Jonah used to live and spend a lot of time in Shibuya, which has a downtown Manhattan/Brooklyn type vibe with lots of restaurants, cafes, boutiques, bars, clubs, and record stores. The area is a major hub of Tokyo youth culture. Shibuya is also home to the world’s busiest pedestrian intersection, as seen in the movie, Lost in Translation. So I just wanted to check out some of Jonah’s favorite spots in Tokyo and took along our Edgemont tote/backpack which was created for exactly this type of day.
Toranoko, Shokudo, Shibuya
We grabbed a late lunch at this Japanese curry spot that looks like some Rasta tree house. These places are why I love Tokyo. The owners combined their seemingly juxtaposed passions for curry and reggae music, so of course there were 2 Technics turntables and a DJ mixer set up for music events.
Big Love Records, Harajuku
This immediately became one of my favorite record stores in the world. Unlike in NYC, Big Love had a small bar where one could enjoy a beer or coffee on its outdoor balcony or lounging on a couch inside. Its specialty is non-commercial vinyl records. I copped some Prince records, as well as one of my favorite tracks from the Drive soundtrack. Staff speaks limited English.
Disk Union, Shibuya
Afterwards, we checked out another famous Tokyo record store called Disk Union. This place had a lot of old soul and R&B records, as well as some Japanese music gems. At Disk Union, you can bring up to 5 records to check out at their listening station (a turntable with headphones). Just make sure to get a ticket from the guy behind the counter who will then assist you.
After loading up the Edgemont with more records (10+ records), the bag got a tad heavy in tote mode. The Edgemont was designed for this is exact occasion. As we made our way to the Bloody Angle bar, I converted it into backpack mode. Immediate load off my shoulders.
Bloody Angle, Shibuya
Jonah’s good friend opened up Bloody Angle, a bar in Shibuya with an extensive vinyl collection looming from behind the bar. Customers can pick out records to play or even buy the records to take home. The perfect culmination after a day of cruising around Shibuya and Harajuku was getting to Bloody Angle, enjoying some refreshing beverages, and then playing the new records fresh out of the Edgemont.
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