First time traveling to Japan

[Envelion 14]

I'm traveling to Japan in February and I'm wondering if any fellow J-rock fans have suggestions on things to do. I've got friends who have been before, but none of them are interested in J-rock, so I don't have any good ideas of what to do while I'm there. 
Are there any j-rock landmarks, cool j-rock stores or bars to check out? I'm open to just about anything. I'd really love to see a concert, but I know not many bands play in the Winter.
Any suggestions related to Nagoya Kei style stuff would be extremely helpful for me too! 

Thanks

[monkeybanana4 1732]

That's awesome! Where are you going to be visiting while in Japan? If you're going to be in Tokyo, then there are a bunch of cool visual kei CD shops and clothing stores to check out. Osaka also has a nice handful of shops and places to go as well, although Osaka is a little more spread out in terms of the location of every shop.

 

Here is a useful website for starters. It lists some shops, stores, PV filming locations, and other things to see related to VK/Jrock: http://www.vkeiguide.com/ (It looks up-to-date, but it's missing quite a lot of CD shops.)

 

Harajuku (in Shibuya, Tokyo) has tons of VK clothing stores. Unfortunately, I can't remember where all of them are, but it all sits on one street (Takeshita Doori), so it won't be too hard to find. Many of the VK clothing shops in Harajuku are located in a huge department store, La Foret. (Here is the link: https://www.laforet.ne.jp/en/).

 

PureSound: https://puresound.co.jp/extra/rotation/info/shop.html (It shows the map of where they are located in both Shinsaibashi, Osaka and in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The Tokyo store location map is at the bottom. They sell new and used CDs as well as second hand VK clothings, etc.)

Closet Child: Shinjuku Location Map (Tokyo), Ikebukuro Location Map (Tokyo), Yokohama Location Map (Tokyo - If memory serves correctly, I think it's not directly in the heart of Tokyo, but it's easy to access by train.), Namba Location Map (Osaka) (They sell lots of second-hand VK CDs, VK clothings, Lolita outfits, and more.)

Brand-X: Brand-X (Ikebukuro, Tokyo - They've listed their address in English on this page.)

Zeal Link: Zeal Link (In Tokyo, they have stores in Shibuya and Shinjuku. In Osaka, it's in Amerikamura [Shinsaibashi]. They also have a shop in Sakae, Nagoya if you're going there.)

Like an Edison: http://ktai.la-edison.com/pc/index.html (For Tokyo, they're located in Shinjuku and Harajuku. For Osaka, they are in Shinsaibashi. They also have a store in Nagoya, although I've never been to that one.)

Jishuban Club: Jishuban Club on Google Map

 

These are just a few that I can think of right now. There are also a bunch of HMV and Tower Records. They also sell Jrock/VK CDs, but not as many as some of the smaller stores I mentioned above. I apologize for not being able to point out any Nagoya kei related stuff  I think there are some people on the forum who currently live in Tokyo, so they might know more about it ^^ I'm more familiar with Osaka if you're going there and have any questions about it  (I apologize in advance if my post sounds like one huge ramble ^^;)

[Envelion 14]

22 hours ago, monkeybanana4 said:

That's awesome! Where are you going to be visiting while in Japan?........

Hey thanks so much for all the awesome suggestions! That's more than I was hoping for.
We're going to be in Japan for 2 weeks, and we'll be in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and possibly Nagoya.

These pages you shared with me are going to be a big help. What are some of your favorite things in Osaka?

[monkeybanana4 1732]

7 hours ago, Envelion said:

Hey thanks so much for all the awesome suggestions! That's more than I was hoping for.
We're going to be in Japan for 2 weeks, and we'll be in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and possibly Nagoya.

These pages you shared with me are going to be a big help. What are some of your favorite things in Osaka?

Wow, that's cool! Kyoto is a really nice place to visit. There's a lot of interesting historical/cultural sights to see there. I'm not sure if there's any VK/Jrock stuff there, though ^^; Are you going to be traveling by train? No problem! Glad I could help out ^^ If you have a chance to go to Nagoya, you should definitely check out Sakae - it's the downtown area and pretty popular place to visit. (I believe the Like an Edison store is there, too.)

 

For VK/Jrock things related, Shinsaibashi is definitely a must since Amerikamura is in the area. Lots of VK/Jrock-related shops in there. There are also some non-VK/Jrock related things to do there as well. Namba and Umeda also have lots of things to see. Here are some links that may be of help instead of me rambling xD

 

http://americamura.jp/en/ (Home page of Amerikamura)

https://www.osakastation.com/amerika-mura/ (It points out the Big Step - which is where Zeal Link is located in Osaka. There are also some cool shops that sell men's clothing which Jrockers wear and advertise sometimes - Civarize, Black Jury and things of the sort. There's also the BIG CAT live house at Big Step as well. If I remember correctly, PureSound is also close by Big Step. It's sort of squished in and small. You have to go up a set of stairs to reach it, but it's definitely there.)

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/the-best-things-to-do-in-amerikamura/ (Talks some more about the general things to do in Amerikamura - like night clubs and the sort. The Angelic Pretty (Lolita fashion clothes) store is in the area as well as Mandarake [They sell used/old anime goods, movie posters, action figures, etc.])

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/the-top-10-things-to-do-and-see-in-shinsaibashi/ (Covers some things in the Shinsaibashi area. One thing they mention is the Shinsaibashi-suji - the shopping arcade/area. It's iconic and there are lots of neat shops inside. If you're interested, I believe there is a Lolita outfit/clothing store inside the long shopping arcade.)

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4001.html (It talks about Shinsaibashi/Namba area. I believe the ClosetChild store is in the Namba area. Also, I deeply apologize, but I made a mistake in my previous post ^^; Like an Edison in Osaka is actually in the Namba area. Note: Shinsaibashi and Namba are very close by each other.)

https://www.osakastation.com/dotonbori-area-the-bright-heart-of-osaka/ (It talks about the Dotonbori area. There's a Tsutaya CD shop there. They sell all kinds of music, but they do sell VK/Jrock CDs as well.)

 

These are just some things I like to visit/see in Osaka (there are some other places to see, but I think writing it all down may be too long for this post XD) If you have any more questions, then just let me know and I'll be happy to answer the best I can  

[cvltic 1482]

you should go see a show, even if it's just a random indies taiban. guaranteed there will be something you can catch.
you can search by date and region here:
http://visual.eplus.jp/

[ririri 1]

On 12/20/2018 at 4:37 AM, cvltic said:

you should go see a show, even if it's just a random indies taiban. guaranteed there will be something you can catch.
you can search by date and region here:
http://visual.eplus.jp/

I never thought to use eplus to search for lives... thanks for the tip. 

[Envelion 14]

On 12/19/2018 at 11:23 AM, monkeybanana4 said:

Wow, that's cool! Kyoto is a really nice place to visit...

Thanks soooo much for all the tips. I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner. January is a super busy month for me!

I added a bunch of the places you suggested to my trip itinerary, especially for Osaka and Nagoya. 

 

I'm super excited because we just scored tickets to see a few shows. Sukekiyo, Dadaroma, and Komodo Dragon!

I'm so stoked to go on this trip. About the only thing I still need to figure out is the best way to convert dollars to yen when we're in Japan.

 

Thanks again!

 

P.s. 

@cvltic I actually used eplus to get the Sukekiyo tickets! Thanks for the tip!

[monkeybanana4 1732]

1 hour ago, Envelion said:

Thanks soooo much for all the tips. I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner. January is a super busy month for me!

I added a bunch of the places you suggested to my trip itinerary, especially for Osaka and Nagoya. 

 

I'm super excited because we just scored tickets to see a few shows. Sukekiyo, Dadaroma, and Komodo Dragon!

I'm so stoked to go on this trip. About the only thing I still need to figure out is the best way to convert dollars to yen when we're in Japan.

 

Thanks again!

 

No problem! Glad I could help out  That's awesome you'll be going to those VK lives. They're a ton of fun! (If you need any help for attending VK lives, there's a thread which discusses that topic... https://www.monochrome-heaven.com/topic/49345-bangya-hacks-advice-for-attending-vk-lives/) Hope your trip will be exciting! Would love to hear about it when you return  

 

As for converting dollars to yen in Japan, I usually converted some money to yen before I went and, while in Japan, mainly relied on ATM machines, which I found are pretty safe (in my experience). I found some articles talking about the topic: https://matcha-jp.com/en/6692 and http://www.travel-kyoto-maiko.com/traveltips/your-complete-guide-to-use-atms-in-japan/ (the latter link is promoting their company's tours, but I find it quite helpful for the issue ^-^) Hope this helps!

Edited January 20, 2019 by monkeybanana4

[Paraph 826]

I’ll most likely be going sometime this year, also. I just wondered if anyone could recommend anywhere to stay in Tokyo? (probably staying for around 2 weeks)

Edited January 20, 2019 by Paraph

[frayed 404]

8 hours ago, Paraph said:

I’ll most likely be going sometime this year, also. I just wondered if anyone could recommend anywhere to stay in Tokyo? (probably staying for around 2 weeks)

If price is a concern, I personally liked Sakura Hotel in Ikebukuro. Good location, good staff, and you can opt for the private room or the hostel style depending on your preferences. 

[Paraph 826]

2 hours ago, frayed said:

If price is a concern, I personally liked Sakura Hotel in Ikebukuro. Good location, good staff, and you can opt for the private room or the hostel style depending on your preferences. 

This looks great, definitely looking into it further. Thank you!!

[GreatNorthernVK 183]

I’m also planning something by next year. For those of you that have gone...is it better to plan ahead of show announcements and go for a longer period of time, or wait until a major event has been announced, and wait to book until then? 

 

I just seem to notice that most regular regular tours are announced about two months in advance, but festivals are usually announced more like six months in advance. Other than Kansai Rock Summit in May, it’s hard to find festivals that happen every year. I may set May 2020 as my goal for Kansai, and see what else I can get around that time.

[Apesanteur 7]

On 1/20/2019 at 9:39 AM, Paraph said:

I’ll most likely be going sometime this year, also. I just wondered if anyone could recommend anywhere to stay in Tokyo? (probably staying for around 2 weeks)

I enjoyed Kimi Ryokan, and it's pretty cheap. Private rooms are around 5000 yen/night and it's in a fairly quiet part of Ikebukuro

[Paraph 826]

19 minutes ago, Apesanteur said:

I enjoyed Kimi Ryokan, and it's pretty cheap. Private rooms are around 5000 yen/night and it's in a fairly quiet part of Ikebukuro

So far i've booked Sakura Hostel in Asakusa in the mixed dorm because i'm cheap as hell. i'm not going until june though, so i'll check this out too and compare. thanks a lot!