Tokyo Travel Forum

Greetings,
I am coming for the first time to Japan from May20-27th.
I would love to find a used record store, and see some live music. I am interested in 60's garage, punk or an unusual night spot. I hope to find something down to earth not a pricey to get in pretensious place. Also are there any magazines for expats that might be in english that list cultural evfents or night life happenings?
Thank you!

I like Recofan and Disk Union. Great for losing hours in as you flip through the stacks. Both have several locations so you can search them out on the net. Some locations are better than others. There is also Disk Ranch in Shimo-kitazawa. Shimo-kitazawa has a concentration of record shops so it's a good place to head if you want to wander around and stumble across them accidentally. I can't recall any of the names specifically. From Shimo-Kitazawa you hop the Inokashira Line to Meidaimae station where there is Modern Music.

As for "lives" (as concerts are called in Japan) I would check the stores for hand bills, and posters, as well as buttering up the egos of any staff who may seem to have an opinion on what is currently going on. Metropolis Magazine is a popular expat entertainment mag, but it is very generalist in outlook, and therefore quite "pop". There are huge listings published in magazine form every month, for every taste, but they are in Japanese. They can be found in the stores as well. A helpful staff member may assist in navigating through them.

Thank you! I am curious to see what I will find over there. Something unusual I am sure.