INFORMATION

• addressKanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku
• accessJR Ochanomizu Station

You can feel free to consult with knowledgeable staff members. The best musical instrument town in Japan with a wide variety of musical instruments.

Meidai-dori Ave. in front of JR Ochanomizu Station, Ochanomizubashi Exit, on which around 50 musical instruments shops stand side by side, has been well-known as Ochanomizu Musical Instrument Shop District. We are going to introduce the origins of this area and various instrumental shops on the street.

Ochanomizu developed as student town after Meiji University was built in 1886 and Nippon University School of Dentistry in 1921. In the neighborhood, there were many old book shops and props stores for students. After the World War II, occupation troops sold off a lot of their musical instruments, musical instruments became cheaper and easy to get. So, many of the shops for students changed their business into musical instruments shops. Later, with the remarkable development of music culture, musical instruments shops expanded and the area grew into the one called as Ochanomizu Musical Instruments Shop District.

Both amateur and professional musicians and foreign tourists visit Ochanomizu Musical Instruments Shop District. Many stores line the street, from general shops selling a wide variety of musical instruments such as guitars, bass guitars, electronic pianos, to specialty shops specializing in single field.

Ishibashi Music Ochanomizu Honten, Shimokura Musical Instrument Main Store and Kurosawa Musical Instrument Shop Ochamonizu-ekimae are well-established large general shops. And the distinctive feature of this district is that general shops have their specialty shops as their annex nearby. For example, Kurosawa Musical Instrument Shop has Kurosawa Musical Instrument Drum Connection, which deals in mainly drums and percussions and Kurosawa Violin offers a full lineup of stringed instruments near its main building. They have ample musical instruments of a specific genre and peripheral equipment.

In addition, unique musical instruments shops stand side by side: Taniguchi Gakki, which mainly carries harmonicas and accordions, Akio Gakki specializing in ukuleles and so on. You can even find ethnic musical instruments and rare high-grade vintage instruments, which you cannot see at ordinary musical instrument shops. At Ochanomizu Musical Instrument Shop District, you can have fun by just looking at.
The attractive feature of Ochanomizu Musical Instrument Shop District is that you can consult with knowledgeable staff members about choosing a musical instrument going from shop to shop. Instrumentalists, as well as those who are thinking of trying out playing a musical instrument, are encouraged to visit.