Going to Japan! What should I keep an eye out for?

The couple of threads about the Bitches Brew Japan only SACD reminded me to put that on my shopping list. Are there any more exclusive things I should keep an eye out for?
My tastes run more on the soul, jazz, funk, disco side of things, and of course, Beatles!

edit: I'm going to be in and around Kagoshima, Fukoka and Souza, if anyone has specific shops to recommend...

 

Geoff, I don't know if you enjoy such items, but Japan is renown for their collector shops which specialize in "legal" recordings of unreleased studio and concert performances on CD. The Japanese have an insatiable appetite for all things Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Jazz (just to name three).

 

Black triangles!!!

 

Your wallet!

 

The JSACD's - They're still going to be pricey in Japan, but they're 110% worth the hunt.

Just about every Miles SACD in Japan exclusively so far has been amazing. I'd also recommend the Thelonious Monk/Solo Monk, especially if you haven't gotten the 2CD set of his solo Columbia stuff. That one was slightly tougher to find, as was Herbie Handcock & Chick Corea Live In Concert, a 93 minute SACD that's very good.

IMHO, Don't waste your time with bootlegs or those funky HDCD boots. There's better out there for you in Japan, like the Abbey Road black triangle....still hard to find these days.

If you can't find the JSACDs, come back home and pony up to Amazon.co.jp. The shipping might be a tad expensive, but at least they're very efficient with finding most everything.

Again, the Miles SACDs exclusive to Japan cannot be missed. Neither are the already OOP Sony single-layer SACDs in the US like Round About Midnight, Big Fun, SIlent Way and Kind Of Blue....

 

Godzilla !

 

I would pick up Beatles & Kiss vinyl. You could make a killing selling them on Ebay.

 

Geishas

 

I suggest you investigate the dollar amount of goods that you are allowed to bring back before you have to pay customs fees. You don't want to get surprised at the airport by a customs officer saying you owe big bucks that you don't have in your pocket at the time.

 

Thanks!

 

Hmm, you can't buy discs and claim you owned them for a while?

 

That's a good question. I know that some countries put a limit on the amout of goods or cash you may bring in when you visit. I was only hoping to bring up the "customs" situation so there aren't any bad surprises. The idea even crossed my mind that you can mail the items to yourself back home if necessary. If a package is small, such as a CD or two, you can usually complete a customs form and mark it as a gift and avoid customs duties.

I remember reading a few posts on the here on the Forum that mentioned that customs fees going in to Canada can be high when purchasing music from on-line vendors.

I'm certainly no expert on the subject. I just wanted to raise the issue.

 

You may struggle to find JSACD's around these areas, although having said that Fukuoka is pretty big so you might get some joy there in a Tower or HMV. If its in print, smaller stores can order anything for you and have it in pretty quick time if you are in one place for a few days.

 

Keep an eye open for the BOOK OFF chain of second-hand bookstores. There are hundreds throughout Japan. Some are franchised, so there is variation from town to town. I'd guess just about all have cd's and I've seen big ones with audio equipment and musical instrument annexes.

 

I bought $ 300 worth of CD's wehen I went to the UK and they didn't even care back in 1998. But that was years ago and a different story. I had all my receipts and everything thinking they were going toi go through everything but they didn't even take a peek.

 

If I were going I would be looking for all I could find of those Mini LP Japan CD's. They are pretty expensive at most places in the U.S.

 

In 2002 I brought back at least a grand worth of CDs from my 8-month stay in Europe. Of course, nobody cared (lucky, as I hadn't kept 8 months of reciepts). It's all in whether you get stopped, I guess...

 

Beatles mono red wax LPs from the mid 1980s and earlier stereo LPs from the "AP" series.

 

I'd look into the customs deal. If D. Schwartz is correct, buying expensive imports even IN Japan would make buying in that country a losing deal. Might as well pay customs though shipping via Amazon.co.jp or something.

Hopefully, it's very simple.

 

Thanks for all the suggesions so far!
Gary, thanks for the tip about registering items, as I'm going to be bringing my Ipod with me.
I checked the Canadian Border Services website, and if you're out of country for more than a week, you can bring back up to $750 worth of goods for free, plus gifts worth up to $60 each. My wife and I will actually be coming back separately, so if I'm over, I can probably leave some stuff for her to bring back.
Can't see I'll be going too much over $750 anyways...