In Harajuku, Tokyo’s Fender Flagship Store, a person is playing the guitar.
November 26, 2023, 16 :00JST
The Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo is becoming more and more in tune with well-known audio labels.
In June, U.S. firm Fender Musical Instruments Corp. established a flagship store in Harajuku, followed in October by device manufacturer Roland Corp and record label Universal Music.
The Rolling Stones ‘ first workshop record in 18 times was released on the same day as T-shirts and sacks at Universal Music Store Harajuku, which opened on October 20. The company opened a immediately managed store selling goods and other products for the first time on this occasion. A company representative stated,” We wanted to create a place that connects supporters and performers.”
The Fender shop, on the other hand, is reminiscent of a high-end fashion company shop, selling guitars and basses ranging from affordable versions to expensive limited-edition axes. Nevertheless, Roland Store Tokyo is jam-packed with instruments and other tools.
When Taichiro Kimura from Asahikawa, Hokkaido, visited the Fender business, he said,” Formerly, I’d never thought of Harajuku as a “music community.”
” Brand- label” section
One-of-a-kind clothing and merchandise stores are scattered throughout Harajuku, which is renowned for being a “young people town” and the birthplace of “kawaii” ( cute ) culture.
Harajuku Ruido, a well-known life place that closed in 2007, reopened last year. There are also a lot of history stores in the area. However, the majority of people probably think of” Tokyo music area” as Shibuya, Shimokitazawa or Ochanomizu.
What, then, led these well-known businesses to establish themselves in Harajuku?
President of Fender Music ( Japan ) Edward Cole cited a number of high-end brand-name stores in the Harajuku and Omotesando neighborhoods as examples, claiming that these stores made excellent locations for the establishment of the world’s largest instrument brand, Gender.
In 2018, Universal Music Japan moved its main office to Harajuku. The project manager for the store, Nobuhiko Horiuchi, claimed that the company chose Harajuku because it attracted a lot of foreign visitors and served as the epicenter of Chinese culture. After finding a vacant house in the area next month, the business opened its new location.
According to reports, none of the aforementioned businesses were aware of one another’s plans to enter Harajuku. However, it appears that they were all aware of the city’s ability as a “music hub.”
Gordon Raison, the CEO of Roland, expressed his hope that Harajuku will grow into a vibrant hub where different nations and songs can coexist.
In the meantime, Yasuhiro Tsuchida, a public relations representative for the Harajuku Takeshita- downing street merchants ‘ association, stated that the city is” a town where new issues arise as different cultures interact with one another.” I sincerely hope that music acts as a big engine in this regard.
The Universal Music Store Harajuku in Tokyo has a screen with the Rolling Stones symbol on it.