Visiting Japan for Christmas - Which guitar stores to see?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Econ
  • Start date Start date
Tokyo (Shinyuku), Okinawa, Kyoto, Osaka and possibly Hiroshima.
 
Dude, I'm going to do the same in March next year.

You can actually look at https://www.ishibashi.co.jp/eng/ and see if there is anything there that interest you. Their site is combines inventory from all their stores and if you give them a heads up they can send the guitar to the store closest to you. So ruff price from yen to usd is to just drop the last two digits for a ballpark price. So if the guitar is 114,000 yen its about $1,140 pending on the exchange rate at the time.

Stores all over japan link -> https://www.ishibashi.co.jp/eng/store.html
 
You guys will find that after sending the guitars back, it is not worth it. Don't want to break hearts. Most of the guitars you would want, you can get here for cheaper!
 
sutepaj":ukqqr9d6 said:
You guys will find that after sending the guitars back, it is not worth it. Don't want to break hearts. Most of the guitars you would want, you can get here for cheaper!
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You are probably right. But if a rare piece comes up, I’ll snag it.
 
Econ":eypkca06 said:
sutepaj":eypkca06 said:
You guys will find that after sending the guitars back, it is not worth it. Don't want to break hearts. Most of the guitars you would want, you can get here for cheaper!
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You are probably right. But if a rare piece comes up, I’ll snag it.
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There are some good buys in Hong Hong, and if you go to Shenzhen. It is like old pawn shops..if people just don't know.
 
sutepaj":1m1ubel0 said:
You guys will find that after sending the guitars back, it is not worth it. Don't want to break hearts. Most of the guitars you would want, you can get here for cheaper!
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True for american made guitars but not for stuff made in Japan. I got a mint 98 Orville LPC for about $550 with a generic hard shell case. I noticed the made in Japan stuff is is priced pretty low, especially when compared to the marked up MIJ gear listed on ebay. Otherwise yeah I wouldn't expect to see Gibsons selling cheap or anything. Still fun to check out though.
 
Can't help much but this would be such a cool trip.

I have seen guys visiting Factories like ESP and buying something while they were there. I would definitely look for some type of Japan only model. I also think you can carry one back on the plane with you?
 
I always wanted to go to the Killer guitars factory. I had two of them in the early 90's that were crushing! No idea where they are located.
 
Econ":rp99i8xw said:
Which areas should I hit for the best guitar stores?
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There is only one place worth seeing and get ready to be amazed

Ochanomizu Guitar Street, been there twice, bring you passport and some haggling skills and you will have an amazing time. Last 2 times I took the guitar on the plane as a carry on no problem , had a soft case.
 
I live in Ochanomizu area. I kind of agree generally -- you won't get an amazing deal just for "going to the source" -- prices are about the same and your haggling margins are tiny compared to western standards. The only saving grace is shopping tax exempt, which is going to save you a good chunk, plus bringing it back on the plane (which technically you should declare and pay US tax on at the airport, but, well..). Ochanomizu has the most shops, but generally any Musicland KEY is nice, a couple nice shops in Shibuya area as well. There is a great amp shop about 10 minutes walk south of Ochanomizu in the Miyagi (IIRC) music shop, but they also do recording there so the amps are not always available. Good luck!

rottingcorpse":1jwbabj2 said:
I always wanted to go to the Killer guitars factory. I had two of them in the early 90's that were crushing! No idea where they are located.
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They're made by ESP now.
 
errrrrl":ajnli8pu said:
sutepaj":ajnli8pu said:
You guys will find that after sending the guitars back, it is not worth it. Don't want to break hearts. Most of the guitars you would want, you can get here for cheaper!
Click to expand...

True for american made guitars but not for stuff made in Japan. I got a mint 98 Orville LPC for about $550 with a generic hard shell case. I noticed the made in Japan stuff is is priced pretty low, especially when compared to the marked up MIJ gear listed on ebay. Otherwise yeah I wouldn't expect to see Gibsons selling cheap or anything. Still fun to check out though.
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I've found 2 really nice Sykes LPs, one a Greco from 84 and a late 90s Edwards for less than 450 shipped from Japan, nothing online was even close to that price here. There was a Greco on Reverb for 850 at the time that was out of Chicago.
 
I lived in Japan total of 10 years on and off while in the military.
I bought so many killer deals while there!! Most out of pawn shops. :yes:
but yeah..... bring a blank credit card and go nuts. :D
 
Just from searching online I found this place called Shimokura.

Seems to be one of the biggest stores in the city since they have 3 buildings. If you show them your passport and mention tax exempt you get 8% sales tax discount. Not sure if all stores do that.

Also found a used shop called Hard Off that has things like Schecter Japan, FGN and Grover Jackson guitars.
 
maddnotez":135saxdp said:
Just from searching online I found this place called Shimokura.

Seems to be one of the biggest stores in the city since they have 3 buildings. If you show them your passport and mention tax exempt you get 8% sales tax discount. Not sure if all stores do that.

Also found a used shop called Hard Off that has things like Schecter Japan, FGN and Grover Jackson guitars.
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I frequently visit a small town near Nagoya. There's a "Hard Off" store within walking distance. I always find that they have tons of used gear, but I don't think I've ever seen a good deal or anything. Interesting though, as the stores sell everything from clothes to electronics on several floors.
 
Econ":akv7uqpb said:
Tokyo (Shinyuku), Okinawa, Kyoto, Osaka and possibly Hiroshima.
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That's a nice trip. I was in Japan last April. Spent most of our time in Yokohama and Kyoto. It's soo much cleaner, advanced than most of the USA.
 
Ochanomizu in Tokyo. The Umeda area of Osaka has the ESP custom shop and a pretty big Ishibashi music. While you're there, you can check out Yodobashi camera. It's an electronics store and has nothing to do with guitars, but it's about a 5 minute walk from the ESP custom shop and it's INSANE!! Be sure to check out the bottom floor for all the Gacha.

I wouldn't bother with guitar shops in Kyoto. There is so much to see there and it's such a unique city that it would be a waste to go to guitar shops. I've been there 3 times and still feel like I've seen 1% of it. Just be prepared for huge crowds of extremely rude Chinese tourists. Seriously you'll have to fight with them to get position to take photos.

Never been to Hiroshima or Okinawa, so I can't comment on there.
 
I would be on the hunt for an EBMM EX, which is the Japanese version of the EVH and a fraction of the price. They're all over eBay and Reverb, but I wouldn't want to deal with the import duty stuff.
 
So how was the trip? Any recommendations?

My wife and I are going to Japan in March. We’ll be staying in Yokohama and have 7 days. I’ll have 3 days alone where my wife will be seeing friends, etc...so that’ll be the days I can check things out.

Planning to hit Ochanomizu Guitar Street, and Ishibashi guitars for sure around Tokyo. Others?

Does anyone know if I buy a guitar there, will the shop ship it for me?
If I buy 1, then I’ll take it on the plane, but I may get a little crazy...

I am really looking for guitar models made in Japan that we can’t get in he US. But a good deal would be nice too.
Does anyone know where I may be able to find any lists of Japan only models for Ibanez, ESP, Caparison, etc...?
 
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