BIG LOVE Records - Shibuya, Tokyo

Overlooked Tracks (Kenny Chiba)

It’s been a while since I posted something interesting, and this post is something interesting. This is a great record store in the Harajuku District and If you want to discover indie music and have a drink (or two) while you’re discovering, this is a good place to do it. Oh man this is a good place to do some searching for some good independent music artists from all over, which was a first for me because that’s all there was….Indie music ?. Enjoy and discover music you’ve overlooked!!

Nathanael Hayden

Really cool record store up a short flight of stairs, has a little bar area where I had an iced coffee which was nice after walking around in the heat.
Bought a few harder to find newer records.
Staff were very friendly.

Daniel S

Great, intimate record store. In a little street of Harajuku. Lots of garage rock and indie rock.
Class IPA beer on tap.
If you want to spend more than you anticipated you should definitely come here, you’ll be surprised with how many records there are that you didn’t plan to purchase ?

Joshua Burns (aevol)

The one-and-only record store.
Feels alive, and that you could bump into your favourite artist on a lucky day.
Highly recommend for any big music fans

Takuro

東京に住んでから10数年ずっと通い続けています。他は、ディスクユニオンオルタナ館とジェトセット下北と、タワレコ渋谷。最近神奈川に引っ越して、2〜3ヶ月に一回くらいしか通わなくなりましたが、仲さんやスタッフさんはとてもいい人です。
お客さんもシャイな方が多く距離感を保ってビールを飲んでいます。入り口に例の「買わない人入店禁止」という札がありますが、私は目的のものが売り切れてて買わなかったことは何度もありました。何の目的もなく入店してインスタ用に撮る邪魔者を入らせない措置だと思います。誤解せずに、お店の雰囲気や人柄を感じて飛び込んでください。信頼できるのは自身の感性です。他店で入荷しなかったり、このお店限定仕様だったり、入荷が早かったり、志賀高原ビールがタップで飲めたり、などと他にはない魅力が沢山詰まったお店です。

Addino

Dont believe the hype. Bog standard record collection that you can find in most high street records shops.The records are so tightly packed into the bins you can't flick through. Was in the shop a good half hour looking through records genuinely looking for a goodfind.Nothing. So I thought I would buy a t-shirt. I asked the staff for my size of t-shirt which they didn't have in stock. Fair dos. No problem. It is what it is. So thought right let's have a beer then. Went to go in the bar to be told no, you have to buy something. The bar had precisely zero people sitting in it. There was also no one in the shop. So I thought that was enough and left, leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
Like fair enough if the place was rammed or you get regular people just coming in for the bar with no interest in records but I thought it was pretty poor with the amount of time in the shop and I was obviously there to buy if I found something I liked or a t-shirt in my size. No love from big love here.

Kåre Westfelt Kjellgren

Nice collection of rate vinyls. The staff didn’t give me the warmest welcome but was rather ignored. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it was one of the few places I went to in Harajuku where I wasn’t met by warmth, which is what makes me love the area so much!

ezekiel

SUPER HONEST REVIEW HERE, PLEASE READ BEFORE COMING‼️

First off I’ll say that this place has a very nice collection of both underground and mainstream artists, and I did enjoy browsing through them. I'd say that this place is great if you are only here to BUY the records.

❌HOWEVER they literally have the worst store policies of any record stores ever. They FORCE you to buy a record before being able to buy their overpriced drinks or to even take a seat! (And yes, I do understand that this is probably not the only store which has this type of policy. But still, please hear me out here)

We went as a group of 4 people and I myself bought 2 records (which were not cheap!), while the other 2 each ordered a beer and were seated (using my 2 records as ‘tickets’ to buy the drinks). There were empty seats in the store and yet they still didn't let my last friend take a seat because they have not spent money on anything. I find that to be bad hospitality which was quite unacceptable, especially with the amount of money my group had already spent in total (2 records + 2 pints of beer, and I was actually going to buy more records). I also found the manner in which they answered the questions regarding my friend to be quite rude, seemed like they really do hate giving up their 'privileged' seats. So we just got up and left, went to other stores and had a way better time.

We also walked quite a bit of distance to get to the store from the station and was expecting a warm and cozy space to rest up, but this was what had happened instead.

I really did like the atmosphere and their record collection, but I definitely won't recommend anyone to come here at all. It’s a shame that the store owners are a bunch of money-hungry individuals who do not care about their customers.