Going to Japan! Asking for some lives and record stores.

Crimson · March 13, 2019

I have my N4 in Japanese so my teacher said we would go on a trip to Japan (not only me and other people fro the private Japanese lesson.) Anyway... My flight to Japan is already scheduled so I will be in the land of the rising sun for 10 days (starting from 27th March to 8th April) so I want a few tips from people who already know some things to recommend.

First, I know about Tower Records and Disk Union and Book Off! and plan on visiting them while I am in Tokyo. So my question is are there any other good record stores in Tokyo or Osaka where I can buy the albums I want for cheap and maybe secondhand because buying them new is very costy.

Second, I already am looking for my favourite Vk-artists' tour plans, specifically Codomo Dragon, so if you can recommend me some live bars or places where Vk artists will be playing, again in Tokyo or Osaka. You can recommend me your favourite artists or share me if exist trace, Versailles, Diaura and maybe Dadaroma are playing live on the dates I will be in Japan.

Last I wanna thank you in advance for sharing I will really appreciate it. Have a nice day.

**Seimeisen** · March 13, 2019

I didn't go to any shows, but I did a lot of shopping. If you're going to Osaka, stay close to アメリカ村, they've got Closet Child and PureSound locations on the same block. In Tokyo: go to Shinjuku for Little Hearts, Closet Child, and PureSound; go to Shibuya for Tower Records (it's literally a tower, it's amazing, they even have a cafe). If you're really on a shopping frenzy and just dying to see some more ¥100 sale racks, you can also find Closet Child locations in Yokohama and Tokyo Ikebukuro.

Great thing about Closet Child is they tend to have cheaper stuff, and each location has a ¥100 sale rack (the things they have there might surprise you). I practically did a Closet Child tour last summer. I only went to Yokohama just for their CC location, and I met umbrella (without makeup) at the now closed down Harajuku location, RIP.

PureSound tends to be more expensive, but sometimes they have gems you might not find at CC, so it's definitely worth a trip, even if it's just the Osaka location, but I would wait until you've been to CC.

Maybe I just looked in the wrong places, but I didn't find anything interesting at Disk Union in Shibuya or Shinjuku.

And for Tower Records, if you're looking for something specific, you should be able to check nationwide inventory for items online. If you're not looking for something specific, just go to the one in Shibuya and forget about the rest.

r... · March 13, 2019

Have fun, record hunting in Japan is awesome. Just a reminder that th PureSound store in Tokyo has changed quite a bit. They are now also renting/selling movies and idol stuff. It used to be bigger but still has a lot of stuff by the major bands. Selection for indies groups dwindled a lot.

The Osaka store is my fav one. It's huge and it pretty much had everything.

Can't go wrong with Closet Child and the Shinjuku branch of Book-Off has a pretty nice visual selection. Avoid Disk Union like the plague! Overpriced af.

Crimson · March 13, 2019

26 minutes ago, Seimeisen said:

I didn't go to any shows, but I did a lot of shopping. If you're going to Osaka, stay close to アメリカ村, they've got Closet Child and PureSound locations on the same block. In Tokyo: go to Shinjuku for Little Hearts, Closet Child, and PureSound; go to Shibuya for Tower Records (it's literally a tower, it's amazing, they even have a cafe). If you're really on a shopping frenzy and just dying to see some more ¥100 sale racks, you can also find Closet Child locations in Yokohama and Tokyo Ikebukuro.

22 minutes ago, r... said:

Can't go wrong with Closet Child and the Shinjuku branch of Book-Off has a pretty nice visual selection.

Thank you both for the information, I really appreciate it. Definitely gonna check the ones I can and maybe share my experience with record hunting in Japan.

**Paraph** · March 14, 2019

5 hours ago, Crimson said:

Thank you both for the information, I really appreciate it. Definitely gonna check the ones I can and maybe share my experience with record hunting in Japan.

Yesss! Please report back. I'll be going in June and would love to hear about the record hunting adventures.

jaymee · March 14, 2019

In addition to the suggestions above... Unless you really enjoy browsing and buying CDs in person, one of the quickest and cheapest ways to get used VK CDs is to order off of Amazon.co.jp, pay with your credit card, and have them shipped to your hotel (if they allow it) or the nearest Lawson. There are a ton of used CDs on for 500 yen and under. If you go this route, just make sure you do it right before/after you arrive to ensure everything ships in time before you go.

I know you said you don't really want to spend a lot on new CDs, but sometimes bands will do release events where you can meet/handshake/take pictures with them if you buy a release of theirs from a VK music shop, so imho it might be worth looking into. For example if you are willing to take a day/overnight trip up to Morioka, you can attend a CODOMO DRAGON album release event at the Tower Records Morioka store on April 1st and shake their hands and take a pic with the band. (In this case, you would need to call or have someone call and make a reservation with the CD shop ASAP when you land so you can reserve an album copy and an event ticket.)

Also it's true that Disc Union is overpriced, but it can be good for people who collect vinyl or are looking for rare releases.

As for seeing the bands you're interested in, you can see if they're playing near wherever you'll be by accessing their HP and checking the live/schedule tab. It should list all dates for the next couple of months and ticketing info.

If you generally just want to see what VK bands are playing, you can access popular live house HPs and take a look at their schedules. There's a good VK guide with a full list of venues all over the country here, but right off the bat in Tokyo:

Takadanobaba AREA (Diaura is playing here on the 28th)

Shibuya (Tsutaya) O-West/O-East/etc.

Zepp Tokyo

Zepp Diver City

Toyosu PIT

...plus many more! Alternatively you could just check V-Plus.

Edited March 14, 2019 by jaymee