I am going to Japan for 3 weeks this Sunday. I'll be traveling through a lot of the countryside from West to East but a few cities I will be in are: Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Oita, Kochi, Kyoto and Osaka. I will not be going to Tokyo, so Akihabara is out sadly. What kind of stores should I be looking for in Japan that sell Walkmans? I realise I will never get as lucky as snagging a few Aiwas with NG HX Heads for ¥100 (<£1) like this guy in 2011: https://stereo2go.com/topic/index.php?board_oid=193392314111653483&content_oid=225482136282279660 However, one can dream. Mostly I am interested in knowing what stores/places to look out for so I can wander in and have a look. I plan on hopefully being able to bring back a few devices. If God would lead me to a PX303 or 505 that would be great too haha. Hopeful for any help. Wish me luck!
Good luck with your quest, I can't help much but I might be over there soon as well! It looks like there several Hard-Offs around, also check Yahoo Auctions (if you can), some of the listings have real store fronts. This site might help with translation. https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/japan/jp/auction/yahoo/input/v1130092841/ Maybe carry a photo if you can't speak the language, most people I tried to dialog with had no idea what a boombox or Walkman was, I even had a translator 1/2 the time.
ironically,it’s easier and extremely cheaper to buy from yahoo japan and mercari and have buyee ship it to you. hard off etc are actually very switched on to the clamber for these items in Europe and are priced pretty extortionate.
I agree 100% with this. You don’t go to Japan simply to shop for video games or Walkmans, you go to do touristy things and enjoy another culture and see new sights. If you happen to stumble on some cool shops with Walkmans whilst being there, awesome, but don’t buy tickets, book a hotel, and travel all over just to see some hard offs... YouTubers have also proven your statement about prices at HardOff to be correct. Games, electronics, all the stuff westerners see as a delicacy are way overpriced. Mercari is mainly individual sellers clearing out junk, so it’s priced a bit more to sell and not to make a high profit.
It is too bad you will not be in Tokyo where there is this store called "Waltz" that is dedicated to cassette tapes. I went there last August and spent way too much money buying pre-recorded tapes (it was worth it). They also had refurbished Walkmans and boom boxes. There are also couple of places in Shibuya that sell refurbished boom boxes. You probably can find similar shops in the cities you will be visiting.
Hey folks. I just got back today. Didn't find a single thing in Japan but I did find LOTS of Walkmans in Seoul, South Korea in the old town. I'll make a thread and share my photos soon. Saw tons of CD players, Boomboxes too, Radios, loads of amps etc. I didn't end up buying anything because I am generally only interested in the best performing models but there was tons of stuff there. Loads of knock-off brands too. Thanks a lot for suggesting stuff like Buyee. I might actually finally be able to get a good Aiwa now. Seeing as they generally ONLY end up on these Japanese sites usually and after scumbag Kleinenzeigen locked my account for logging in, in Japan to try and buy a PX50 that I saw listed there whilst I was in Japan. I think I am just going to boycott that site from now on...
Interesting! Post some photos, did you find that bar with all the boomboxes? I think it's in the beer and boombox thread.
I made a thread here, with photos too! https://stereo2go.com/forums/threads/gmyw-does-korea-japan.9467/
