Where to buy MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS in Tokyo: Ochanomizu (Guitar Street)
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- čas přidán 25. 09. 2019
- Exploring "Guitar Street" in Tokyo. Ochanomizu is an area with lots of music shops - the best place to buy musical instruments in Tokyo!
Ochanomizu is just one station away from Akihabara, or a 10 minute walk (0.5 miles). The main street has lots of musical instrument shops. It's mainly guitars, but you can also find drum shops, bass, woodwind, brass instruments and strings - there's one shop with nothing but violins! There's so much choice, and a great place to go shopping if you're in a band, play guitar or if you love music. At the end of the video, there are some other music shops I've found in Tokyo, including Drum Station in Akihabara, Rock Inn in Shinjuku, Hard Off in Shimokitazawa which has a whole floor of musical instruments, and Yodobashi Camera.
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the small break in the video for katakana practice and some tea water history was a great addition.
Haha, thank you! Just things I think about - didn't know if anyone else would find them interesting!! :-)
I'm off to Tokyo on Monday so, as a guitarist, this video is perfectly timed for me! Ochanomizu is definitely on my list of places to visit and watching this made me want to go there all the more!
Fantastic! Glad you got to see it just in time! Have an amazing time and let me know how it goes! :-)
Thanks for posting this. I've imported a few guitars from Japan over the years and we're visiting for the first time this year. Definitely going to check out Ochanomizu!
If you're into guitars you'll love it for sure! Have a great trip! :-)
I'm really glad you posted this video! This has always been a part of Tokyo that sounded fascinating to me, and I hope to one day visit.
Ah that's great to hear! I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested, because it's a bit niche! So now I'm glad I did :-)
This guitar junkie says thank u.....subscribed
You'd LOVE Ochanomizu for sure! Enjoy the videos!
Good vid Amy, any place in Japan is very interesting, thanks for taking us along.
Thanks, I was worried no one would be interested in this one as it's a bit niche!
To grab chopsticks at its short position look cute! Thanks always for sharing!
Great video. Another place in Tokyo I didn't know about.
I like sharing these places I've found! Back to a less niche topic next week!! :-)
Thanks for video. I see a few places in going if travel is a thing next year
Make a list!! Can't wait to be able to travel again!
there are quite a few musical instruments shops around shibuya area where the massive overhead bridges are, when i visited tokyo in 2010.
Thanks for the recommendation! There are lots of gig venues in Shibuya too I think!
Thanks for the tip, I've two days left in Tokyo and I'm going to go here and to the book street tomorrow. Went to Odaiba today and your video of there was very useful!
Ah that's great to hear, thank you! :-) Enjoy Ochanomizu!! And let me know how book street is, not been there yet!
@@cakeswithfaces book street was nice, it's more a block than a street. Not too many english books as you would expect. But the old Japanese books and shops are pretty unique. Worth a look if you are in the area.
@@Nidge741 Thanks for getting back to me! :-) The lack of English books is the reason I'd never been - but now I'm thinking it'd be interesting to look round anyway!
Hello !
I didn't know that.
I know just that Ochanomizu is the town of students.
Because, there are many university in Ochanomizu. (Included around area)
it's nice tips !
I'm looking forward your next video.
Please have fun !
Ah interesting! It's interesting to hear about Japan from someone who lives there! Thank you!
@@cakeswithfaces
Thank you for comment back.
I'm Japanese.
But, I'm given much good information from you.
Thanks a lot !
Thanks for this video it’s nice to see different things around Tokyo instruments are not our thing but we still enjoyed it 😀🇬🇧🏴
Haha, I didn't know if anyone would watch this one as it's a bit niche!! :-)
I hope they do 😀
I just found your channel. You surely put nice contents about traveling to Japan. So, subbed. I’m both musician and a otaku.
And, yeah you can walk from akiba to ochonomitzu. I did that every time I went to Japan. There are some more music instrument shops in shibuya and ikebukuro that’ really worth checking out as well.
Thank you! Hope I can find those other shops too someday (I started playing trombone now!). Enjoy the videos!
Ah, this video brought me back to my teen years when I was a massive fan of Hideto Matsumoto - yellow guitar with red hearts
Ah, just looked it up! Some members of X Japan came to Hyper Japan once, a con in London (Yoshiki and Toshi), their stand was right by mine! :-)
@@cakeswithfaces Ahhh you lucky git! :D
4:33 AND THIS IS UNUSUAL AS WELL. IS A GUITAR INSPIRED BY HIDE DESIGN. MY GOD. I WANT IT!
I didn't realise what it was at the time but someone else commented on it too! :-)
I wanna move to Japan! I love those kinds of stores.
I was so impressed by the music shops! Such a good selection.
I'm heading to Japan in March and will DEFINITELY be checking out this area! Thanks so much! And you actually showed the very guitar I intend to buy: the Fernandez ZO-3 Hello Kitty for only Y28,000?!!
Oh wow, I hope it's still on the shelf when you get there!! This was a few years ago so I hope the price hasn't gone up too much. Great choice btw!!
@@cakeswithfaces have a look on eBay how much some of these can go for these days... one currently on there will make your jaw drop
I love guitars, especially Japanese made rock and metal guitars.
You'd definitely love it in Ochanomizu - there are hundreds!!
This just makes me want to watch K-On! again
"Gi-ta!" K-on's my favourite - always a good idea to watch it again!! :-)
This looks awesome! Did you happen to spot a Headway HJ532 on your travels through there?
As a guitar player [although admittedly somewhat a novice of one] I was intrigued by the title, Now I've got one more place to add to the places-to-go-to list when i eventually go to Japan - Neat!
I couldn't say if that one was there, but there were certainly a LOT of guitars for sure! Definitely a good place to visit if you play! :-)
Great video, guys. As a Tokyo resident, I rarely buy anything new in Ochanomizu because prices there aren’t that cheap. A bit on the expensive side actually, which is surprising. You would think competition would keep prices lower. So I prefer buying at second hand shops like the Book Off/Hard Offs that you mentioned. One more point, though. You can find music shops in the Shimamura Music chain at many train station malls. These shops aren’t bad for prices…
Thanks for the tip! I saw some great stuff in Book Off in Shimokitazawa :-) I guess it makes sense that the place known for instruments in a capital city wouldn't be the cheapest.
@@cakeswithfaces Yeah. There’s a Hard Off store in Mitaka that’s quite good too, and also one in Hachioji that a friend recommends. Haven’t been to that one yet, though.
I was so overwhelmed when I went!
Do you play guitar? :-)
@@cakeswithfaces I certainly do, although I'm transitioning to bass right now so I can't wait to go back in November and look at the basses especially in Big Boss. I noticed you filmed a guitar I used to own, a rainbow sparkle Daisy Rock :D
@@jinnyfink Ah wow, that rainbow sparkle is beautiful! Good choice! :-) Good luck with the bass - I'm learning trombone right now to play in a ska band!
@@cakeswithfaces Thats awesome Amy! Good luck with that :D
I’m geeking over the Takio No Tatsujin drum game for the Wii.
I love the characters and graphics in that game, so cute!! :-)
Been walking on the streets of Akihabara every Saturday when I was there in Tokyo.
Sounds good!! It must be great to be able to visit at the weekends whenever you want.
Thanks for another interesting take on life (and shopping!) in Japan.
But you didn't need to tell us that Phil had made a good score in the drum shop. His face said it all!
I was wondering whether you had noticed any Japanese instruments in these shops, or whether anyone could suggest places to look for a beginner's tsugaru shamisen?
I actually didn't notice Japanese instruments - which now seems surprising! Someone to ask about shamisen would be Tokyo Lens (he has a channel here on CZcams) and shamisen is his passion!
@@cakeswithfaces Thanks for your reply, Amy. I sometimes watch Tokyo Lens because Norm works with two of my favourite players who perform as 輝&輝.
That kanji is pronounced 'ki' and means something like 'radiance' but took me a while to find among the dozens with the same pronunciation.
In English they seem to lose the ampersand and call themselves 'KiKi' but under any name are worth checking for anyone interested in what people are doing with traditional instruments these days.
I discovered them through some videos Norm made on another channel, but hadn't actually thought of contacting him.
Hope Phil is still as pleased with his purchases!
Kanji can be so tricky!! :-) Norm's replied to my comments a couple of times so give it a try! I'm sure he'd be happy to chat about shamisen :-) Phil's loving the drums as always - he played a fantastic gig on Friday with his band!
OMG! I want to be there! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
Sooo many guitars! 🎸🎸🎸
I spent many hours in Book-Off and similar shops in Japan, discovering new music by buying cheap and second-hand CDs (being Japan, they were all in immaculate condition of course). Are CDs still popular in Japan? Or have all the record shops disappeared like here in the UK?
Yes, CDs are still popular in Japan and there are record shops! I've found some great CDs in Book Off too!! I find it tricky to work out how they're organised though! It's one of those contradictory things about Japan - in many ways it seems like such a modern country, but they still use fax machines and CDs haven't been killed off by downloads yet!
..Good way to start my day seeing all those guitars! I saw a vintage Yamaha guitar even though it's used it still looks good. Phil plays drums? that's nice..What happened to the Verve and Richard Ashcroft are they still playing? Also with Placebo are they still playing?
I was just wondering about Placebo the other day too - not sure if they're still going as I try to listen to happier, more upbeat music now!! :-) I'm learning trombone now to join Phil's ska band!
@@cakeswithfaces ..I miss Placebo as well..
..REALLY?! you guys are skanking?! That's nice! been a while since i listened to Ska bands (mostly punk-ska) the latest band i heard who plays a ska was the Interrupters.
..Good luck in learning and practicing the trombone..👍✌
@@winterkarasu7560 I love ska
@@cakeswithfaces ..Sorry for the late reply i'm having trouble with the internet back here in Manila. Really? they did a Billie Eilish song?? i got to hear that.
@@winterkarasu7560 There's a video on CZcams, it's on Spotify now too :-)
Catch the Beatles in the background at 2:28. Great video
Thanks! It's a fun area to look round if you're into music and especially GUITARS!
Did they have any shamisens for sale there at all? Popping back to Tokyo in May.
As I remember it was more modern instruments mainly. But it looks like there are some specialist shamisen stores: www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enGB685GB685&sxsrf=ACYBGNQgt67BqYlGoCfZQDfTgmWrqegaXg:1581853799682&q=where+to+buy+shamisen+tokyo&npsic=0&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=35700847,139704813,8117&tbm=lcl&ved=2ahUKEwjw8MPOgNbnAhVPQhUIHeTYD0AQtgN6BAgLEAU&tbs=lrf:!1m4!1u3!2m2!3m1!1e1!1m4!1u2!2m2!2m1!1e1!2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:10&rldoc=1#rlfi=hd:;si:;mv:[[35.754779,139.80538629999998],[35.646915899999996,139.6276519]];tbs:lrf:!1m4!1u3!2m2!3m1!1e1!1m4!1u2!2m2!2m1!1e1!2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:10
A good person to ask would be Tokyo Lens on CZcams, he's a shamisen player!
Thanks for the great video! I’ll be there next week. 👌Your hair color looks great too!
Thanks! Have a great time! And don't buy more guitars than you can fit in your suitcase :-) :-)
I'm a sax player, but did not look at instruments on my visit. It never crossed my mind.
You don't always think of things til you get home! All the more reason to go back :-) Since recording this I started learning trombone. When I went trombone shopping in Birmingham, there was only 1 in all the music shops in the whole city, so I wished I'd had a better look at them in Tokyo!
hmmm,... I go to Yamano in Ginza (in the same block as Wako department store) ... they have a fairly good 'cello selection on the top floor.
Thanks for the rec! :-) It must be fancy, being in Ginza!
@@cakeswithfaces it's nice, weekends the main street is closed to traffic,... I buy my work clothes at Motoki Ginza, ... it's nice to eat at Ladurée Tokyo Ginza but a bit pricey,... but Ginza Kimuraya bakery is my most favorite,...
Wish I had known about this street before
Always the way! When you hear about things after you've come home :-) I have a whole list of places for next time!!
@@cakeswithfaces please go to Okinawa!
I'm really interested to see what it's like! I think it must be quite different to the mainland. And tropical!!
Is Tokyo station in walking distance to imperial palace? If it is how long is that walk there?
You can walk from Tokyo Station to the Imperial Palace. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/guide/koukyo.html
Yes! It's only half a mile so it's really close, about a 10 minute walk. In fact when I was first trying to find it, someone stopped in the street to point us the way to walk instead of taking the train! :-)
Yes, however, you won't be able to see much once you get there. Even on special days like the emperor's birthday access is pretty tightly controlled (and then you're around ultra-nationalists, which is, ahem, another story ... ). For fun you can jog around the palace, it's a nice course. (^_^)
Once we made the mistake of walking around the entire perimeter of the palace on the first day of our trip when it was really hot, and got blisters on the first day!! 😭
Oh,no! That's too bad. Exactly summer in Japan is hot and humid(>_
Did you notice any shops with traditional Japanese musical instruments?
I didn't see any, although I wasn't looking for them particularly. I'd be surprised if there weren't any somewhere! It was at least 90% guitars. If you're looking for traditional instruments, I'd recommend doing some research and taking a list with you - there will be specialist shops for sure, but you might not come across them without knowing where they are (especially as not all shops are at street level - you often have to go up or downstairs to find places).
The next question is where to practice your instruments lol
Those thin walls in Tokyo apartments...!
Hiya cake
Hi there! 🤗
I’m going to Tokyo in the next two months and I want to buy a guitar that cost at my country 3000 dollars and I’m Japan it’s cost around 2000 so yeah lucky me
Great deal! Are you going on a business visa? (Japan's still not yet fully open to tourists)
I play guardian aswell in fact I play song on video it s title still number one check it out.
0:34 i think this is my pc motherboard.😮😮
😝😝😝