It was it was curb-side trash day on my last day, this gem was going out. A nice Denon Mini-System with a mini-disc player. Denon seems to be very popular over here with these little systems and this looks like it would look great sitting next to an iMac sharing similar design cues. My bags were full so it didn't get a new home, it's too bad these don't get a new life somewhere, my buddy has two of the high-end models that were found on the curb.
We were heading the other direction for a couple hours, the plan was to save it on the way back but it was too late. It's low-end Denon but it still weighed over 20 lbs and nobody wanted to carry it around. This was in a nice neighborhood and it looked really clean, it breaks you heart, I'd love to try out one of these MD systems.
Part of the fun is finding cool little spots with a ton of personality and beer. It was getting kind of late when I spied a Cafe & Records shop at the garden level. The lounge was about the size of a bedroom and could seat around 8 comfortably. It turns out it was the owner's birthday and the other five people were celebrating, I asked if he was taking requests and I was really in the mood for some Emotional Rescue, the guy lit up and shouted "That's my favorite band!" He was in such a good mood he pulled out an unopened box of Rolling Stones Buttons from a Suntory (beer) promotion eight years ago and gave me two of them!
Here's the sound-system he had and this is typical, I never see sound systems like this in the US, let alone out in the open. His record collection was pretty amazing as well, we busted out some old Chess 78's and really rocked out after the Stones. The albums were for sale as well, I'd say he had around 3000 albums behind me, the Chess Records were several hundred dollars each. The table is a Technics 1200 with B&W Speakers powered by a Mark Levinson Amp. The funny box over the record is a CS Port Static Eliminator, it's turned on as the record plays. Sorry about the photo I had my little tiny Nikon.
Another cool spot that gets attention but can only fit maybe 16 at the most is the world famous Hammond Orgasm. I borrowed the top photo from their Google Listing, the eyes of Mister X don't lie, I spotted it immediately, unfortunately it's not for sale. This guy rocks out on progressive rock including music from the 80's, the video screen shows song information. Over to the right is a very small stage, a drum kit separated from the band by the stacked Leslies and Hammond Organ, I'm partial to Leslies every since I scored some from a local ice arena. Word is that there's some travelling musicians that stop in when they're in town and they put on a killer show.
They really take their music seriously Mystic Traveller, the room was less than ideal but drinking beers and listening to vinyl after walking for miles couldn't be beat. Manhattan Records's Speakers took the trophy, giant JBL 4350s, I had to look them up as I had never seen them before but they are huge and impressive even without grills on them. Hidden behind the DJ stand was a giant McIntosh Amp, they said that was the only amp that could power the speakers.
This is the only book I could find, they have lot's of book stores with tons of books but finding what you're looking for is hard, all of the spines look the same so you have to physically pull them out to look. This has a listing of a ton of Walkmans, maybe all of them as well as a ton of Sony Cassettes. There's some historical information on Sony and reviews of the new boomboxes, entry-level turntables and tape decks. Some interesting pages have TDK and Sony J-Card and Label Prints. This was about $16.00 USD, not cheap but very well put together and recommended, too bad I can't read it yet.
It's raining today so no outdoor work and I'm out of drywall mud, so how about some more photos! Yep, they sell beer out of vending machines! What an interesting selection, besides a few local beers, there's Hoegaarden, Sauza (tequila) Cooler, Guinness and some other interesting picks.
Thrasher (Magazine) is high art! I used to sell Thrasher Magazine out of my little skate shop back when it was brand new, still have a few of the first year's mags. Who would know the logo would become iconic?
Thunderbirds was very popular over there, I saw models, toy cars and some of these full size dolls, maybe 24" tall? If it was a real studio doll, I think the mouth would move?
Another cool car on display, a 1971 Nissan (Datsun in the USA) Fairlady Z. Those rims are so nice, I never saw anything but chrome or early aluminum "mags" both shiny.
1970 GT-R, these are hot cars to own now, this is the first one I saw in person, I wish I had a better photo! I always liked this build thread, there used to be a dedicated website for this build but I can't find it. A lot of these are replicas but still a neat car. https://mybuildgarage.com/2010/10/1971-nissan-skyline-2000gt-hakosuka-restoration/
This is a cool Star Wars Display, they have a million little dolls going from about 3' tall to a few inches in the background.
and vending machines selling hot drinks in cans. When we were there I had a few problems with drinks having nothing but the pictures to go by. I bought a can of something that I thought would be lemonade in a vending machine. It came out as hot as a hot potato. So hot I could hardly hold onto it. It was some kind of tea - in a can !
