshimaen
Kankyo Records Sangenjaya
Dare Records Machida
7 inch Hayakawa, Sagamihara
Physical Store, Shimo Igusa
Dotei, Hachioji
Rare, Kunitachi
3LA, Oji (punk, hardcore)
Tentrecord, Nishi Ogikubo (consignment store)
Thanks again to all for your recommendations.
In the end, I got to Tower Records & diskunion in Shinjuku & Shibuya.
Tower was good (for me) for CDs, but not vinyl - picked up quite a few electronic, techno
DU (in Shibuya especially) had a ton of techno & house CDs & vinyl to be bought. I didn't get any 12s due to lack of space in my luggage, but could have spent many $$
I tried to get to Jet Set in Kyoto, but got on the wrong train and ran out of time. Next time!
Thanks for putting this thread together, much appreciated. I'll be going to Japan for a couple of weeks next month. Any suggestions for hard-to-get independent and alternative from the '90's and 2000's? Also looking for any rare Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Grateful Dead, Radiohead, etc.
skycriesmary
Any suggestions for hard-to-get independent and alternative from the '90's and 2000's? Also looking for any rare Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Grateful Dead, Radiohead, etc.
I recently visited the RECOfan Musashi-Koganei shop for the first time. To go there take the JR Chuo Line to Musashi-Koganei Station, take the North exit and cross the street to the MEGA Don Quijote on the left. RECOfan is on the 4th floor.
This is described as the branch with the biggest CD selection of the chain. Indeed all the dividers with the group / singers' names from the shelves of the former giant branches at Shibuya and Yokohama seem to be there. The shelves are very high in order to accommodate as many discs as possible on very limited floor space. The subdivisions like progressive rock etc. are gone. Jazz and Classical sections still exist. Stock is very low. I didn't find anything I was looking for.
RECOfan is now a major disappointment for CD collectors. I found many CDs from my wish list at Disc Union (I recommend to go to every branch that's easy to reach for you) and even BOOK OFF. As usual Tower Records had some limited edition papersleeves that cannot be found in any of the used shops. If you are looking for CDs on the Oldays label, Tower have an excellent selection, with normal retail prices.
