Dublin Record Stores

It always sounds strange to hear that all of Ireland -including the northern part- only has a population of 7 million. Because Irish influence in popular culture, music, literature, mythology etc. has always been disproportionally big. I can name many gifts that Ireland has given to the world, but this one suffices: the water of life, which in Irish Gaelic is called uisce beatha, and commonly known to the rest of the world as whiskey. Guinness beer isn't too bad either, and has more uses than I previously knew about: one can drink it, use it to bake bread, or make a delicious (beef or lamb) stew with it, make caramel fudge, and who knows what else. And did I mention that it tastes much better in Ireland than anywhere else? Not just my idea, a well-known fact. Now I know people take rightly offence with the drunken Irishman stereotype, but on this case I'm talking about my own experience in Ireland. No, I didn't exactly get drunk on my first trip to Dublin, but I do believe I drank way more beer than water - and how else, when you're out walking all day, and there's a nice pub in every corner inviting you to stop and have a drink. Often with musicians playing live Irish music. Which, apparently, encompasses just about all of folk, pop, and rock. I mean, I was under the impression that Oasis were a British band from Manchester. Nope! The Gallagher brothers? Irish. The Sex Pistols' Johnny Lydon? Irish. Bruce Springsteen? Kurt Cobain? Rihanna (yes, that Rihanna)? All Irish! The diaspora has spread so wide that there's probably at least a drop of Irish blood in every person you meet. So, suppose you want to buy a record by a famous Irish person. Like Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, or Bono. Or David Bowie. Or The Beatles - I kid you not! John, Paul, and George, all had Irish roots. Anyway, say you want to buy some records. Where do you start?

I guess the Temple Bar is as good a place as any. Like many tourists, I also wondered whether that area on the south bank of the River Liffey took its name from the same-named pub or vice versa (it is vice versa). Locals all tell you to avoid both the pub and the area "It's a tourist trap" they say. "Pints cost €10". "The music is too loud". I took their advice and didn't go inside any of the pubs there. I did walk through the area often enough, and I have to say it is a nice, lively, district full of narrow, cobbled streets and nice pubs, restaurants, and shops. If you're looking to party, it's probably the place to go. If you're looking for vinyl... well why not start with Mojos Records? It's a tiny place at Merchant's Arch, pretty close to the Temple Bar Pub, actually - and, unlike it, not overpriced. (Used) LPs cost €15-30, CDs €5. 

Despite its small size, there's a pretty good selection in various genres. Still in the area, there's The R.A.G.E. (Record, Art and Game Emporium) a cave-like basement offering retro video games and used vinyl. A mix used and new records (€5-30) including punk, classic rock, Irish music, and electronica. Further south (on 15A Wicklow St, near the Molly Malone statue) you can find Firebird Records. One of the oldest independent record stores in the area (est.1978) it also styles itself as "The Secret Book and Record Store" because it's a bit hidden behind a long corridor - although the huge signs at the entrance give the "secret" away. A big variety of vinyl (new €25-40, used €10-30) and CDs (new €10-20, used €4-5). Very good for rock, punk, and indie music as well as Irish bands, both modern and traditional. A great selection of books, too. In the direction towards Trinity College (47 Nassau St), there's another "hidden" record shop called Sound Cellar - a basement dedicated to heavy metal.

A huge variety of records in this specific genre (including hard rock, prog, and black metal) both CD (€15) and vinyl (€30-40). Just around the corner (7 Dawson St) you can find a big Tower Records shop: on the ground floor there are (new) LPs (€25-40) and CDs (€15+ but also many offers 3-for-€10). Irish music (indie and trad), lots of DVDs as well as T-shirts and memorabilia. The upper floor is dedicated to vinyl only: rock, pop, hip hop, dance, jazz etc. Further south, inside the Stephen Green shopping centre, there's a shop of the Golden Disc chain: a big space, also selling a lot of T shirts and  memorabilia. LPs cost €30-50, although there are also many on offer (3-for-€70). CDs €10-20. On your return to Temple Bar, you may want to hit another couple of shops: Spindizzy Records is a big-ish shop with a big variety in CDs (new €10-20 used €5-6) and LPs (New €25-40, used lp €5-25). Punk, alternative, pop, rock, and folk. Spin Dizzy is inside George’s Street Market Arcade which houses a bunch of other shops worth browsing. Including a small shop called Elevation. This one just has some posters etc, but there's another Elevation shop (3 Johnson Pl) which really is worth its full name Elevation Music Movies Comics. It may be small, but you'll find records of most of the major artists. LPs €25-40, CDs new €10-15 used €4-5. There's also a place called Claddagh records, which is specialized to Irish/Celtic music. It does have a physical address but seems to sell only online. Lastly, despite what I said earlier, I did step into a pub at the temple bar area: its called Foggy Dew, and -on that day- it hosted a record fair. Apparently it also often houses rock concerts. Whether record fairs are also a common occurrence there, I wouldn't really know. 

On the other side of the river Liffey, there are relatively few record stores: A decent-sized Golden Discs in the Jervis shopping centre, and a Tower records situated on the 2nd floor of a big Euston shop (on 40 Lower O'Connell Street); It's 50/50 split between films and music; good for country, Irish music, and pop/rock. LPs € 25-40, CDs €10-17. There's also a big 3-story HMV shop (18 Henry St) selling all kinds of stuff: DVDs, games, T-shirts and of course LPs (new €25-40) and CDs (€8-15). The best thing about it, though, is the "Who's Playing in Dublin" board on the 1st floor; there are announcements and flyers for all the live events going on around the city. The last shop I visited on the north side was Bookmart Game Exchange - as you may have guessed it mainly sells used books and videogames, but it also has a few cheap used CDs. I unfortunately didn't have time to visit In Dub Reggae Store, and there seems to be some confusion about the address (seems to have moved recently?), but according to googlereviews it is a very good specialty shop and must be worth visiting for fans of that genre. 

On Friday 31/10, we left Dublin early for a day-trip to a nearby town called Kilkenny; I first heard about it on a Pogues album which had a song called "Wild Cats of Kilkenny"- apparently, once two Kilkenny cats fought each other so ferociously that only their tails remained at the end of the battle. What, you don't believe it? Why? the tales Irish people say are always so well-grounded. It is in any case a beautiful town, and also features a nice medieval castle. It served for 600 years as the seat of the Butler dynasty - literally, the dynasty's founder was a Norman lord who came to Ireland as butler (a.k.a. cup-bearer) of the infamous King John of England. A visit is recommended, but don't expect too many gothic vibes: the castle has been refurbished into a comfortable manor house some centuries ago. Being there on Halloween, we couldn't resist a visit to Kytelers Inn, previously owned by Dame Alice Kyteler, the first recorded person condemned for witchcraft in Ireland (1324 AD). She fled before the executioner got his hands on her, but her handmaid Petronella De Meath was burned at the stake as an accomplice. There's a plaque commemorating her on Butter Slip alley, a small Harry Potter-like passageway starting off at St. Kieran's street. About 100m further up St. Kieran's St, there's Rollercoaster Records, a rather stylish medium-sized shop. You'll find some interesting records there, but rather random ones - don't expect them to carry all the classic LPs by major artists. Only new vinyl (€20-30) and CD's (€15). 

The city also hosts a Golden Discs record store located in the Market Cross Shopping Centre. Similar stuff with the Dublin shops of the same chain. The next day it was back to Dublin - to see the phantasmagoric Mácnas parade, and to visit the Guinness Storehouse, Irish whiskey museum, the national museum of archaeology that houses those eerie bog bodies as well as Celtic artifacts, W.B. Yeats exposition in the National Library, the Chester Beatty museum... there wasn't enough time to see everything we wanted, what with the regular pub stops and everything, but there's always next time!

Record Stores Of Shibuya, Tokyo

It's been half a year since my Japanese trip. It was really a great one: we visited Tokyo, Nikko, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Yokohama; we saw beautiful nature, impressive monuments, and futuristic cityscapes, we met nice people and tasted delicious, and often strange, food. Of course I went record hunting, too, and let me tell you this country is a goldmine for record hunters: quality Japanese pressings, some peculiar Japan-only editions, decades-old used vinyl looking as good as new because it's been handled with care and respect, huge record stores full of rare albums, and all for great prices - often half of what you'd pay in Europe or the U.S. I've written previously about my record store mapping session in Kyoto; I got to see a fair amount of that city's record shops, but Tokyo... Tokyo is a lost cause, unless one can spend weeks there, and dedicate a big chunk of their time to record hunting. I mean Tokyo City alone has 14 million inhabitants - and the Tokyo metropolitan area has 37 million! Anyway, I could never surpass this guy's work, which you can download here - what I can do is present the shops I visited at the Shibuya area, where we stayed. It's one of the most famous neighborhoods, a real hub where all the transportation lines meet: apparently, Shibuya Station is visited by 3 million people daily; the second-busiest train station in the world after Shinjuku Station which is right around the corner (around 4km away). It's also famous for the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world; 3000 pedestrians pass the crossing per green light, adding up to almost half a million people daily. So as you can imagine all of Tokyo plus legions of tourists end up here, which makes for an extremely lively area housing lots and lots of bars, restaurants, and shops. Before I start, some general rules about Japan record stores: firstly, many of them aren't front store businesses. You may find them inside shopping malls, or in residential buildings; some, like Disk Union, may even be scattered in different floors of different buildings a couple of blocks apart.

Secondly, buildings in Japan don't have a ground floor - or rather, the 1st floor is the ground floor. So when one tells you this record store is on the 2nd floor that means you go up one flight of stairs. Thirdly, unlike in the US, all prices are tax-inclusive BUT there's a neat little trick you may want to take advantage of: overseas travelers may have the tax deducted from their purchases provided they don't make use of them while they're on Japanese soil. This service will not be available in all shops, but some record stores provide it. Finally, the price of some records will be in the thousands, but don't let that scare you: as of 2025, ¥1000 is only worth roughly €6 or $7. Shibuya's Tower Records is the largest record store in the Asian continent - probably in the world, too. I mean there seem to be four contenders for this title, and one of them is Amoeba Records in L.A. which I've already visited; I can verify that it's freaking huge, but Tower Records Shibuya is even bigger (if not necessarily better). First of all, the building is literally tower-like in height. It's 8 floors high and 1 deep (so, 9 floors in total). Each one is dedicated to something else e.g. 3rd floor is Japanese music, 4th is anime and game soundtracks, 5th is K-pop, 6th is reserved exclusively for vinyl singles and LPs (jazz rock pop soul etc). New records cost around ¥5000, used ones ¥500-3000. Address is 1-22-14 Jinnan, a three-minute walk from Shibuya Station (Hachiko Exit). You know the story of Hachiko dog, right? Exactly opposite the train station, also accessible via the underground passage, you'll find the Magnet Department store (1-23-10 Jinnan). The rooftop lounge of the 8th floor offers one of the best views of Tokyo, including the Shibuya Scramble Crossing. One has to buy a ticket to get there, but the 7th floor is free, and one can get a good view of the crossing from there, too. 

Recofan, which is one of Tokyo's biggest, and more historic, record stores takes up most of the 6th floor.  Here, new LPs cost ¥4000+, used ones on average ¥2000, and used CDs ¥280-1000. Something I found very helpful was that records were arranged alphabetically; in Japanese of course, but next to the Japanese characters (each one is a syllable) there are the corresponding letters in the Latin alphabet. Still close to the station, on the 5th and 6th floor of the Shibuya Modi department store (1-21-3 Jinnan) one can visit HMV Music & Books. To be honest it didn't meet my expectations, as it seemed to focus on K- and J- Pop idols and boy/girl bands, and fan merchandise. There does seem to be an awful big market for those, judging from all the advertisements; these are all around Shibuya giving it that Blade Runner vibe. Huge screens with moving, and often talking, ads, not only on or above the towering buildings but also on street level as well as moving in the streets. I can't tell you how often I was surprised when I heard a voice seemingly addressed to me, and looked right to see the moving image of an androgynous Asian teen idol on a screen bolted on a moving vehicle's trailer. Thankfully, there's another HMV record store nearby (36-2 Udagawacho Noah Shibuya) this one focuses on international music (rock, indie, prog) as well as some J-rock. New LPs around ¥4000-5000, used ones mostly ¥3000 although there are also some for ¥1000. All the above shops (Tower, Recofan and both HMVs) allow for tax-free purchases, which isn't the case with the rest of the shops I visited. Still in the neighborhood, there's Manhattan Records which specializes in Hip Hop, R & B and classic soul. On the 1st Floor (ground floor to us Westerners) there are records in these genres as well as street fashion items, while the 2nd floor mostly has used records and CDs (mostly ¥770-2000) as well as some singles and cassettes. Another shop in similar music style is 2 Tight Music (35-4 Udagawacho, Oak Village Building). It's on the 5th floor, apartment 503. Small but packed with lots of hip hop CDs, as well as some singles and cassettes. On the 3rd floor (apt.305) there's another specialty record store: RnR Music Garden is dedicated to rockabilly. 

Which brings us to a back alley behind a very central street, while there are also a few night clubs in the area. Here there are two record stores opposite each other, Face Records (soul, jazz, funk - according to Google this is now "temporarily closed") and Next Records (2F Ryuko Building, 11-11 Udagawacho) (hip hop, R&B, disco etc). One floor above you'll find another record store called Mother's Record (jazz, rock, bootlegs). You can see it from the street but the entrance is somewhat hidden. I could hear some great rock music coming from a bar here (I think it was this one) - it sounded like The Clash with Japanese lyrics. Me and my girlfriend thought about going in for a drink but there were some very drunk customers at the staircase, singing the chorus of the song at the top of their lungs. They didn't look dangerous or something, they were just loudly enjoying themselves, but we weren't in a similar mood so we left. At the corner there was another bar; a young girl with a short skirt -as is the fashion there- at the door was inviting people to come in, but that's something you get used to in Tokyo, restaurants and retail shops have them too. What did catch my attention was a sign at the front with prices per 45 or 60 minutes. My first thought was they were renting karaoke booths or something similar, the second one was something less innocent. It turns out that this was a 'girls' bar', a popular kind of diversion for middle-aged Japanese men. Contrary to what happens in the West, this is about company, not sex: there's no touching, the girls don't dance for the men or take their clothes off, they're only there for conversation - on any subject except sex. Anyway, let's get back to the record stores, because I've kept the best for last, and that's Disk Union, the motherlode of all record stores anywhere in the world! The various departments of this shop are a bit scattered, yet close to each other. If they were gathered in one place, they'd probably surpass Tower Records. The extremely detailed guide I recommended earlier mentions that Disk Union takes up 5 floors of the Antena 21 building (30-7 Udagawachō), but that wasn't the case when I visited last April: only two floors were occupied by Disk Union at that time: 4F (Club Music) featuring techno, dance, hip hop as well as DJ equipment and 5F (Jazz & Rare Groove) that had jazz, reggae, and world music (prices starting at ¥380, mostly over ¥2000). 

Another shop is at the basement of the Parco department store (15-1 Udagawachō): a lot of jazz, indie, rock, metal, and J-rock. Good variety and prices, even though I couldn't understand the idea behind the pricing: I found two seemingly identical used copies of The Beatles' Blue album, in the exact same condition: one had a yellow label and cost  ¥4650, the other one had a blue label and cost ¥480 - less than €3 for a Beatles' double LP in VG+ condition - only in Japan, man! I could have filled suitcases full of vinyl - hell, I almost did when I visited Disk Union on the first day of the trip, buying all kinds of good-ish records that I nevertheless didn't need, just because they cost less than one third of their usual price. Then I imagined myself dragging those suitcases with me for the rest of the journey, on the shinkansen and in those subterranean cities that pass for metro stations in Japan. From then on, I only bought records from Japanese bands that I knew I wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. By far the most purchases were made at Disk Union Rock (at the basement of 32-7 Udagawa-cho). Huge huge variety in all rock subgenres (classic rock, J-rock, punk, metal etc.) both in vinyl and CD. There were some new LPs (around ¥5000) but crucially lots and lots of used LPs starting from ¥380, and mostly under ¥2000. Here too they have the system with different color labels corresponding to different price ranges. During my visit I also happened to catch an in-store gig, which I loved. I wouldn't know if it happens frequently, though. There are many more Disk Union branches in Tokyo, most notably in Shinjuku, where the various by-genre shops are also scattered among different apartment buildings in the same area. I'll stop at saying that these are also must-visit for collectors, and limit this post to the Shibuya region, with which I'm relatively more familiar; after all there's a lot of information online about record shopping in Tokyo, I'm only scratching the surface here. 

 

Paris Record Stores

Ten years ago, I wrote my first report on a city's record store scene (London) for this blog, and teased about offering some pointers to record-loving visitors to Paris. Although I've visited the city a few times in the intervening years, it's only now that I can make good on my promise. On our latest visit, we lodged for the first time in the Montparnasse, at a hotel that used to count painter Paul Gauguin and writer André Breton among its permanent guests. Don't get the wrong idea, it wasn't a particularly luxurious place. Just typical of the neighborhood; every other place displays a plaque about a famous writer or artist that lived there - in the early 1900's it probably boasted the greatest collection of talent in history since classical-era Athens. A very lively area, too, full of bars and restaurants that were open until late, and a large number of theaters and music halls. Not many record stores though, apart from the local Fnac branch. Most Europeans are familiar with those, but in case you're not it is a chain of department stores that mostly caters to your entertainment needs; so you'll find a lot of books, records, CDs and DVDs as well as games, laptops, mobile phones, TVs etc. The one on Rue de Rennes 136 is fairly big with a wide selection in vinyl (French and international, including jazz, rock and metal as well as pop and K-pop). As always, the biggest concentration of record stores and book stores is near the student areas, of which there is none more famous than the Quartier Latin. I remember, during my first visit to the city, having spent hours at the Gibert Joseph at the Boulevard Saint-Michel. It's nominally a bookstore, or chain thereof, but its music department consists of two floors of ample square footage full of LPs and CDs. French chanson, jazz, world music, rock, pop, rap and funk are all well represented, and there's even a corner of Japanese vinyl (10-40€). New LPs cost mostly 23-35€, and used ones 6-20€. It's not the best place for used vinyl, but the variety of used CDs (3-9) is really huge. There are also many offers on new CDs (prog, metal, rap etc), for 6,99€ or less. 20 years ago I spent hours looking for bargain CDs both new and used; they had to escort me to the cash desk at closing time. 

Close to the Sorbonne university, on Rue des écoles 40, one can find Crocodisc, one of the most famous Parisian record shops, supposedly good for used records and CDs in all styles of music. Alas when I visited, it was closed for the summer vacation. According to their website, the shop carries both collectors' items and sale bins with records as cheap as 1€. On number 26, one can find the local branch of French music/film chain O'CD. Lots of DVDs, as well as LPs (new 10-35€, used 5-15€) and CDs (5-10€).  Here in the Netherlands, La Dame Blanche signifies a dessert with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. But in Paris, it is the name of a charming record store, situated between the Pantheon and the École polytechnique (47 Rue de la Montagne Ste Geneviève). Both the shop and the street are highly instagrammable; which is not to say that the records aren't interesting. It just has a small rock selection; it's far better when it comes to classical, jazz, and French music. Most (used) LPs cost 5-10€, while the shop also sells CDs and cassettes. Leaving the Left Bank behind, you can cross the Seine and walk past the Notre Dame and Hotel De Ville to find a pedestrian street (Rue de la Verrerie). On your left, on number 66 there's Lucky Records - a veritable shrine to Madonna (the singer, not the mother of Jesus for whom a shrine would be more appropriate). Her whole discography seems to be here, be it rare singles, EPs or bootlegs. Other pop divas are also well represented, e.g. Mylène Farmer, Tailor Swift, and Lady Gaga. Also a few random CDs starting from 3€. A bit further, I was surprised to see a chain I was familiar with from Japan: Book-Off mostly deals in used books, including English and Japanese ones, as well as manga and other comics, pokemon cards, board games, and of course vinyl records and CDs.

Close to the Châtelet metro station, there's a shop called Monster Melodies. It has, I think, an unfairly low rating in Google. Sure, it's not cheap and neither is it browse-friendly, but it must be heaven for collectors: rare classic rock, psychedelia, and early punk/new wave records. Mostly original pressings, prices upwards of 30€. At the next corner (47 Rue Saint-Honoré) there's Parallèles, another great shop focusing on music and books. A big selection of music books, LPs (chanson, jazz, blues & rock, a few new around 25€ and lots of used ones starting from 3€) and CDs (used, mostly 6€). A bit to the north, there's a shopping mall (Westfield Forum Des Halles) containing another Fnac (good variety, many offers). Closeby there's another O'CD branch; compared to the one near Sorbonne, this had a better selection on vinyl (used and new LPs on offer 5-15€) and CD (under 10€) in all genres: Rock, rap, reggae, funk, jazz and French music. I also passed by another small record shop (at 187 rue St Denis) with the intriguing name Maquis Megastore. (the maquis were WW2 French partisans). It looked as if they'd gone out of business but Google says it's temporarily closed, so I thought I'd mention it here.

   

Big Smile Bazaar, at 6 Rue du Ponceau, is a small but sophisticated shop, specializing in used vinyl. All styles, but especially good for Funk, jazz, African and oriental music. LPs typically cost 20-30€ but there are also some offers for 5€. Superfly Records (53 Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth) also deals in used records almost exclusively. As suggested by the name, there are many funk, disco, and hip hop records for sale. Also Jazz, Afro, Latin, and rock. Now, this round took me almost a whole day. I'm not complaining, I love walking around Paris, and any itinerary that takes you past the Sorbonne, the Pantheon, Notre Dame, Hotel De Ville, and The Louvre is worth it. Not to mention the Seine, the banks of which at the time (late July) were converted to a plage, complete with imported sand, chaise longs, and beach bars. But, as I said, the day I had dedicated to record hunting was drawing to a close, and I still hadn't visited one of my prime targets: Born Bad Records is both a shop and a label dedicated to scuzzy rock'n'roll and reissuing rare 60's - 70's French rock (ye-ye, psych, punk, exotica etc). I'm very much into all these genres, so I turned towards the Bastille to check out this shop. Predictably, I wasn't disappointed. It's not huge but it has a very deep selection of garage, rockabilly, punk, and blues. Some CDs (8-15€) but mostly vinyl, both LPs (around 20€, some offers 5-10€) and 45s. Patate Records (57 Rue de Charonne) is another specialty shop: they only do reggae music, but they do it well. The last shop I visited that day was Plastic Soul (93 Av. Ledru Rollin). Not very browse-friendly, but the reviews say that the owner is very helpful. As I wasn't looking for something in particular, I didn't initiate a conversation with him - plus, I always hesitate to do that because my French is terrible, and not everybody speaks English. Although I was pleasantly surprised to realize that Anglophony has progressed in strides in France during the last few years. Time restrictions meant I missed some famous record stores in the area: Betino’s Records (32 Rue Saint-Sebastian) is supposedly a must. They specialize in house, soul, disco, jazz, Latin and African, and mostly sell new vinyl. Listen! lies a few meters from famous live venue Le Bataclan, and apparently has "a great selection of original pressings...soul, disco...obscure pop, prog, and psychedelic". Synchrophone Records and Techno Import, both Rue des Taillandiers, are well regarded by electronic music fans, but that's not my thing so I passed them by. Heartbeat Vinyl (26 Rue Godefroy Cavaignac) advertises itself as a "specialist on all quality music, including soul, rock, jazz, world, and techno". Le Silence de la Rue is a historic record store mentioned in many guides, but Google lists it as "temporarily closed". If, at that point, I had decided to head towards Père-Lachaise cemetery to pay a visit to my dear departed friend Jim Morrison, I might have passed by a couple more well regarded record stores: Music Fear Satan (4 Bis Rue Richard Lenoir) focuses on metal LPs and CDs, while Souffle Continu (22 Rue Gerbier) seem to be the place for eclectic finds "from jazz improv to harsh noise, indie rock to black metal". Finally, another place I missed in the region (23 Rue du Roi de Sicile) was Rock'n'Roll Voltage. Which is too bad, since this shop is dedicated to Hard Rock and Metal, which I really enjoy listening to. On the other hand, customers on google often complain about the prices.

I spent most of the next day walking around the Montmartre: I joined a walking tour, and visited a museum as well as the area's last surviving vineyard; well, that's not exactly true: that empty lot used to be a vineyard back in the 19th century when the area was full of them, but the vines were, of course, all long dead. Recently, the mayor of the 18th arrondissement decided to revive it as a tribute to that long gone era. The new vine varieties were chosen for sturdiness rather than taste, which as a result doesn't make for a great wine, but the profits from the small amounts produced go to local charities, so people buy it anyway to support the good causes. Well, one can fill pages upon pages writing about Montmartre: the cabarets, painters, revolutionaries, singers, movie locations, the good restaurants and the tourist traps. But that's not our subject here, so let's go back to record stores. At the foot of the hill (32 Rue des Trois Frères) I found a rather charming shop called The Mixtape. Small-ish, with a good vinyl collection, especially in indie rock. New LPs 25-35€ used ones 10-30€. The shop also sells T shirts and music-related souvenirs. I was familiar with Balades Sonores (8 Rue Pierre Picard) from their Brussels branch. The Parisian one (the mothership, so to speak) is way bigger. Although it initially gives off a chaotic vibe, the records are well catalogued per genre and browsing is easy. There are sections for rock, indie, funk, rap, world music etc. New LPs 25-35€, a few used ones 15-20€. Also on sale are music books and a few CDs. To the south of Montmartre (114 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière) I visited one last record store called Ground Zero. Only vinyl (indie, rock, rap and jazz). New 25-35€, used 14-20€. Had I exited Monmartre to the north, I might have come across Exodisc (70 Rue du Mont-Cenis): records, cassettes, and CDs spanning rock, reggae, jazz, soul and more. A bit further north (9 Rue André Messager), another shop with good reviews is Dizonord. It's billed as an "alternative record shop / cultural café". New and used records as well as books, toys, coffee and drinks.

So, that was my report on Parisian record stores. It's always nice to visit Paris, and it's only a 3-hour train ride from my home in Delft, so I hope to be able to go back soon and fill in the gaps. Now I need to sit down and write my report on the Tokyo vinyl scene while I still remember my trip there last April. Until then, if Japan's your thing, you can check out my piece on Kyoto, which was our next stop during the same trip.

Kyoto Record Stores

As you may know, I make a habit of mapping out the record store situation in every city I visit, at least to the extend permitted by the length of my visit. I did spent enough time in Kyoto to visit most of its record shops (as well as many food markets, Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, Zen gardens, tea houses, and.. and...) BUT unfortunately most of my notes were erased. Either by a malicious note-eating virus or by a clumsy swipe of my fingers on my mobile screen. I figured nevertheless that it wouldn't be right to bypass Kyoto because it is an amazing town which you must visit if you can; and may I make a suggestion? in tourist guides you'll find a multitude of historic and cultural sites -mostly temples- and you'll want to visit them all because they all look gorgeous in the photos (and up-close, too, make no mistake) but you'll wear yourself out if you try. Choose three or four temples and diversify your experience by spending more time in the food market, the "geisha district" Gion with its quaint wooden houses, visit the Arashiyama bamboo forest, the informative and entertaining Samurai and Ninja museum, and of course as many record stores as you can. I'm telling you, Japanese record stores are a whole other level. So let me try to piece together a guide to Kyoto's record stores using the photos I took with my mobile and whatever memories still linger on 3 months after the fact:

A great thing about it is that most record stores are bundled within walking distance to each other, pretty close to the famous Nishiki Market. You may want to start from Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station; here, you'll find the local Tower Records branch on the 9th Floor of the Kawaramachi OPA department store - it was weird for me at first, but one gets used to it: record stores in Japan are very rarely storefront businesses, instead you'll find them either situated within shopping malls, or more often in apartments within office or even residential buildings. Now this branch of Tower Records may not be as massive as, say, the 8-story one in Shibuya Tokyo (I'll tell you more about it on another post) but it's still quite big by the criteria of 2025. Lots and lots of new LPs (¥ 4000-7000) and CDs (¥1500-3000). That's not nearly as expensive as it looks; at the time of my visit ¥1000 was worth roughly €6 or $7. Now, these prices are inclusive tax but there's a neat little trick you'll want to take advantage of; overseas travelers may have the tax deducted from their purchases provided they don't make use of them while they're on Japanese soil - just google it, it's a bit too complicated to explain here. Most record stores will not provide that service, but Tower Records does. Since you're there, you simply must visit the local Book Off store at the 8th floor - it's a used books chain but also carries 1000s of used CDs (¥330-1300), relatively few vinyls but an unbelievable variety of manga comics. 

Starting from as little as ¥110, they make for a fine and cheap souvenir, because what says "Japan" better than Manga? Even if one doesn't speak the language they're nice to browse through for the art - Just check them out well if you're buying them as presents for your friends' kids, because the artwork is often naughtier than one would expect, even for titles that seem to be targeted to the younger teens. Just a few meters further, on the 4th floor of the Takashimaya Shopping Center you'll find Face Records, which is a much more stylish affair. Important Note: in Japan there is No Ground Floor - or, rather, the ground floor is called the 1st Floor, the floor above it is the 2nd Floor, etc. Face carries (mostly used) vinyl, as well as some hi-fi equipment. You'll find Rock, Pop, Jazz, and J-Pop LPs, mostly under ¥2000. For the adventurous, there's a  special offers corner (mostly J-Pop) at ¥100 - that's $0.67(!) for a random vinyl souvenir of your Japanese trip. At the opposite side of the street, inside a gallery connected to the market, there's a shop called Take.J (Ishizumi Shinkyogoku Building 3F, 563 Nakanomachi). Go up the stairs to the 3rd floor and you'll come across a cramped apartment full of CDs (only ¥500-1000). Very good for Rock and Metal, also Soul and J-Pop. And this is the last time I'll be that specific in my descriptions since my notes from here on were erased. 

Nearby, you'll find a shop called Banana Records. I don't remember much about it, except that it's directly above a camera shop (Camera no Naniwa Kyoto Store, 372 Narabutsucho). Here is what internet sources say "A wide selection of LPs, CDs, and EPs across various genres, including rock and jazz. Also small accessories like bags, second-hand clothing, cassettes". Confusingly, it's another shop in the neighborhood that uses the banana logo: Joe's Garage (Fusaya Building 2F, 572 Obiyamach) You'll see the banana sign at street level; then you need to go up the stairs through a place full of bric-a-brac called "chacharhy💗"; only then you'll find the record shop. Decent prices, as I remember, and a wide selection - especially in the field of classic rock.

I can't say I remember any details from my visit to Toradra Record (3rd floor YOGI Building, 456-6 Matsugaedacho) but this is how they describe themselves "Our store always has approximately 5,000 LPs and 3,000 CDs for sale. We handle and sell all genres, focusing on rock and jazz, as well as J.pop, soul, blues, reggae, world music, club music, hip hop, soundtracks, and classical music". Art Rock No.1 is at the 7th floor of an apartment building (Assorti Kawaramachi Nijo Building, 374 Ichinofunairicho). A nice collection of 70s-80s rock, jazz, and J-pop vinyl, and decent prices. Another record store perched high (6th floor) is Jet Set Records. This should be of interest to DJs as it carries more dance/funk/jazz, along with the usual rock stuff. Then to another apartment building (Morris Building 2F, 485 Kami-Honnoji-mae-cho) which hosts not one but 2 record stores: 100000t on the 2nd floor and Workshop Records on the 3rd. The former was a bit messy, while the latter had a nice selection of classic rock, jazz, soul, and j-pop records and CDs, all properly catalogued.

Another shop I really liked was Happy Jack. It's on the 3rd floor of a shopping center (Tobee Building 302, 224 Eiraku-cho). Not so big, but had all the things I like; especially 60s/70s rock, garage, psychedelia, soul, jazz, and j-pop of course. Nice prices also. Of course not all record stores are hidden in apartment buildings - these next ones were in the galleries in the market. First, and for me best, was Supermilk Records (495 Nakasuji-cho). At first glance it didn't look like much, but I found some super cool Japanese punk and metal records between ¥300-1000. Also a nice selection of jazz, soul and rap. Now I know I took photos of it, but I can't find them in my mobile anymore - as if the disappearing notes weren't bad enough, now photos go missing too?

 

There were two more stores with an actual storefront: Jeugia is an entertainment store selling vinyl, CD, DVD and other stuff, and Shimizuya which had mostly J-pop CDs and DVDs. I didn't find anything of interest in any of them, and neither did I find something at the last Kyoto record shop I visited, Poco A Poco, an underground shop situated at one of the shopping galleries (Daishinville B1F, Dori Sanjo, Teramachi). Now these are all the record stores I visited in Kyoto, but by no means all of them. This source lists 48 record stores in the city, though I wouldn't know whether it's up to date. Anyway, 48 is a bit too much for most of us, so by cross-checking the previous list with other internet sources and crossing out those inconveniently located, I arrived at this additional list of shops that I haven't personally visited but seem to be worth your attention: First one is Parallax Records, on the next corner to Happy Jack (Shin-kyogoku uta-no Koji Building 2F, 407-1 Sakuranomachi) and specialized in noise/experimental/electronic music, mostly on CD. Hitozoku (above the Morikawa tobacco store, 271-4 Kitakurumaya-cho) specializes in electronic and world music vinyl, mostly used. Vivrant (Teramachi Ayanokoji Building 4th Floor, Teianmaenocho 586) offers "a wide selection of used LPs/45's specializing in Soul, Funk, Disco, Rare Groove, Jazz, Hip Hop etc". Black Ark (Kawara-machi Kaikan 202, 253-1 Ichinomachi) focuses solely on reggae music, used vinyl mostly. Vinyl 7 (492 Shimohonnouji -mae -cho, near Jet Set) seems to specialize in funk and disco. Still in the neighborhood (ION Building 2F, 340-1, Daimonji-machi) one can find Prototype Records (google reviews describe it as "a cool little spot with a decent but limited collection" but also praise its "impressive reggae and jazz section"). Poohyokocho (370-1 Kameyacho) seems to focus on folk and country and Hard Bop on jazz (of course). Its address is Tkaragaike Building 1F-3 ,474 Kami-Honnoji-mae-cho, apparently it's "tucked away in a nondescript building, requiring a small sign at knee height to locate". Unfortunately (or not) Kyoto doesn't have the equivalent of Tokyo's Disk Union which is, like, the Mecca of 2nd hand record stores - you'll have to go to Osaka for the closest branch; it'll take you all of 14 minutes with the shinkansen bullet train. And, let's face it, you're going to Osaka anyway. If not to stay, then at least for a daytrip, as I did. Not enough time for record hunting. But enough to visit the Shogun castle, built by Toyotomi in the 16th Century - way before he switched to making airconditioners and the like. And to eat takoyaki, of course. Basically, I stopped at every food stand and sampled everything I could, all over Japan, and especially in Osaka. It was worth it.