Calling themselves the global music hub with an eye-catching slogan “No Music No Life” at the entrance of the building, Tower Records in Shibuya is known to be one of the largest music stores in the world with approximately 10,000 records and CDs both new and used available for purchase.
The Shibuya location is so much more than an average music store: it is a special space that is dedicated to physical music fandom.
Tower Records’ presence in Shibuya started in 1981 in the Udagawacho district of Shibuya Ward. In 1995, it then relocated to its iconic nine-story building near Shibuya Station, instantly becoming Tokyo’s beating heart when it comes to music, culture and entertainment.
Stepping into the store, you are immediately greeted with the newest and latest releases from both Japanese and western artists. Listening stations are scattered throughout the store so you can get a quick listen and enjoy an album before you make a purchase, giving a much more interactive and immersive experience.
The store offers a very diverse selection of genres from global staples like pop, rock, soul, jazz and rap to more local genres such as J-pop, visual kei (literally, “visual style”) and anime/game soundtracks.
While Tower Records has an ample selection, one of the main reasons why many go to visit is because of the local genres that may not be accessible in the west. If they are, they are much more expensive.
One of our SJMC Japan students went to this store with one objective in mind, which was to find the visual kei section. This genre is a Japanese rock subculture that is heavily inspired by glam rock, heavy metal and punk rock, mostly know for its unique sound and flamboyant, theatrical and androgynous appearance of its performers. While visual kei is more popular in Japan, international fans have a much harder time finding authentic music due to the fact that some bands aren’t even on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
The store also features dedicated areas for fan culture, offering special goods to protect, display and decorate the ever growing collection of artist merchandise. There are also collaboration cafés with themed menus and photo spots where fans can share pictures with their communities.
If you are looking for vinyl records, Tower Vinyl Shibuya on the sixth floor is a world-class destination. This floor also features a well-stocked cassette tape section (both new and used) and a curated collection of vintage music posters from around the world.
Whether you are a casual or die hard music fan, you are bound to leave Tower Records with some of your favorite merchandise, often discovering something new. With nine full floors, new releases that are wheeled out at midnight, and listening stations sprinkled throughout the store, everyone is bound to find something special.
Every sign, rack, and counter has the particular shades of yellow and red branding that are nostalgic, iconic and a place where you are bound to get lost in the music.
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