Japan Guitar Shops worth visiting

Heads up I searched on this topic extensively and found nothing useful...

No idea what subsection of the forum this belongs in, mods kindly relocate as needed. I will be in Sapporo, Osaka and Tokyo in May for a trip with friends who do not play guitar, so I don't have all day. I am immensely grateful for your thoughts on guitar shops to visit that are more metal-focused (if that's even a thing there) with a limited schedule. Most everything on Ochanomizu seems like LPs, Strats and Teles for days. Where besides Big Boss and Kurosawa can I go to scratch the metal itch?

I don't NEED to buy anything, but we all know how that goes. There's a Jem DNA at Kurosawa Tokyo I might check out, but aside from that I'm really leaning towards buying another ESP Exhibition Limited stateside instead.

Also been working respectfully with prior connections to see if there's a ESP custom shop I can get a tour of in Shibuya, but not holding my breath. I keep thinking of that phrase "it will be difficult" in Nihongo.

Paging @narad

Other than Ochanomizu that you've already mentioned, there's also Ishibashi Music in Osaka. It's only about a 10 minute walk from the Osaka ESP Custom Shop, so you can hit up both in one go. Never been to Sapporo, but I know there is a Big Boss there too.

Yea, I mean, as far as Tokyo goes, I feel like I'm answering this question a couple times a month these days.

The metal-focused aspect doesn't change too much in that there aren't single shops that focus so much on metal -- if there's some "branch" that is more metal focused, it's on a floor or building immediately adjacent to the others.

And for metal-focused stuff, that's mostly the main places. Ochanomizu has a bunch of shops that have various metal guitars apart from Big Boss and Kurosawa. Just do the rounds and you'll find some other stuff, and that's going to cover 85% of what you'll find in Tokyo. Apart from that, ESP CraftHouse in Shibuya, as well as Musicland Key. Miyaji music in Kanda is basically walking distance down from Ochanomizu, is varied, but they have a small selection of more metal oriented stuff. The ESP technical house is in that area as well. There's other Ishibashis in both Shinjuku and Shibuya.

There's a spattering of more boutique shops scattered around that have a few metal sort of things in stock, but probably not worth the jaunt out. As far as Osaka and Sapporo, I don't know much. Still planning my first trip to Sapporo this summer.

Used is always the way!

Sapporo I didn't find much but the BigBoss there is worth a look. Didn't have time to look in Osaka at all but my '04 Anchang Star was from the ESP store there (found it on Digimart and had it shipped to the guitar workshop in Tokyo)

Re Tokyo: also found cool stuff for low prices at:
-Ikebe Gakki in Shibuya (mostly new ESPs but just so many)
-TC Gakki in Okubo (reverse headstock Jackson USA KV)
-Ikebe 246 Guitars (loads of J Customs & a Reb Beach)
-2nd Street Gakkikan Shimokitazawa (purple cockstock ESP Horizon)
-G-Club Shibuya (Edwards Alexi Blacky, E-II 7 strings)
-the ESP Guitar Workshop just off Ochanomizu ie NOT the giant BigBoss (insane shell pink ESP Maverick)
-Shimokura SecondHands in Ochanomizu (Aria Explorer bass, Fernandes Rhoads bass, used Prestige 7, wacky old two-tone V)

Obv all of those are probably gone now but there's always more stuff going. Happy hunting!

TC Gakki sometimes has good stuff, but they basically put their incoming used stuff on a rack before listing it online, so you can go there and see it, but then you can't buy anything until they've done their once over on it. I have seen some pretty cool things on that rack over the years, but only once did I successfully call dibs on something and have them reach out to me when it was ready.