Japan remains one of the last strongholds in the world where physical media for music ( especially CDs ) is not only surviving but even thriving, and the best testament to that is the giant Tower Records store in Shibuya, a sprawling eight floors dedicated to physical music media.
I had made plans to visit the store because I wanted to pick up the vinyl for AKIRA REMIX, a new release of the OST ( original soundtrack ) for Katsuhiro Otomo’s magnum opus animated film ( see the images further down ). This new edition of the soundtrack is part of the Otomo Complete Works.
The entire 6th floor of the store is dedicated to vinyl records, and what a heavenly place it is for collectors ! I was particularly drawn to the section for movie soundtracks.
(image above) Mission accomplished – securing a copy of the AKIRA REMIX vinyl. Full disclaimer here; I am not a vinyl collector and do not own a record player ( yet ) ! I am though a fan of everything Otomo/AKIRA related, and this beautiful cover illustration of Kaneda’s iconic red bike is impossible to pass up.
(image below) A vinyl for Vangelis, who of course wrote the haunting soundtrack music for Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking Bladerunner film.
Whether or not you’re a vinyl person or music collector, this giant Tower Records in Shibuya, in particular the vinyl level is still really an interesting place to visit, and I highly recommend dropping by if you’re ever in the city.
You might also be interested in these items :
Tribute To Otomo Exhibition At Tower Records Shibuya, Tokyo
Tokyo Spring/Summer Trip 2017
Tokyo – Spring Trip 2025
AKIRA REMIX Exhibition / Pop-up Store
Japan Trip, Spring 2018
June 19th, 2025 at 12:09 pm
Bochhi the Rock and Akira vinyl in the same photo — I love it. I still try to buy physical music video when I can. I’ve imported two Bocchi/Kessoku Band CDs from Japan in the last year (I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to “That Band,” or watched the YouTube video of the scene where Kessoku Band play the song, but it’s a lot … ). I burn my CDs to my NAS for easier listening, but I still love owning the actual physical media since nobody can take them away from me.
I remember frequently going to the local Tower Records near me, once upon a time, before they went out of business. Brings back very fond memories of browsing through CDs and also books, music magazines, and DVDs.
Of course, in those days, BestBuy also had row after row of CDs on display. It was great, and so easy to just lose yourself for an hour and end up leaving the store with a stack of CDs. Don’t ever change, Japan.
June 20th, 2025 at 1:32 am
as usual, in matters of art, japan has the right idea.
“ghostworld” ost next to the “twinpeak’s” wax — snapshots of better times.
June 24th, 2025 at 1:56 am
Chris – same here, really great memories of visiting my local Tower Records ( and also HMV ), the joy of browsing and listening to music at the store just hits different than streaming. Miss those days.
Kauf-chat – Haha yes, there are so many albums like the Prodigy’s that really bring me back see all those covers.