Comments on: Guest Column: Japan Record Shopping, Part One, Or How to Manage a Dense, Unwieldy Carry-On

By: DARYL PARKS

DARYL PARKS — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 02:03:42 +0000

I really enjoyed your article and the photos. I’m looking forward to all your future submissions, especially part 2!

By: Fredrik

Fredrik — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 00:22:31 +0000

By the way, here’s a link to a video from Nate The Vinyl Guide visiting Hard Bop Records in Kyoto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghj6iyeQy3A

Enjoy!

By: Fredrik

Fredrik — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 00:17:55 +0000

This, for me, is extremely interesting. I follow the Japanese market very closely, as a huge chunk of all the top collectibles in top condition are over there. From what I’ve gathered, the Japanese came over to the US and Europe in the 80’s and 90’s and bought almost everything. Seems like what collectors scramble for over here in the west are the few items still available in decent condition. But it definitely seems like the majority of the really great stuff resides in Japan.

Looking forward with great excitement to part two. Great writing Steven.

By: Dan Lai

Dan Lai — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 23:52:33 +0000

Terrific article and looking forward to part two. Glad to see you’re doing well Steven, I hope you remember me from the Facebook group. Timely article for me since I will be heading to Tokyo in Nov with my wife and sister in law. While they are shopping I hope to hit many of these stores you listed. I hope I won’t get lost since it looks like some of these shops are quite difficult to find!

By: Steven

Steven — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 20:50:08 +0000

Bill, “musty” is a relative term. The owner of Hard Bop was definitely the genuine article. I wish I’d had more time there.

By: bill

bill — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 17:35:27 +0000

I love this post and can’t wait for part 2. My wife and I were in Kyoto for a month in 2001. In that time I probably visited every shop in Kyoto and Osaka. I thought Hard Bop was the best store of them all. I still have their bag and small hand outs as well as many records. Your pictures brought back fond memories. I’m glad to see it has survived and thrived. My wife was most impressed by the cleanliness of all the shops (as opposed to my dusty store) so it’s a bit of a surprise to hear about your first stop at a musty Tokyo shop. I guess there are exceptions to every rule.

By: GST

GST — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 15:50:57 +0000

Perfect timing for my first trip to Japan coming up in 4 weeks. I’ll definitely be checking out Hard Bop. What a wall!

By: dottorjazz

dottorjazz — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 15:25:48 +0000

everyone here has lamented the disappearance of record shops both in the USA and in Europe. this doesn’t seem a problem in Japan. being the World the current market, eBay and Discogs, it’s likely that specialized shops in Japan buy what’s on the global market and offer these items as the pics in this post show. anyone in Europe or elsewhere other than Japan has seen such walls in the last decades? not me, and I travelled a lot. to be lucky, one or two nice records, then the desert. recently Korea appeared a good harbor for great records while Japan established its interest back in the 60’s. as I said, many of us, especially USA collectors let their gems go eastbound and it’s there we can find them now.

By: Marvin Goffe

Marvin Goffe — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 13:38:38 +0000

Having been to Japan twice but only during layovers on the trip elsewhere I only had a brief chance to look through some of the great records that they have there every week or every week having been to Japan twice but only during layovers on the trip elsewhere I only had a brief chance to look through some of the great records that they have there every month I go to a Baltimore record show and they are many Japanese buyers there grabbing all the clean original pressings and I see now where they go. I would love to get a chance to go back to Japan and bring someone great American workers back home but they are well worth because they are classics. I am Ron Carter official biographer and he often goes to Japan on tour and sends me back pictures like what is seen in this post. Glad the music is getting the attention it deserves But a little bit disappointed that many good records are over there just for them to be sold back to here.