My Favourite Record Stores In Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

aaaaand finally here's my latest video!
This is a guide for record diggers who want to find good stores in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Of course the selection of stores reflects only my personal taste and opinion.
Anyways I also recommend to check out the Disk Union stores in Shinjuku and Ochanomizu (especially the Jazz store).
And if you are already in Japan, go to Denden-Town in Osaka, they also have lots of cool stores there!
You can find all of the music featured in this video here:
jaydelarge.bandcamp.com/album...
Also check out my DJ-records-series "Portable Melodies" here:
jayfm.bigcartel.com/
And stay tuned for more diggin guides and adventures as well as more scratch records ;)

[@ryanisdoneby]

Huge thank you for this video, it brings back so many memories of hours spent in Manhattan Records, Face Records, Disk Union and HMV. It's a special location, so uniquely Tokyo, with so many people who care about music from all around the world.

[@djstanley3002]

Thank you for doing this video, I've been diggin in shibuya every few years since 2010. I miss that area, cant wait for Japan to open up to tourists.

[@danprice6361]

this disk union you visited is my favourite music store in japan. the punk/metal section was great and really cheap

[@omarama6001]

How much they typically cost?

[@AdamBell01]

So many memories !! The HMV in Shibuya also worth a visit

[@johnedwardkerr7814]

Thank you for yourenunciation on Japanese and English words, makes your videos just that bit more easy to watch. You earned my subscription with this video, for sure!

[@johnedwardkerr7814]

Saved to a new playlist for when I visit Japan hopefully next year...

[@JayDeLarge]

@@johnedwardkerr7814 Thanks a lot for the nice feedback and the subscription! I hope I'll be able to make more record store videos like that in the future 😁

[@shubhankarkulkarni7667]

thanks mate! gotten into record collecting recently. will definitely check these out

[@aileensantucci8093]

Cool stuff man! Thanks! I’m excited to one day go to shibuya for records 😎

[@shelbythebest2312]

I rember I went there when I was in Japan and in the kpop floor they were doing a mini concert

[@iselect1012]

These Japanese record stores fascinate me. How is it to get around for a none Japanese speaker?

[@JayDeLarge]

If you speak english tokyo is not too difficult to get around. not everybody speaks perfect english but from my experience if you ask people are open to trying to help you anyways. I do recommend to rent a pocket wifi and use google maps though.

[@pauldavis7810]

Nice video. I first went to Mothers in 2002, from watching your video I was hoping you would end up there. Glad to see it is still going. It was probably the most cramped and disorganised record shop I visited in Japan, but also one of the most interesting with lots of hidden gems. I think I filmed in there. I'll try to find the footage and upload it at some point. Is Babylon still in business? They were closer to the station.

[@JayDeLarge]

Thanks for the comment! Yes that would be cool to see some footage of the early 2000s form the stores back then. I heared there used to be way more stores in the late 90s and early 2000s compared to today. I am not really aware of Babylon Records in shibuya today, so it might have closed... but also I don't claim to know all of the stores :)

[@ludwigheisters8105]

Nice selection!

[@gbastile]

Danke für das echt coole Video! Die Tipps sind einmalig. :)

[@GerrodCarper]

This is awesome

[@ukgladiatorsfan]

This store is a must go to every time I go to Japan, unfortunately both stores are now closed :/

[@dulapeep5609]

Whatt??

[@ukgladiatorsfan]

@@dulapeep5609 they’ve both closed now

[@bimoligot9551]

disk union ? include

[@davido3109]

Nahhhhh!!!!!!!!

[@thiscorrosion900]

Wouldn't mind just having some of those Technics shopping bags! Hehe.

[@yebo2993]

Ich habe selbst ca. 15 Jahre immer wieder in Tokio CDs und Platten gekauft. Kennst Du das Buch "レコード+CDマップ "? Heißt übersetzt "Record+CD Map", erscheint jährlich und stellt alle möglichen Plattenläden in Japan vor, hauptsächlich Second-Hand-Läden, gibt außerdem Infos über Öffnungszeiten, welche Musikstile Du dort vorfindest, wieviele CDs/Platten etc. der Laden ungefähr hat usw. Man kann es für ca. 2000 Yen in den meisten Plattenläden kaufen. Die Infos sind leider nur auf japanisch; es hilft, wenn man wenigstens Hiragana lesen kann. Der Plattenladen Darumaya in Ikebukuro hat außerdem lange Zeit Plattenbörsen organisiert, diese dauerten meist zwei Tage. Vielleicht wäre das auch für Dich interessant.

[@JayDeLarge]

Wow! Vielen Dank für die Infos! Falls das Reisen irgendwann wieder einigermaßen normal möglich sein wird, werde ich mich auf jeden Fall mal nach dem Buch umschauen. Nach dem positiven Feedback auf dieses Video würde ich auf jeden Fall gerne mehr Videos in dem Stil machen. Ich habe die Hiragana und Katakana Zeichen mal einigermaßen auswendig gelernt, aber ich kann quasi null Vokabular. Aber mal schauen, vielen Dank auf jeden Fall für den Tipp!

[@craigdunn3231]

Cool video I love collection vinyl records I like hip hop music

[@Pluralofvinylisvinyls]

What an amazing looking city. The Japanese know how to build a city.

[@JayDeLarge]

absolutely! I also love central tokyo! It is so huge you can always discover new places and the city is changing all the time. I can't wait till I can go back :)

[@davegalea6689]

I'm from the UK and I always go to Disk Union and Recofan shops when I'm in Tokyo and I will be back in Japan next month but it's very disappointing that the Recofan one in Beam has been closed down.

[@jamesw4895]

They have great vinyl. Love to visiti there.

[@blahfm]

1:38 Do you know how close to Content Corner you was there? LEGENDARY!!!

[@JayDeLarge]

I had to google "content corner" 😅 but yeah! this spot is really awesome. it's very central in shibuya and there are lots of cool stores nearby

[@rogerturner1881]

Great vid. I collect Connie Francis for the past 52 years..I have a large collection and some very rare. I believe that in Japan you'll find gems of hers. You should make a vid of the German record shops too. Greetings from Greece.

[@JayDeLarge]

thanks a lot for the nice comment! I would love to make some videos about shops in germany too, but at the moment it's very tough for me to find the time. I hope it will be possible in the future though

[@richieteh2806]

The Disk Union you’ve visited is my favourite. Unfortunately Reconfan is closed :( It closed a month ago 😥😢

[@JayDeLarge]

yeah I also love that Disk Union! I checked Recofans website with google translate, and it said, they reopened at the first of June. Maybe they just had to close briefly because of the pandemic? Anyways, I really hope we will all have a chance to check it out again one day in the future :)

[@saku4215]

@@JayDeLarge reeallly? I hope so, im planning to visit once its ok to visit japan again

[@jamesdooley8744]

Big up bluh!

[@Imaginary_mike]

RECOfan in Shibuya closed now =(

[@loulax385]

no way ! do you know why ?

[@ave5163]

Closed on October 11, 2020.

[@Lavagemstomacal]

Great video man

[@soulatwork]

Too bad Recofan in the Beam building closed for good. I loved digging in Japan in April 2019. Thx for the video.

[@JayDeLarge]

thanks for the comment! I am so glad I had the possibiliy to film this video before the pandemic. But it's sad aswell, especially for such a great shop as recofan! I hope after the pandemic I will be able to make more record store videos like that in other places too

[@soulatwork]

@@JayDeLarge Yes sir, I found great stores in Osaka and Kyoto too. All the best with your plans!

[@JayDeLarge]

@@soulatwork absolutely! I love mint records in Osaka, but in total I've spent more time in Tokyo, but lets see what the future will bring ;) thanks a lot!

[@vintagestereocollector4159]

Nice 👍

[@trevordixon1427]

Great

[@cholds4008]

Any suggestions for 80s Japanese jazz, pop? In Tokyo/Nagoya and very close areas?

[@JayDeLarge]

I think you will find Japanese jazz and pop in all of the stores mentioned in the video. I think they might not have a separate section for 80s jazz for example, but if you look for this citypop-style (like Casiopea) you might find it under fusion or in japanese jazz and then look what cover looks the most 80s. This video was just filmed in Shibuya, but I recommend checking Shinjuku and Ochanomizu out. They both got dedicated "Disk Union" stores for the Jazz genre. Also if you are in more rural/suburban areas of Tokyo look for book-off stores. They might have some records too and CDs (pretty cheap prices mostly).

[@alvaroantoniocarbone7838]

Hoje, 14/0620 recebi a triste notícia que a Recofan irá fechar.Sentindo-me muito triste.

[@DanielS-cn4sw]

What is that song at 2:08? Awesome video by the way

[@JayDeLarge]

thanks a lot for the feedback! All of the songs in the video are from my japanese beat tape "Hiidzurukuni - Land Of The Rising Sun" it was just released on a limited bundle with one of my records, which is completely sold out unfortunately. But I think about releasing more music like that on bandcamp :)

[@JayDeLarge]

actually I just released the songs from the video plus some more japanese beats on bandcamp: jaydelarge.bandcamp.com/album/beats-from-the-land-of-the-rising-sun-2 enjoy! :)

[@Diana-cr3vf]

Hello! Im planning to go to Japan next year. I would like to buy Kyary Pamyu Pamyu albums and also her book of artworks and more merch. But I cant find any information on the Internet, do you know where I can get them?

[@JayDeLarge]

Hi thanks for the comment! For more current japanese music I would definitely go to the large tower records store in shibuya. They got more CDs than vinyl, but they got all the current stuff and they are very helpful, if you ask the staff. If you type "tower records shibuya" on google maps you will find it, it's not far from the station

[@epinhervin9355]

That sucks we can't open the cover to look the condition of the vinyl. Hmm will be my consider. Thanks for sharing

[@JayDeLarge]

thanks for the comment! it depends on the shop, if you ask nicely they will let you look. but in my experience not every store there is ok with just opening the records on your own

[@lucalone]

if you would buy many records there in japan and would fly back to europe or the us, do you have to pay tax for the records at customs??? I always ask myself that question.

[@JayDeLarge]

I think it depends on the customs office of your home country. In the EU there is a certain amount that the stuff that you bring into the country can have combined. For everything above that you would have to pay taxes at the customs counter I think. but I never had to pay there so I don't know how much the limit is and how much taxes you would have to pay. I didn't bring that many records, and also I send some records back to my home address with a parcel service, so I didn't carry all of them with me when I entered the country. If somebody else has more details or personal experiences it would be interesting if they could be shared here :)

[@blahfm]

OK the background jam at 9:13 is sick! Please tell me what it is?

[@JayDeLarge]

thanks! In the description box you can find a link to my bandcamp with all the songs from the video. this one is called "DenDen Town"

[@ave5163]

Bitte komm zurück nach Shibuya!! Mit Liebe aus Japan!!

[@JayDeLarge]

Danke für den Kommentar! Liebend gerne! Sobald es wieder möglich ist! ;)

[@shirtsguitar]

Moore Power !!

[@manuelfernando3441]

And the prices.. to expansive or no? I think this is a good Information for this video...

[@JayDeLarge]

thanks for the comment. to be honest I should have included price information for each shop individually, but I will try to put information like that into future videos about record stores. in general it depends what records you are looking for. Japanese records are really cheap compared to discogs and what you pay overseas. Other records also got very fair prices usually, because you mostly get them in great condition for their price. If you go for rare pressings and rare records, of course they can be expensive but I think the shops I showed had mostly pretty fair prices.

[@manuelfernando3441]

Thanks

[@jamesherman3750]

@@manuelfernando3441 not worth putting the prices in when they are changing all the time. However, they for sure should be cheaper than what you see on discogs for example

[@Darkshine1]

What's the song at 4:38?

[@JayDeLarge]

In the description you can find a link to all of the songs on bandcamp. The one you ask for is actually the first one in the playlist. it's called "Showa-Jidai" :)

[@9694lola]

what's the track at 4:03 ?

[@JayDeLarge]

Hi, thanks for the comment. All of the songs in the video are from my japanese beat tape "Hiidzurukuni - Land Of The Rising Sun" I released it on a limited USB stick with my second vinyl record, which is completely sold out unfortunately. But I will try to upload more music to my bandcamp page, so you guys can listen to it :)

[@JayDeLarge]

actually I just released the songs from the video plus some more japanese beats on bandcamp: jaydelarge.bandcamp.com/album/beats-from-the-land-of-the-rising-sun-2 the one you asked about is track no.1 Showa-Jidai! :)

[@guringel9202]

sehr hilfreiches Video - werde 2020 in Tokio sein und Dein Video hilft sehr, da ich auch den Schwerpunkt JAP-Jazz habe ! Danke. wie erreicht man Dich per mail, falls ich noch Fragen habe ?

[@JayDeLarge]

Vielen Dank für das nette Feedback! Ich würde meine private Mail ungern öffentlich posten, aber du kannst über meinen Shop im Kontaktfeld schreiben dann schreib ich dir ne Mail zurück: jaydelarge.bigcartel.com/contact Danke!

[@gonpapel7623]

i paused like every single frame searching for some fishmans cd or vinyl

[@JayDeLarge]

I don't know much about 90s japanese music, but I am 100% sure will find some of their music in these stores. Also towerrecords in Shibuya has lots of japanese CDs

[@oliverseiler2871]

Hallo, ich suche Beatles und Rolling Stones Platten. Hast du einen Tip für Tokio für mich. Ich fliege morgen 😀

[@JayDeLarge]

Etwas von Beatles und Stones wirst du wahrscheinlich in jedem dieser Läden finden aber ich würde zuerstmal zu Disk Union gehen (2. 3. Stock in dem Laden im Video). Neben dem Disk Union in Shibuya kann ich auch Shinjuku und Ochanomizu sehr empfehlen, falls du in der Gegend bist :)

[@RaphHwang]

Wait are you the guy from ST drums??

[@JayDeLarge]

maybe 😅🥸

[@RaphHwang]

What a coincidental convergence of worlds - I've bought parts from you guys twice. Love me some vintage Sonor (got a phonic kit :D) and I'm also headed to Japan soon because I love the music culture there

[@JayDeLarge]

@@RaphHwang Yes, I remember your name. I suspected that the algorithm might recommend my music channel, to people who follow stdrums some day. But maybe in your case it was just a very cool overlap of interests 😁 enjoy your time in Japan! I dream about going back a lot 😅 I absolutely recommend Ochanomizu in tokyo - both for music stores and record stores!

[@RaphHwang]

@@JayDeLarge definitely gonna be hitting up all the cool drum shops over there and playing their Sonor stock (we don't have much of that in Australia). Hopefully I'll get to see some of their JDM stuff too. But no buying because I'm spending that on seeing as many gigs there as I can afford to 😁

[@JayDeLarge]

@@RaphHwang Sounds like an awesome trip! Please recommend us to the drum shops if you can😁😅

[@mariahwhitneycelinejanetmadona]

Hot

[@Hififreund]

Hi,ist zwar schon etwas länger her Dein Video,aber eventuell hast Du ja gerade im Bereich HipHop noch Tipps. Bin nur sehr kurz dort,und würde mich freuen wenn Du mir da weiter helfen könntest.

[@JayDeLarge]

Hi! Danke für den netten Kommentar! Manhatten Records ist eigentlich DER Spezial-Laden für Hiphop. Allerdings würde ich sagen findest du da recht viel neue Releases und auch relativ hochpreisig soweit ich mich erinnere. HMV und Disk Union sind eigentlich immer sehr gut sortiert und haben einen großen Hiphop Bereich. Da findet man auch mehr gebrauchte Sachen und z.B. alte 12inch Singles und so. Viel Spaß in Japan! :)

[@Hififreund]

@@JayDeLarge ich Danke Dir vielmals.

[@mariahwhitneycelinejanetmadona]

Which stores have a lot of Mariah Carey?

[@liliandeboisvilliers1422]

pffff how much the wonder is? i cant see it on your video....

[@lokicharmscereal]

The plan to seal Gojo Satoru (the Shibuya Incident) was one of the most elaborate traps in all of anime.