The best record shops in Tokyo, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

Tokyo has more record shops than you can visit in one trip, and they're spread over a dozen neighbourhoods. The way to plan is by area: pick the two or three that match what you dig for, and do each one on foot. This guide goes through the main areas, with the shops to plan around in each and links to our more detailed guides.

A few things hold across the city:

• Shops open late and close early. Most open between 11:00 and 14:00 and close around 20:00. Mornings are for travelling between areas.
• Closing days vary. Wednesday is a common one for independent shops. Chains like diskunion open every day.
• Used records are graded shop by shop. Our guide to Japanese grading terms explains the letters and kanji on the price cards.

Shibuya and Harajuku: club music, hip hop and big used floors

Udagawacho, north-west of the scramble crossing, packs most of Shibuya's record shops into a few blocks. diskunion's Club Music Shop (watched by Hori) and its Jazz/Rare Groove floor are in the same building. Manhattan Records has sold hip hop and R&B there since the early 1990s, with used records upstairs. Face Records, founded in 1994, sells mostly used vinyl in every genre. next records sells only original 12-inch singles. HMV, Tower Records and Recofan each have large record floors closer to the station.

Manhattan RecordsNot watched yetShibuya · Udagawacho · Hip hop & R&B · New and used · Reggae & house Not watched yet Shop page →

A short walk north in Harajuku, Glocal Records (watched by Hori) stocks used breakbeats, techno and house, reggae, world music and jazz.

Full details: record shops in Shibuya.

Shimokitazawa: five shops within a short walk

Shimokitazawa is the easiest neighbourhood to cover in an afternoon. Rana Musica (watched by Hori, open every day 13:30–20:30) sells new house, techno, balearic, experimental and ambient. diskunion has a club music shop and a general store in the same building. JET SET sells new vinyl across most genres, and Flash Disc Ranch has sold used records, mostly bought in the US, since 1982.

Rana MusicaWatched by HoriShimokitazawa · House & techno · Disco & balearic · Experimental & ambient Watched by Hori Shop page →

Nearby, between Hatagaya and Yoyogi-Uehara stations, Ella Records (watched by Hori) sells vintage records of all genres, including rock, jazz, soul and Japanese music, bought in Japan and abroad.

Full details: record shops in Shimokitazawa.

Shinjuku: diskunion's genre floors and reggae

Shinjuku is diskunion territory. East of the station, around Shinjuku 3-chome, the chain has one building with a different genre on each floor (prog, Latin and Brazilian, indie and alternative, punk, Shōwa kayō) and several more shops a few minutes away, including the Jazz-kan, the Soul/Dance Music Shop (watched by Hori) and a big used centre. Our diskunion guide sorts them by genre.

diskunion Shinjuku Soul/Dance Music ShopWatched by HoriShinjuku Public holidays: weekend hours.Watched by Hori Public holidays: weekend hours.Shop page →

West of the station, Dub Store Record Mart sells Jamaican music on new and used vinyl, from mento and ska to roots, dub and dancehall. It's run by Dub Store Records, which started selling reggae by mail order in Fukuoka in 1993, and used records can be played before you buy. Time Out puts it about eight minutes from Shinjuku Station.

Dub Store Record MartNot watched yetNishi-Shinjuku · Reggae & dub · Ska & rocksteady · New and used Hours aren’t fixed: check their website before you go.Not watched yet Hours aren’t fixed: check their website before you go.Shop page →

Ochanomizu and Jimbocho: jazz, electronic, classical and the odd stuff

Tokyo's bookshop district is also a record district, with shops for tastes the bigger areas don't cover. diskunion's Ochanomizu Ekimae store, by the station, is the chain's biggest sales floor in Tokyo, mostly used; JazzTOKYO and the soul shop are a few minutes away. Lighthouse Records (watched by Hori) sells mostly new house, techno, nu disco, ambient and downbeat, two minutes from Shin-Ochanomizu Station, Tuesday to Saturday from 13:00.

Lighthouse RecordsWatched by HoriOchanomizu · Mostly new · House & techno · Nu disco & balearic Watched by Hori Shop page →

Towards Jimbocho and Suidobashi, Echo Records sells psych, krautrock, prog, world music, ambient and pre-war blues and jazz, with a bar counter (closed Wednesdays). CLASSICUS, founded in Jimbocho in 2002, sells used classical LPs and 78s, mostly imported pressings, sorted by instrument.

Echo RecordsNot watched yetJimbocho · Psych & krautrock · Prog & ambient · World music Not watched yet Shop page →

Koenji, Nakano and Kichijoji: the west side

Along the JR Chuo Line west of Shinjuku, each stop has its own shops.

• Koenji: Los Apson? has sold new and used records picked from every genre since 1994, in Koenji since 2015 (13:00–19:00, closed Wednesdays). UNIVERSOUNDS is a used jazz specialist, strong on Japanese, spiritual and free jazz (14:00–19:00, closed Tuesday and Wednesday).
• Nakano: RARE Nakano, about 40 years old, sells used records, CDs and cassettes of all genres, with city pop and anime soundtracks in demand. diskunion has a mostly-used general store here too.
• Kichijoji: Coconuts Disk Kichijoji (watched by Hori), RARE Kichijoji, an HMV record shop, and a diskunion store with a jazz shop-in-shop.

Los Apson?Not watched yetKoenji · New and used · Underground & experimental · World music Not watched yet Shop page →

UNIVERSOUNDSNot watched yetKoenji · Jazz · Japanese jazz · Spiritual & free jazz Not watched yet Shop page →

Ikebukuro, Ekoda and further out

Coconuts Disk has been selling used records in every genre since 1985, with stores in Ikebukuro, Ekoda and Kichijoji, and most records in its shops carry a handwritten staff comment card. It's watched by Hori.

Coconuts DiskWatched by HoriTokyo · Mostly used · All genres · Since 1985Watched by HoriShop page →

Out west in Hachioji, Dotei Records (道程) is a shop and label selling new and used vinyl, tapes, CDs and books, with a focus on small labels and handmade releases. Its opening days vary, so check its calendar. Also watched by Hori.

Putting it together

With two days, a good split is east and west: Ochanomizu and Shinjuku on one day, Shimokitazawa and Shibuya on the other. Our two-day Tokyo digging itinerary works through it with opening hours. Jazz collectors should also read jazz record shops in Japan, and techno and house diggers electronic record shops in Tokyo.

The shops marked as watched are the ones Hori checks every day for the records on your Discogs wantlist. If you can't be in Tokyo when something turns up, Hori sends you a LINE message with the price and a link.