Historic, laid-back and family-friendly, Tanimachi-Rokuchome (‘Taniroku’) has seen an influx of stylish new shops and eateries over the past decade or so, but it took until 2021 for the first record store to open in the neighbourhood.
The proprietor of Maradona Records went to high school in Chichester in the south of England, where a local record shop became his gateway to hip hop and funk. After relocating to Japan and learning the ropes at the iconic King Kong in Amerikamura, he set up his own joint in the midst of the pandemic, hoping to provide a measure of musical solace to the Taniroku community.
What was initially a bare-bones operation has grown steadily in the past few years, and you’ll now find around 2,000 LPs, some 400 7-inch singles and roughly 400 CDs on the shelves. Everything on sale is available for listening in store, with the sounds routed through a handsome vintage McIntosh amp.
Now an integral part of the Taniroku landscape and a vibrant space where locals from all walks of life come to mingle over funky tunes, Maradona Records is the kind of spot that’s worth a detour even if you aren’t on the hunt for vinyl.