Jazz record shops in Tokyo will bankrupt you, it's that simple..Tokyo is legendary for attracting jazz collectors from around the world. Whether it's rare vinyl, Japan-only reissues, Live in Tokyo sets..whatever you are looking for you can find it here.
The challenge is finding the shops! They are spread around town, and many smaller used places do not have web sites..If you are based in Tokyo then you can take the time to go exploring, using word-of-mouth and local maps to help you out. If you are just visiting then it's best to stick to the bigger shops mentioned here. There's also the web of course, though if you can't read Japanese then browsing becomes a little difficult..
One recommendation; If you see a little music shop, or even a small cd-section in a video shop, ALWAYS check it out. Even more so than in the US, you will find hidden jazz gems in the most unlikely of places! One of my greatest jazz memories is of popping into my local video store on my birthday 12 years ago. On a whim I started browsing through their small cd rack, and inbetween the J-Pop and Mariah Carey Xmas albums was a used copy of Elvin Jones' "A Love Supreme: w/ Wynton Marsalis, Live at the Pit Inn in Tokyo"..a very nice birthday present that I still treasure..
