 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Tom Piercy
Date: 2006-12-11 10:30
I'll be in Tokyo and Kyoto for a few weeks in December and January and was wondering if anyone could recommend music stores to visit for CDs, sheet music and/or clarinet related.
Arigato gozaimashita.
Tom
www.thomaspiercy.com
Tom Piercy
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Author: chito
Date: 2006-12-11 10:56
Hi Tom,
They have so many music store in tokyo ill give you some good place to enjoy your visit . If you will visit yamaha and yamano gakki this is big music store in ginza and academia music store in hongo and also the clarinet shop in sumidaku you will find a lot of piece for solo clar. to ensemble. I f you will go to shibuya they have tower records there. Also if you want to visit a buffet crampon com. in japan they renovated recently very nice place and lot of performanced there. I think you have very busy day if you will visit tokyo. i will be there in christmas to new years day . Arigatou
Chito
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2006-12-11 12:34
It is good to note that most of thoes stores will be closed for about the first week of the new year. Tower Records is probably an exception. Osaka, 30 min from kyoto has some good stores, but nothing you can't get in Tokyo.
-S
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Author: DressedToKill
Date: 2006-12-11 13:37
You MUST go to Ishimori! I would give my eyeteeth to spend a day there. Also TC Gakki, which I believe has the largest stock of used pro instruments in the world or something.
Post Edited (2006-12-11 13:40)
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Author: saxlite
Date: 2006-12-11 14:40
I suggest the Yamaha music store in the Ginza area of Tokyo- enormous mulistory building with everything in music you can think of. Large woodwind section with most brands (not just Yamaha) and nice (and busy) performance hall on top story. Also, CD's and sheet music. One stop shopping, tho not the best possible prices.
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2006-12-11 14:46
Do be aware, if you aren't already, that the level of spoken English in Japan is generally rather poor. Even if they understand you, you may have a lot of trouble understanding them.
There are plenty of signs in English, so finding your way around on public transport is easy, in Tokyo at least. Actually finding a particular shop may not be quite so easy, not because of the language issue but because Japanese street addresses lack the logic we are used to in most Western countries.
Maybe you've been there dozens of times and know all this, but your question suggests maybe you're a first-time visitor.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Tom Piercy
Date: 2006-12-11 14:59
Thanks David,
I've been there several times and my traveling companion is Japanese. I was just seeing if there were some small, little known shops that only natives or "those in the know" would know about.
Tom Piercy
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2006-12-11 15:23
Tom - just make sure your traveling companion can translate vital phrases like "I want to buy a ligature that will give me a really dark sound."![[yeah]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley17.gif)
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2006-12-11 15:39
I live here in Tokyo. I have heard great things about Sato Techno Music (in Kudan I think), but I have no experience with them. For sheet music, Yamaha Ginza and Academia Music have a big selection. Also, the Buffet store near Toyo-cho station on Tozai line has a lot of clarinet music- and every model of Buffet that you may want to sample. Ishimori is amazing. They have their own line of accessories- the Woodstone ligatures are great.
Getting around is confusing, even for Japanese. Mass transit is fairly easy (and really really clean) after spending a few minutes with the maps, but on the street things get hard when you are looking for just “that one store”. Maps are the only way to find anything, but everything is in the cell phones now so it’s easier to get around- but getting lost is still very possible.
As you were asking, there are no “little known shops”- except for the ones that end up going out of business.
I hope you have a good time. Maybe I’ll bump into you and we’ll have a coffee… or green tea.
-S
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2006-12-11 16:00
I was there in 2000 for the Tokoyo Auto show, and spent a great afternoon near the Ginza district visiting music stores. I was traveling with a guy who plays acoustic guitar. His marriage contract allows him to own 7 instruments, and he's always looking to weed out his weakest (he's allowed to go up to 8 provided at least one of them is for sale).
We visited three shops all on the main drag, and all multi-story shops. Woodwinds on the 3-rd floor, $7000USD for a Buffet, $35,000 for a bassoon.
Many great sounding clarinetists playing in small demo/practice/lesson rooms. I was too intimidated to do more than just window shop. Well worth the visit.
If you've got a really, really full voiced guit-fiddle for audition in SE Michigan, give me a holler off line and I'll refer you to my guitar-playing colleague.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2006-12-11 16:14
David Peacham wrote:
> Actually
> finding a particular shop may not be quite so easy, not because
> of the language issue but because Japanese street addresses
> lack the logic we are used to in most Western countries.
It's not that they don't have logic, but it is certainly a different logic. The 1st building built on a street in #1, the second #2, etc.. So you have a great chronology as you walk down the street, and a great market for GPS in cars.
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Author: MikeH
Date: 2006-12-13 03:49
Going to Tokyo, lucky you. I lived there for three ytears and went to Ishimori many times. I assume that he is still there. Easy to get there. Get on the Yamanote line (the circular line in mid Tokyo) going clockwise and get off at the first stop, Shin Okubo. Go down the stairs out the station and take a left out the door, cross the street, walk toward the railroad trestle (Chou line) and take a right just before the trestle, keeping the rail line above to your left. Walk down about 75 yards and you will see Ishi Mori on you right. He is a great guy who speaks serviceable English and is enormously accommadating. If you want to see something astonishing go upstairs to the repair shop and you will see about 8 or so repairman 4 to a side of a long table in a very small space working on a variety of wind instruments. Very Japanese.
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Author: MikeH
Date: 2006-12-13 03:51
Oops, should mention that the above directions assume that you are starting from Shinjuku station. Of course youu can get to Ishi Mori easily from any station on the Yamanote Line, just get off at Shin Okubo.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2006-12-13 06:50
Ishimori's moved, but he is still at Shin-okubo,
Here is hte link to the page with the map. http://www.ishimori-co.com/newshop.html
-sky
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