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Buying Unicorn CDs in America
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Some people have written in wanting to know where to get Unicorn
and related CDs besides Japan, where they seem to be plentiful.
Finally, there is a clear-cut winner in the Where To Buy contest. Even in Japan, new CDs sell for around $30, so by the time they get over here they're usually $35-40 and no stateside reseller is going to be able to undercut that much. It turns out the best solution is to buy them directly from Japan over the Net. Comfort was originally brought to my attention by Mr. Peter Vassilakis, and soon after I mentioned them here I received this piece of mail from a Mr. John M: |
| I have dealt with Comfort once and would certainly do so again. Ohkura (the guy who runs it) is one of the most prompt, thorough, patient and kind people I've ever done business with. He had my stuff to me in about 2 weeks, he dealt with numerous cross-border payment screw-ups on my end (I'm in Canada) with infinite grace, and with his 10% discount on everything, that nearly covers the shipping costs. So you pay about the same as a store, but it comes right to your door and he can get you ANYthing (as you said). Good guy, good place, definitely worth it! |
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I second this. In March 1997, when all manner of Unicorn and ex-Corn material came onto the market, I placed a sizable (c. $200) order with Ohkura-san. CDs, singles, and a LaserDisc came speedily (four business days after the receipt of my money) and securely packed. The prices were better than Kino (below), even including the shipping costs. For payment, I sent an International Postal Money Order, made out in U.S. dollars, which I got at my local post office for $3. Although his web site is a bit confusing and appears somewhat limited, he actually does seem able to get most anything that's in print (the Lä-Ppisch listing he sent me ran about 25 lines) -- just write and ask him for prices and availability on what you want.
If you absolutely can't wait for things to come in the mail, there are some cash-and-carry sources stateside that the faithful might wish to explore. Kinokuniya Bookstore is a big Japanese-based chain. Their San Francisco store, in Japantown (415.567.7625), had a couple Unicorn albums the last time I was there, plus Tamio's 30 and two of Ebi's solo albums; they were all in the typical $28-40 zone. There's a Kinokuniya in San Jose, too (408.252.2687), and they're supposed to have a separate room for music these days. The Seattle store didn't have anything except a copy of Panic Attack. I think Kino does mailorder as well, but I haven't actually tried myself. The Virgin Megastore in Hollywood actually has a browser card for Tamio in its import section. They had a copy of 29 last time I was there, which was very exciting for me. There are several Japanese bookstores in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo district, but I don't remember their names -- I think one of the bigger ones is called "Yaohan." Also, one of my correspondants has mentioned a place in Torrance called "Express Video." Other net sources have been been spotted. One correspondant from New Jersey wrote |
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... I've heard back from a CD importer that I use, and
he says he can get [Tamio Okuda's] "30" for about [$35]. Like the
importer you're using, he says its going to take 4-6 weeks to get it in
though. I'll let you know how it goes.
The importer I use is Billabcd@aol.com (his E-mail). He's actually the Import Manager for CDNow. They have a lot of imports themselves. Nothing on Tamio Okuda or Unicorn though. I beleive Bill actually works for another, seperate company (possibly ABCD, which is another Internet music service). |
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No word back yet on his success. I should mention, of course, that one should always proceed with caution when dealing with importers, especially if you're paying up front.
Another net-based reseller of Japansese pop music is Silver and Gold Indies. I ordered one Unicorn CD through him, and it was $32, about $5-10 cheaper than L.A. (and, for me, no 5-hour roadtrip). The next two titles I wanted his importer couldn't supply, and at that point I started to get things directly from Japan through a friend, so I haven't ordered from him since. Yes, his web page is a mess, but I talked to him on the phone for a while and he seemed reliable enough to give my credit card number to. Other opportunities for those of us living in proximity to cities with signifigant populations of Japanese-speaking peoples are the numerous Japanese video rental ("Bidio Ruentaru") shops that appear in these regions. Sometimes they rent CDs too (though they're not supposed to under U.S. law) and that could mean that periodically some albums are rotated out of the lending stock for sale at more affordable prices. Also, you could just rent the thing, and tape it at home, but you certainly didn't hear that from me. By the way, I ought to mention that, due in part to Okuda-san's long-overdue ascension to the rank of rock deity, all of Unicorn's albums have been smartly re-released by Sony Japan at mid-price, which means they sell for 2000 yen (about $20). So if you see two copies of, say, BOOM, and one is $10 more than the other, you'll know why. Inside, they're identical. |
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| Created by Dave LaDelfa | Last updated on 28 February 1997 |