Summary of "Record Shopping in Japan... Worth It?"
Summary: Japan (Tokyo) record-shopping highlights & tips
Trip overview (context)
- The creator’s first trip to Japan was 13 days in Tokyo, mainly to record shop and explore the vinyl scene, while also enjoying Japanese food and the country.
- The overall Japan content is split into three parts:
- Tokyo record stores (this video/segment)
- Vlog-style Tokyo highlights (non-record activities)
- Haul (the purchases)
Community & guides (helpful for navigating)
- Shout-outs to the Too Many Records (TMR) community for connecting the creator with locals and store guidance.
- Major people mentioned for in-person support:
- Julian: provided a map of stores and helped with planning.
- Hero: connected via a Japanese record touring popup and went store-hopping, then took the creator to amazing sushi.
- Edwin: showed the creator spots in Shinjuku, then did a long multi-store digging day (~10 hours); also helped get purchased records packed/shipped to the nearest Japan post office.
- Brian (Tokyo Record Style): suggested a service idea—a chauffeur/guided record-shopping package that helps with:
- Reaching stores off train/taxi routes
- Navigating stores (including Japanese language help)
- Communicating with clerks, checking condition, keeping records safe while traveling
- Planning shipping records back home
General Tokyo record-store advice
- Expect overwhelming variety: Tokyo likely has 50+ record stores (possibly more), and a thorough visit can take half a day per store.
- Pricing note
- Rare records tend to be expensive, often near or above Discogs value.
- Some stores have inconsistent pricing, so the creator advises caution about overpaying.
- Shopping etiquette / “custom” difference
- Don’t open records to inspect in the bins.
- Preferred method:
- Bring records up at the checkout counter for condition checks
- You can cancel/return unwanted selections at the counter
- This differs from the US style of opening records immediately in the browsing area.
Featured store types & what stood out
Disc Union (multiple Tokyo areas + genre-focused sections)
- The creator visited several Disc Union locations:
- Shibuya
- Shinjuku
- Kijiiji
- Ojanizu (spelling as auto-captioned)
- Key highlight:
- Disc Unions can be massive with multiple floors/areas, sometimes dedicated to specific genres (e.g., metal, jazz/rare groove, rock).
- Personal picks:
- The creator found a big stack at every Disc Union visited.
- Favorite mentioned: Kichijoji (as transcribed: “Kitschy Joi”) Disc Union
- Newly remodeled/expanded used vinyl section
- Large selection across genres—so big the creator had to “cut themselves off” to keep going.
Book Off (media-focused thrift shop; “secret hidey-hole”)
- The creator’s “favorite chain” wasn’t a pure record store—it was Book Off, with dozens of locations.
- What it sells beyond vinyl:
- Books, CDs, games, DVDs, records
- Nerdy extras like models and figurines
- Vinyl specifics:
- Not every location had vinyl, but most do.
- Selection varies by store—some sections are small, others take up multiple aisles.
- Many of the creator’s best/rarest finds came from Book Off.
- Strategy:
- Make time for Book Off.
- Going further out of the city may mean less pick-through—potentially better availability.
Tower Records (nostalgia + mixed value)
- The creator visited Tower Records in Shibuya (targeting a used-focused location).
- What was good:
- Enormous selection and a very nostalgic/visual store experience.
- What was not:
- Pricing for rare items felt like a tourist trap:
- Many items were far above Discogs value
- Conditions didn’t seem to match the price (beat-up records priced near “near mint” levels)
- Pricing for rare items felt like a tourist trap:
- Advice:
- Not a priority for spending money on used vinyl—more of a quick stop for historic/iconic value.
HMV (decent deals, but “watch the pricing”)
- The creator found:
- Great deals in bins across genres.
- But also:
- Nearby overpriced items
- Tip:
- Do a yen-to-USD mental check and verify Discogs/condition to avoid overpaying.
- Beware the “stars in your eyes” mistake: buying an impressive record that you later realize was cheaper elsewhere.
Coconut Discs (plants + strong hip-hop/electronic focus)
- Visited two Coconut Discs locations.
- One stood out as:
- Lush and beautiful, filled with plants and lots of sunlight
- Music focus:
- Especially good for hip-hop and electronic.
- They had:
- A large 12-inch section and some interesting LPs.
- Time constraint:
- It was near the end of the digging period, so browsing time was limited.
- Still, they found a grail for them (shared in the haul video).
End-to-end “record shopping flow” takeaway
- Tokyo record shopping uses a different browsing/checkout system:
- You generally review and choose at the bins, but condition inspection happens at checkout.
- Returns/canceling are handled at the counter.
Notable locations / products / speakers mentioned
Tokyo areas/streets
- Shinjuku, Shibuya, Kichijoji (auto-captioned as “Kitschy Joi”), plus “surrounding areas outside the city”
Record stores / chains
- Disc Union, Book Off, Tower Records, HMV, Coconut Discs
People / speakers & channels
- Brian (Tokyo Record Style) — YouTube creator and guide idea for record-shopping chauffeur service
- Edwin — local guide and shipping help
- Hero — record touring popup link + sushi trip
- Julian — provided a store map
- Too Many Records (TMR) community
Cultural stop
- Super Mario Brothers themed bar
Shipping reference
- Japan post office (help with getting record boxes shipped)
Category
Lifestyle
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