Jpop in LA

February 10, 2006 9:48 AM

I'm passing through LA next week, and would like to indulge my jpop/jrock habit. Any recommendations for downtown music stores? I'll be at 2nd/Olive, near the Civic Center. I'm interested in CDs and t shirts; not interested in anime or games. Arigato gozaimasu!
posted by carter to shopping (15 comments total)

I've heard the Hollywood Amoeba is almost as good as the one on Haight up here, and if it is, you'll have no problems finding anything you've ever wanted - plus it's the coolest music store, ever.
posted by kcm at 9:50 AM on February 10, 2006

You'll be right next to Little Tokyo. Although I was just there (to see the Ecstasy show at the Temporary Contempory) it's been too long, can't recommend any specific store (although there used to be, and maybe still is, an actual Japanese record store there, on the ped-only street marked by the fire tower. Another neighborhood to check out would be the Sawtelle area, on that street between Olympic and Santa Monica, just west of the 405, where the Giant Robot store's located.

Hollywood's Amoeba is even larger than the Haight's, but I bet you'll have better luck and more fun in these specific neighborhoods.
posted by Rash at 9:58 AM on February 10, 2006

The Kinokuniya in Little Tokyo has a decent CD selection. (Kinokuniya is the major bookstore chain in Japan.)
posted by mbrubeck at 10:04 AM on February 10, 2006

Hollywood Amoeba feels, to me, maybe 5% smaller than the one in the Haight, but that still makes it 10 times bigger than any other indepedent. If you've not experienced Amoeba in any of its locations, you really ought to go.

Japantown is located just east of downtown - Unfortunately I don't know for a fact you'll find a music store there, but it is pretty small, so you'll know in about five minutes of wandering around. This restaurant is located there, and is another destination worth pursuing!
posted by mzurer at 10:04 AM on February 10, 2006

The Kinokuniya is all right, and there's a store on, uhm, first street? second street? that sells animation and toys that has CD racks inside - i've ne'er actually penetrated its entrance so i'm not sure of the selection.
posted by thedaniel at 11:23 AM on February 10, 2006

Down 2nd street next to the Miyako Inn in there's a place called Bun-ka-do that I bought some Japanese pop at back in the day, but haven't been in a long time.
posted by shoos at 11:26 AM on February 10, 2006

Aron's Records is unfortunately going out of business (in part, apparently, due to competition from the mighty Amoeba) -- they've been having a big "everything must go!" sale for the past couple of weeks, so if they're still open when you get here, you may want to check them out for some bargains.
posted by scody at 11:28 AM on February 10, 2006

Second (or third?) Amoeba. Never been to Hollywood, but I just went to Berkeley and Haight locations and was blown away.
posted by grateful at 11:32 AM on February 10, 2006

I wouldn'yt bother with Aron's, their selection didn't seem that esoteric, the one time I visited. And since they have a small J-Pop section at the Amoeba in Haight, there's probably something similar at the Hollywood branch, but again, for this particular quest, I wouldn't waste my time there -- extremely doubtful that you'll find contemporary Japanese T-shirts at either record store.

There's at least three Japanese neighborhoods in the LA basin: Little Tokyo, the Sawtelle district, and Gardena, down near Torrance, centered along Redondo Beach Blvd and Western. More info here.

Oh, and Bunka-Do is primarily a Japanese craft and souvenir store. Extensive selection of the traditional, but I've never noticed anything as contemporary as J-Pop in there.
posted by Rash at 2:14 PM on February 10, 2006

Preliminary thanks all (as this will scroll off the page at some point). I think I'll start off by checking out Little Tokyo, and maybe mzurer's izakaya place for eats, and just see what I can find. To keep me busy, there's an Isamu Noguchi sculpture exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum, too. Between that several other things, I'm prolly set.
posted by carter at 3:08 PM on February 10, 2006

oh SHIT! How did I forget to suggest BOOK OFF in Gardena?! It's an instance of a chain of used book+cd+game stores that are ubiquitous in Japan. You must seek it out.
posted by thedaniel at 3:40 PM on February 10, 2006

Not linked in the comment above, but shouldn't be missed, so

GIANT ROBOT
posted by intermod at 7:45 PM on February 10, 2006

Definitely take a trip down to Sawtelle. Aside from the Giant Robot store, there are some cool t-shirt stores to check out, and a wealth of good places to eat. I never pay attention to store names so I can't be specific, but its all in one condensed strip of Sawtelle between Olympic and Missouri. Easy access from the 405 too!
posted by Joh at 9:35 PM on February 10, 2006

And the Sawtelle strip now extends around the corner onto Olympic. There's a new anime-manga-toys store there, but I don't know its name.
posted by Rash at 10:23 PM on February 10, 2006

Thanks again!
posted by carter at 9:09 AM on February 11, 2006