Brick-and-mortar stores specializing in cassettes are already a bit of a rarity, but some cassette stores are truly in a league of their own. One such store is Waltz. Located in the residential Nakameguro district of Tokyo, Japan’s Meguro ward, Waltz is the ultimate mecca for cassette lovers. The store’s sleek, minimalist storefront creates a visually pleasing aesthetic and acts as a preview for the visual joys inside.
Waltz’ features shelves full of cassettes, stereo equipment, books, records, VHS, vintage magazines and more, all meticulously organized and laid out perfectly; a true musical feast for the eyes that creates a beautiful experience for customers. Filled to the brim with thousands of vintage tapes, as well as new releases from local artists, and complete with listening spaces in the store, Waltz has created an ideal cassette atmosphere for tape enthusiasts of any sort. The inviting warmth of music on cassette is the very same feeling provided by the store itself in the perfect balance it has achieved between modernity and comfort in design.
Japan, Tokyo especially, itself serves as an incredible hub for music on physical format and has been a huge home to the revival of the cassette on a global scale. It is stores like Waltz, that are making this revival possible by creating a truly one of a kind experience for music lovers. What draws many to cassettes, is the satisfaction of having that physical object in your hand, the warmer, deeper quality of the music, the marriage of nostalgia with the present. It is for those very same reasons, that Waltz is a true dream destination for those who love cassettes; the welcoming atmosphere allows tape collectors to lose themselves within the stores walls amidst the seemingly endless rows and stacks of tapes. Really, what more could a tape collector ask for?
For any cassette enthusiasts in, near, or traveling to Tokyo, make sure to add Waltz to your list of can’t-miss destinations.
