There are many ways to purchase Japanese music related merchandise. If you have dealt with a store or on-line site that is not listed on here, please send the information to: asunaro@inreach.com . Also, we are ONLY listing stores and sites that sell LEGAL Japanese Entertainment merchandise.
STORES TO BUY JAPANESE MUSIC:
BOSTON:
Boston, Massachusetts (Thanks to Akane20)
Anime Crash http://www.animecrash.com/
It's actually in cambridge, in Harvard Square
Tokyo Kid http://www.tokyokid.com/
Located in Harvard Square in The Garage
Sasuga Books http://www.sasugabooks.com/
Located in Cambridge, off of Porter Square train stop
CALIFORNIA:
Asahiya Los Angeles ( http://town.hi-ho.ne.jp/asahiya/ )
(213) 626-5650
Asahiya Bookstore in Little Tokyo has a large assortment of Japanese music CD's.
Although, they cost a dollar more than the other stores in the state. A great
place to get Japanese Entertainment merchandise.
Kinokuniya Los Angeles
1-213-687-448
Kinokuniya Los Angeles is another good place for people in So. Cali. to get their
merchandise. Although, not as good as the San Jose store, it's a good source to
order from.
Kinokuniya San Francisco
1-415-567-7625
Kinokuniya SF was the best place to get Japanese underground/alternative CD's
when an associate of mine, Naomi, worked there. Currently, at this time they are
re-structuring and a new person is in charge of the music department. He seems to
have knowledge of Japanese music. They are a good source to order CD's from.
Kinokuniya San Jose
1-408-252-1300
This store is the best place to order videos from. They also have a wide
assortment of CD's and CD singles. They have had problems with shipping of CD
singles but in terms of ordering videos, Kinokuniya SJ is the best place to order from.
Mikado Laser Japan
1-(415) 922-9450
This company is based in San Francisco in Japan Town. They are currently the best
place to get Japanese Music CD's, videos and karaoke LD's. They get their
merchandise very quickly (sometimes before the anticipated release date). My advice
is to state clearly what you want. They are a reliable source to order from.
Nikaku Animart (see below under on-line sites)
TAIYO-DO
1-415-885-2818
Taiyo-Do is a little record store in Japan Town, SF. They have many
contemporary CD's but the majority of their CD's are enka. They are a good source to
order from.
Hawaii:
Hakubundo Inc. ( http://www.cnethi.net/hakubundo/ )
Many people who live in Hawaii probably hear their ads all the time on the
Japanese radio station, KZOO. A good source to get your Japanese music CD's.
TOWER RECORDS
Tower RECORDS/VIDEO/BOOKSSHIROKIYA
1450 Ala Moana Boulevard,
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 973-9111
OREGON
TORONTO , CANADA:
If anyone in the Toronto (Canada) area is looking
for J-Pop CDs, etc., there are a couple of stores in town selling legit CDs
[Thanks to Joanne Uyede for the information]:
Tower Records
2 Queen St. West (at Yonge St.)
Tel: (416) 593-2500
has a limited (but fairly outdated) selection, as does
Sam the Record Man
347 Yonge St.
Tel: (416) 977-4650
HMV
333 Yonge St.
Tel: (416) 596-0333
But, by far, the best selection I've come across in this city is at
Music Headquarters (2 locations):
Pacific Mall
4300 Steeles Avenue East (at Kennedy)
Markham, ON
Tel: (905) 470-8038 and
Times Square
5500 Highway 7 East, Suite 230
Richmond Hill, ON
Tel: (905) 889-8383
Music Headquarters has the most up-to-date selection I have found here yet.
They carry new releases, both CDs and CD singles and they can also do
special orders if you want. They also have Chinese and other Asian CDs, as
well, along with some DVDs and VCDs.
ON-LINE SITES:
JAPANIME ( http://www.japanime.com )
This on-line site was started in 1998 by an friend & associate of mine
in Japan. It is quickly becoming a popular site to order Japanese Entertainment and
music. Also, if you say that the Asunaro Association sent you, you get a 10%
discount on your purchase. This company is a reliable source to order from.
This company is based in Tokyo.
2nd Hand CD SHOP ( http://come.to/2ndhand/ )
[Information needed]
ANGELPOP.COM ( http://www.angelcd.com )
Popular for their Korean Pop culture merchandise, now
adding JPOP and HKPOP to their cool inventory.
ASIACD ( http://www.asiacd.com )
CD JAPAN ( http://www.cdjapan.co.jp )
DEODEO.COM ( http://www.deodeo.com )
We want to let you know that "DEODEO.COM "-a Japanese online
music CD shop- is open now.
Our database more than 160,000 titles of Japanese CDs which covers most of Japanese music
CDs on market.
HKPOP ( http://www.hkpop.com
)
This on-line site features many popular Asian performers. They carry legal Japanese
CD's and VCD's at a low price. They are a reliable source to order from. This
company is based in Canada.
JPOP & ANIME ONLINE SHOP ( http://www.hk.super.net/~jpopwww/JPOP/jpop_shop.htm
)
Relatively new. If anyone has any info. on this site, please let me
know.
J-LIST.COM ( http://www.j-list.com )
A JPOP site and also an Japanese adult site managed by Peter Payne and team from
Gunma Prefecture.
MATERIALS JAPAN ( http://member.nifty.ne.jp/BOOKSJAPAN
)
Japanese Materials for Overseas Customers. We send things Japanese to
overseas customers. Books, music tape, CD, VIDEO, tea, stamp, collectors' items, and more.
Please note materials we provide do not always come with English brochure.
MIKADO LASER JAPAN SF
(http://www.mikadosf.com )
The popular JPOP store in Japan Town San Francisco finally has a
website. Good to get JPOP items other than CD's.
NIKAKU ANIMART ( http://www.nikaku.com/ )
A popular anime store based in San Jose, California. They started to not just focus
on anime but also carry popular Japanese music artists. They are a reliable source
to order from.
TOKYO POP ( http://www.tokyopop.com/ )
This homepage offers anime and JPOP. I believe they are connected or
are part of MIXX Magazine (now known as TOKYO POP).
THE UCI BOOKSTORE ( http://www.book.uci.edu/anime.html )
This was one of the first on-line sites to offer Japanese music. They
are a reliable source to order from. This company is based at the University of
California, Irvine.
I would like to thank Naoyuki Maruya and Uyede Joanne for their assistance on this page. Domo arigatou gozaimasu!
DISCLAIMER: Due to copyright and permission rights, no material or photography of performers will be used on "The Asunaro Club's guide to Japanese Music" unless permission is received.
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