FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO250)

Japan is like to travel in time and it works in both directions.

The more obvious one is the trip into the future. Fast trains and an efficient public transport but also an overcrowded metropolis filled with lonely people in tiny single apartments. But this is not a bleak outlook to our future this is about something different.

So on one hand Japan is very modern and futuristic but on the other hand Japan is also very old fashioned. Here I want to talk about the fact that in Japan music is still bought on CD, SACD or Vinyl. Tower Records is alive and kicking with over 80 stores and this one is the biggest: Welcome to Tower Records Shibuya, the biggest record store in the world!

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO800)

I grew up in the 70s/80s. I bought my first record in 1981 in the electric store in my hometown when I was 12 years old. The shop sold everything: lamps, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, … and records. Back then records could be bought literally everywhere. About 10 years later records were hard to find because the majority moved on to CDs. Today CDs are practically gone too, replaced by streaming while vinyl is coming back. I wonder what would have happened if the digital audio format was never invented.

When I was a teenager I bought records after school and later when I moved to Vienna I bought CDs at Virgin Records. A gigantic records store that spanned over three spacious floors. It was the biggest record store in Austria and I just loved to go there to explore new music. It closed in 2004.

So since I discovered that Tower Records is still alive in Japan I try to come here every time in case my schedule allows that. Usually I go to their store in Shinjuku close to my hotel but this time I wanted to see their biggest store: 9 floors and about 5.000m2. That’s over 53.000 square feet for the only country in the world that rather measures in inch, feet and yards because the metric system is so complicated. Anyway, this store is huge. About twice the size of the Virgin Records Store in Vienna. And the best thing is that it is still in operation almost two decades after most big records stores closed elsewhere in the world.

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO800)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO250)

Like a five year old boy in a candy store I walked the aisles in awe. The last time I felt like that was six years ago when I first entered Yodobashi Camera Umeda in Osaka, Japan. But to be in a real record store is something different and very special in 2022.

It is not only the records that you see while you browse though the inventory. There are listening stations with new releases and turntables are available to check out new music. And of course there is the music they play in the store. That’s how I discovered an old record from Santana that I probably would have never heard otherwise. I quickly found the album (see picture above) and luckily there was also a CD. What I’m holding up is the SACD. A format vastly superior to the CD that never had a real chance anywhere outside of Japan.

I also discovered a lot of music while streaming but to me it is like Netflix. There is a massive amount of content but real quality is rare and hard to find. Browsing to all those titles is tiring and most of the time there is no real reward. I much prefer this old fashioned way to flip through records and CDs. Usually I prefer to buy records but this time I had no room for that in my suitcase. I just bought a Phasemation T-550 step up transformer at Yodobashi Akiba and I had no idea how I would squeeze all the stuff into my bag but there is always room for a couple of CDs that I can’t get at home. I was tempted to get some 45s though. How sweet is that? 45s!

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/3.2, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/3.2, 1/60 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/3.2, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO500)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5, 1/60 sec, ISO1000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5, 1/60 sec, ISO1000)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO800)

Even controversial artists were on display. It’s the 40th anniversary of Thriller, the best selling album of all time. What else can the label do? Maybe not to promote this? I guess everyone who liked Thriller bought it back then so where is the sense in that? It seems that even Tower Records Japan wasn’t so sure about it so they placed it in a quiet corner.

It is always difficult to transport scale in photographs but the fact hat there is a piano in the classic department should give you an idea. That and the fact that they use 6 feet high Voice of the Theatre speakers for the sound. Those are definitely no audiophile speakers but they are fun! It is impressive how easy those speakers fill the room with music and their drive is addictive. A very special experience that you don’t have in any other store.

Usually I use the Google translate app on my iPhone all the time but this time I didn’t when I came to the big sign on the escalator going up. I assumed that the last two floors were closed and went back to the Vinyl and Rock floor below. The sign only said that the escalator is out of order and that you have to use the stairs on the other side behind the elevator. My bad, so I missed the last two floors. Seems that there is not much but a big space in 8th and a roof top terrace on the 9th floor.

On a side note: There is no way to escape Taylor Swift. Even in far away Japan.

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1250)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1250)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1250)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO800)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/3.2, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO160)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO250)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO400)

In order to have to complete experience I also browsed through the J-Pop and the K-Pop floors quickly. I looked inside a room where a young audience waited for I assume an autograph session. I only peeked in but that triggered an “alarm” for the organisers and as a consequence a doorwoman was installed in front of the room to keep nosey foreigners out.

I was intrigued to purchase the “Music Liver Compilation Album from 17live” just out of curiosity but just found out that it is available on streaming platforms. So if you are a music liver you should give it a try. In case you are a music lover look elsewhere.

And I learned about a Japanese band called Spitz. I never heard about this band before but it seems that they have sold over 20 million records so far! The reason why Spitz caught my attention is simple. Spitz is a German word and they must have chosen this name intentionally. The funny thing is that the word has different meanings. There is the official one: pointed. I guess that’s what they were after when the chose their band name. But most common is the slang use of the word in which spitz simply means horny.

I listened to their music and I think it is safe to assume that the band was not aware of the second meaning of spitz. Unfortunately they are no Japanese version of Prince.

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/3.2, 1/60 sec, ISO400)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/3.2, 1/80 sec, ISO160)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/4, 1/70 sec, ISO160)
FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/5.6, 1/150 sec, ISO160)

When I was inside I forgot about the time. When I went out it was about 2pm. I haven’t had lunch so I was hungry and tired. I went to the station to get back to Shinjuku my Japanese rucksack filled with my Phasemation transformer, a phono cable and a couple of CDs. A very successful day! Now some lunch and back to the hotel to pack my suitcase and later to the airport to get my late night flight back home.

This time I had only two days for myself when I was in Japan. The first was the Sunday after my late night arrival the day before and the other one was Saturday before my flight back home. I think I spent my time wisely.

PS: Meanwhile back home I rediscover my records thanks to the Phasemation T-550. I never thought that a step up transformer would make such a difference to the sound of my stereo. Extremely impressive! So if you run a low output MC you should definitely try out an SUT. I’m almost ashamed that it took me so long to finally get one.

FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (14mm, f/9, 1/60 sec, ISO250)