Record Store Day in Kyoto, Japan
Two dates to know: Record Store Day Black Friday is Friday, November 29, 2026, and the next main Record Store Day is Saturday, April 17, 2027.
What is Record Store Day?
Record Store Day is an annual event built around independent record stores. The main event traditionally lands on the third Saturday of April each year; Record Store Day Black Friday is traditionally held the day after US Thanksgiving. Both days bring exclusive, limited-run vinyl and CD releases sold only at participating independent shops — not big-box retailers, and not mail order until the in-store exclusives sell through. Because pressings are limited, popular titles can sell out within the first hour, which is why a line-early culture has grown up around the day even at shops that are otherwise quiet on a weekday morning.
Tips for the day
- Arrive early. At busy shops, lines for popular titles can start well before opening.
- Bring cash. A cash line often moves faster than card on a shop's highest-volume day of the year.
- Check each shop's own site or Instagram in the week before the date — participating shops post their own opening time, line policy, and which exclusive titles they've ordered in.
- Release lists are first-come, first-served and vary store to store. A title in stock at one shop may not show up at another, even across town.
- Expect one-per-customer or per-household limits on the most in-demand titles.
- Not every independent record store participates every year, and allocations vary shop to shop — confirm directly with the shop rather than assuming based on a past year.
Shops to check in Kyoto, Japan
Independent record shops open in Kyoto, Japan right now. We don't yet track which specific shops participate in Record Store Day or what they've ordered in for a given year — check each shop's own site or Instagram close to the date for their exclusive-release list, opening time, and line policy.
- 100000t Alonetoco
Used records, CDs, secondhand books and zines just west of Kyoto City Hall, spanning rock, jazz, soul, city pop and soundtracks alongside vintage clothing and DVDs; a laid-back crate-digging stop near the Zest Oike underground mall.
2 sources
- ART ROCK NO.1
Used-record specialist operating since 1997 on the 7th floor of the Asorti building near Kawaramachi-Nijo, all genres with an emphasis on Western rock, jazz, soul, and club music; closed Wednesdays.
2 sources
- Honto Record
Small used-record shop on the top floor of an oddly-shaped building near Marutamachi/Kawaramachi, known in Kyoto's record scene for an eclectic selection, surprising prices, and informal owner-hosted listening gatherings.
2 sources
- Jet Set Records
Kyoto branch of Japan's largest vinyl megastore chain, stocking around 200,000 new and used items across hip-hop, house, techno, jazz, soul, reggae and indie pop, just off Kawaramachi-dori near Sanjo.
3 sources
- JEUGIA [Basic.]
JEUGIA's dedicated record/CD and audio-gear shop in the basement of the Shijo Karasuma Fukoku Life building, roughly 1,500 new and 1,500 used titles alongside a PRONTO cafe upstairs.
2 sources
- Joe's Garage
Kyoto record shop open since 1986, named after the Frank Zappa album, stocking thousands of new and used LPs plus bootlegs and CDs with a strong 60s-70s rock, progressive rock and modern-jazz bent; coffee and drinks available while browsing.
3 sources
- Meditations
Kyoto shop near the Imperial Palace curating ambient, drone, minimal, new age, Indian classical and Bollywood/Kollywood vinyl, CDs and cassettes since 2002, with incense, power stones and books adding to its meditative atmosphere.
3 sources
- Plastic Soul Records
Used-record shop and coffee counter near Kamigamo Shrine, opened December 2022, focused on 1960s-90s jazz/rock/soul plus all genres from reggae and Latin to hip hop and post-punk; closed Tuesdays.
2 sources
- SUPER MILK
Used-vinyl and CD specialist near Kawaramachi curated by proprietor Maae Shinsuke, focused on hip hop, R&B, soul, funk, rare groove, reggae, city pop, and jazz.
2 sources
- Tower Records Kyoto
Regular Tower Records branch on the 9th floor of Kawaramachi OPA, shares the building with TOWER VINYL Kyoto on the 5th floor.
2 sources
- TOWER VINYL KYOTO
Tower Records' dedicated vinyl-only concept store (new and used, ~16,000 records), grand-opened 2026-06-27 on the 5th floor of Kawaramachi OPA -- the third TOWER VINYL location nationwide after Shibuya and Umeda.
2 sources
- Workshop Records
Used vinyl and CD shop near Kyoto City Hall, open since 1999 (at this Morris Building location since 2016), stocking rock, jazz, soul, blues, Brazilian, Latin, reggae and Japanese pop across roughly 10,000 records.
3 sources
See the full record store listing for Kyoto, Japan.