Friday, May 27, 2011

Will Miss #324 - used record shops

Bins full of 45 rpm records with their unique Japanese picture inserts.

My husband and I spent our first decade in Japan collecting and selling second-hand collectible records. The records in Japan are unique in a variety of ways including 45 rpm records (singles) having a picture sleeve and albums having a paper band (obi) around the side or across the top. In addition, some Japanese records have different covers, bonus materials (stickers, posters, booklets, etc.), or alternative song tracks relative to those in other countries. We used to spend countless hours slogging to every second hand record shop in every corner of Tokyo and Yokohama.

We don't collect or sell records anymore, but we still enjoy checking out the collectors shops when one is in the area to see what sort of bargains they have, and I'll miss that as well as the nostalgia going to such places brings on.