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Author Topic: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide  (Read 11790 times)

Offline shodawmoon

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OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« on: March 17, 2016, 05:48:27 PM »
This is a semi-detailed documentation of my visit in Feb 2016.

First thing off, as many would say if you're visiting Japan with the intent
of acquiring a guitar/bass or other musical instrument related items, Ochanomizu in Tokyo would be the place to visit.
But what if you're not going to Tokyo? What if Osaka was your destination?

GUITAR SHOPPING IN OSAKA, JAPAN

Here's my semi-detailed guide to Osaka guitar hunting.
I learned that there are at least 3 areas in Osaka that you can visit
that has a small concentration of Musical instrument stores namely;
Umeda, Shinsaibashi, and America-mura a.k.a. American Village


I. UMEDA


If you find yourself in the Northern area of the city, you can check out the shops in the Umeda area (business district), there you will find the Umeda branches of Miki Gakki and Ishibashi and one other small mom & pop shop.
unfortunately I didn't have enough time to visit Umeda so all I know is that there are the above mentioned stores.

But if you're in the central or southern part of the city, you'll find 5 stores to visit.

II. SHINSAIBASHI  - (Nagahori Dori side, northern end of Shinsaibashi)



if you're in a rush and you're in Shinsaibashi shopping with your family/group, this would be the perfect place to visit.
This one store along Shinsaibashi-suji is called Miki Gakki (Shinsaibashi branch).
this place is fairly easy to spot, it's beside UNIQLO and H&M at the northern entry point of Shinsaibashi which is along Nagahori Dori ave.



from what I can remember, they carry the following: Fender, Gibson, Greco, FGN, Moon, Aria. also check out their store exclusive
strap brand called "Selfish". you can ask them to mix and match different colored leather straps to your liking.

III. AMERICA-MURA (a.k.a. American Village)

If you have a lot of time on your hands, you MUST visit the place called America-Mura (American Village).
It's just West of Shinsaibashi (you'll need to cross Mido-suji ave.) There you will find 4 stores
all within a stone's throw away from each other.



AMERICA-MURA MUSICAL INSTRUMENT STORE GUIDE:

a. Ishibashi - the ever famous Musical instrument chain in Japan



GROUND FLOOR - everything and anything a guitarist may need, from entry level to high end electric guitars and basses
, strings, common and boutique pedals, strings, straps, and hard to find guitar parts and accessories. They have Fender, Squier, Gibson
Epiphone, Martin, a few 2nd hand stuff and other popular global brands.

2ND FLOOR - Acoustic/Jazz guitars and this is where you can have your instrument appraised and sold.

b. Music Land Key -



 across the street from Ishibashi is a small department store and hidden at the 2nd floor is
this store, here you'll find a handful of boutique brands and local stuff. They also have a wide selection of brands but
I noticed that they have more local stuff compared to Ishibashi which would be great if youre looking to get the not so known stuff. I saw a Two-Rock amp and boutique priced gear. I saw handful of Custom shop Gibsons and Fenders and local high end brands.

c. Ikebe Music



- This place reminds me of Perfect Pitch and JB Music with aesthetics but without the ridiculous pricing, wasn't able to really look around this store but from what I can remember, they carry the ff: Fender, PRS and Bacchus and they have A LOT of Gigbags and hardcases. BUT
I was fortunate enough to get a glimpse of a small clinic/seminar of some sort conducted by a known local luthier at the 2nd floor.
I forgot the name of the guy but I took a pic of the activity at the 2ND floor.

d. Miki Gakki



- probably the biggest instrument store in America-mura, this place has 4 floors full of awe-inspiring gear.
here you will find the same stuff you'll find in the branch in Shinsaibashi and a whole lot more. here I noticed that
they have a pretty great balance of imported and local products, and also they have the WIDEST range of guitars
from entry level brands all the way to rare vintage and boutique level instruments. I saw Squier, (vintage Fender), FGN,
Bacchus, Moon, Greco, Aria, Anderson, Mayones, Gretsch, Rozeo, Reverend, Warwick, Vanzandt, Rickenbacker, Vintage Epiphone, Vintage National, RS Guitarworks,
and a whole lot more brands I can't remember. they also have a great amount of parts and accessories.

MIKI GAKKI AMERICA-MURA divides their store in sections by floor as listed below:

GROUND FLOOR - USED/ OUTLET ELECTRIC GUITAR/ AMP/ PEDALS/ ACCESSORIES

2ND FLOOR - USED/ VINTAGE & HIGH END BASS

3RD FLOOR - USED/ VINTAGE & RARE ELECTRIC GUITAR

4TH FLOOR - ACOUSTIC FLAT/ ARCH TOP JAZZ GUITAR

One thing I really loved is that at every floor, they all have a certain aesthetic and they have pipe-in music that perfectly represents each floor.

REMEMBER TO PRESENT YOUR PASSPORT TO GET TAX-FREE PRICING.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2018, 05:38:42 PM by shodawmoon »

Offline guitaricci

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2016, 06:38:25 PM »
Meron rin Ishibashi (and a couple of other music stores as well) sa Sannomiya station sa Kobe kung di nyo mahanap mga gamit sa Osaka. About 45 mins train ride from Osaka Shinsaibashi station.  :-D
Its not the kill, Its the thrill of the chase...

Offline romard

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2016, 07:10:35 AM »
i was able to go to these shops this march. dami guitars sa ishibashi as usual. nakabili ako ng yamaha silent guitar for a very low price kasi tax free lahat. i saw this very beautiful epiphone riviera
sa miki gakki but didn't have enough funds na to get it. sakit na ng mga paa ko nun tapus 6 degrees pa ang lamig. nakakalimutan ko lahat pag nasa guitar shops ako. hehe. sarap uli bumalik.  :drool:
GOT GREAT DEALS WITH:
haey,mikerock,papadom,dyugs666,atomo,sidlead,brown,monsceb,crouchdash,juliusceasar,boogsy,thr3ten,spankyrigor,hordex,amacatan,ponky,cosmic,tedi,upfront,cjsantos,micsis....

Offline Al_Librero

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2016, 06:40:20 PM »
There is a smaller Ishibashi branch on the 6th floor of a mall near the main Osaka train station. There are also one or two small mom-and-pop style guitar stores in the same area which was the only place I noticed guitar bodies and necks being sold.
Trashcan of Thoughts - http://www.allibrero.com

Offline gandydancer123

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2016, 03:37:34 PM »
in!
*RC MUSIC EMPORIUM *
PEDALS & ACCESSORIES FOR SALE
PM: http://talk.philmusic.com/index.php?topic=283433.0      FB: https://www.facebook.com/RcMusicEmporium


Offline randymarsh

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2016, 03:20:36 PM »
Just to add to the topic, hindi uso ang "haggling", low balling or pakikipag tawaran sa Japan. Many Japanese sellers find haggling offensive and rude. Pero makakadiscount parin naman kung merong sale especially kung merong holiday na parating.
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etc : yjm, axis, jp6, jpxi, jp12, jp13, lp 58 vos, lp 57 ri, lp standard, lp trad, am strat, am tele deluxe, jem7v, uv777, rg prestige, j custom, deluxe reverb, vai legacy, jcm900, axefx

Offline Bart

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2016, 06:01:54 PM »
There is a smaller Ishibashi branch on the 6th floor of a mall near the main Osaka train station.


I think that was where my sister brought me a couple of years ago. Ang mamahal. Haha!
Just curious. Madali na ba ngayong kumuha ang mga Pinoy ng visa papuntang Japan?

Offline Al_Librero

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2016, 08:33:15 AM »
Yes. They even gave me a multiple entry visa on my second application. Then again, it might have also been a perk of being in the academe.

Hmm. Pare-pareho lang naman presyuhan ng Ishibashi, which is quite reasonable especially after the tax exemption. That's where I bought my audio interface and lumabas na mas mura pa kesa sa Sweetwater etc...
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Offline dariusbabylon

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2016, 08:56:41 AM »
There is a smaller Ishibashi branch on the 6th floor of a mall near the main Osaka train station. There are also one or two small mom-and-pop style guitar stores in the same area which was the only place I noticed guitar bodies and necks being sold.
Yup near Umeda, that's my "suki" branch.  The "mom-and-pop" store is actually expensive (across the street from the mall). there's also one on basement 2, right across an excellent "Village Vanguard" branch (which you have to visit if you like stupid knick-knacks, which I do).

The parallel street (I forgot the name) also has several guitar stores, and even an ESP custom shop. Even the Yodobashi (big appliance mall) has a fair selection of instruments.

Offline ekoy8

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #9 on: March 28, 2016, 11:17:02 AM »
OT: nahilo ako kakaikot sa Ochanomizu. Kulang ang oras pati budget. nakakasama ng loob. kahit 1 pirasong pick di ako nakascore.  :eek:
www.facebook.com/ekoy.was.here.shirts <<< chekirawt at order na...

Online ryechua

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #10 on: March 28, 2016, 12:03:19 PM »
Just to add to the topic, hindi uso ang "haggling", low balling or pakikipag tawaran sa Japan. Many Japanese sellers find haggling offensive and rude. Pero makakadiscount parin naman kung merong sale especially kung merong holiday na parating.

actually ok lang makipag tawaran. you can ask nicely and they may give you a few hundred (or thousand) yen discount. we learned this from the japanese themselves so it was common practice for us when we stayed there few years ago. di ko lang sure kung talagang nagbago na yung attitude ng mga japanese ngayon.
doh!!!

Offline vegetablejoe

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #11 on: March 30, 2016, 11:22:30 AM »
Nice thread! Very useful. Thanks to the OP.

I wish I had known about the Shinsaibashi stores when I went to Osaka last June. Went to that area just for my son's kitchen knives.

The only music store I got to visit was the Ishibashi at Umeda. Small store (half a floor) but lots of guitars. Ang hirap pumasok sa store ng walang pambili! Buti nalang I was only shopping for pedals.

Offline shodawmoon

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #12 on: May 03, 2016, 02:03:54 PM »
Nice thread! Very useful. Thanks to the OP.

I wish I had known about the Shinsaibashi stores when I went to Osaka last June. Went to that area just for my son's kitchen knives.

The only music store I got to visit was the Ishibashi at Umeda. Small store (half a floor) but lots of guitars. Ang hirap pumasok sa store ng walang pambili! Buti nalang I was only shopping for pedals.

You're welcome. I hope this helps you on your next visit.

OT: Have we met at Mike's shop in Paranaque once? I think Mike may have mentioned you or maybe we met?

Offline shodawmoon

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #13 on: May 03, 2016, 02:19:24 PM »
Just to add to the topic, hindi uso ang "haggling", low balling or pakikipag tawaran sa Japan. Many Japanese sellers find haggling offensive and rude. Pero makakadiscount parin naman kung merong sale especially kung merong holiday na parating.
this is very true. I witnessed this first hand. as I had miscommunicated when I asked for tax-free and instead used the word "discount" and I got a weird reaction that was clearly not a good one. haha

Offline vinCe-uv7bk

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #14 on: May 25, 2016, 03:56:33 AM »
any info on a guitar store that primarily sells 2nd hand guitars/gear only? that would be awesome to visit.

Offline shodawmoon

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #15 on: March 09, 2017, 10:28:11 AM »
Just to add to the topic, hindi uso ang "haggling", low balling or pakikipag tawaran sa Japan. Many Japanese sellers find haggling offensive and rude. Pero makakadiscount parin naman kung merong sale especially kung merong holiday na parating.
edit UP

any info on a guitar store that primarily sells 2nd hand guitars/gear only? that would be awesome to visit.
no idea where to find one, but Ishibashi does have a few 2nd hand guitars and I think also some pedals for sale.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2017, 10:33:05 AM by shodawmoon »

Offline Bart

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #16 on: March 09, 2017, 12:13:16 PM »
any info on a guitar store that primarily sells 2nd hand guitars/gear only? that would be awesome to visit.

Sa mga Hard Off thrift shops. Maraming branches yun. Not primarily a music store per se, pero marami-rami ring used instruments.

Offline vegetablejoe

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #17 on: March 11, 2017, 01:00:08 PM »
You're welcome. I hope this helps you on your next visit.

OT: Have we met at Mike's shop in Paranaque once? I think Mike may have mentioned you or maybe we met?

We probably have met. Pls. excuse me as I have a very poor memory... senior citizen prerogative hahaha!

Offline dullFingers

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #18 on: April 05, 2017, 02:16:44 PM »
Pa bookmark lang  :mrgreen:

Thank you!
« Last Edit: April 07, 2017, 05:56:34 PM by dullFingers »

Offline shodawmoon

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #19 on: April 06, 2017, 02:24:29 PM »

Offline dullFingers

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #20 on: April 07, 2017, 05:59:24 PM »
Thank you sir!

Offline cacophony

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #21 on: June 14, 2017, 10:26:45 PM »
subscribed

Offline jgmredor

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #22 on: January 30, 2018, 08:55:39 PM »
Very useful thread. Used this as a guide to get around Osaka.

Miki Gakki has a wide selection. Cheaper guitars on the G/F, Fender, Ibanez, etc on the 2/F and Gibsons on the 3/F.

For pedals and accessories Ikebe has a better selection.


Offline shodawmoon

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Re: OSAKA, JAPAN Guitar Shopping guide
« Reply #23 on: January 31, 2018, 02:23:43 PM »
Very useful thread. Used this as a guide to get around Osaka.

Miki Gakki has a wide selection. Cheaper guitars on the G/F, Fender, Ibanez, etc on the 2/F and Gibsons on the 3/F.

For pedals and accessories Ikebe has a better selection.


very glad to hear this helped you out.  :)

I did notice that Miki Gakki shuffles around their displays and mix up stuff yearly if not, every few months at a time.