This Is Japan
Explore everyday life in Japan
DVD rental stores still exist in Japan, and, for the time being anyway, seem to be doing fine. That said, TV streaming services like Hulu and Apple TV are beginning to catch on over here, and if the adoption of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are any indication of how new platforms and services are accepted in Japan, this could mean a very quick death to the DVD rental industry over here. That said, the DVD rental stores in Japan offer a few unique rental items that just might keep them from ever going out of business.
Some things that you can rent at DVD rental stores in Japan are manga books, video games, and CDs. Generally, it only costs about one thousand yen (approximately 9 USD) to rent ten CDs. This makes renting and uploading CDs at DVD stores cheaper than downloading them from iTunes, something that many people consider a plus, and something that is still deemed acceptable by the Japanese anti-pirating laws.
Another thing you can rent at DVD stores in Japan is adult videos. All of the DVD rental stores that I have been in have had 'Adult Only' rooms, their entranceways usually slightly hidden behind a DVD rack, or placed in a back corner of the shop and covered by curtains. A few of the small time shops I have been in have also, in addition to their adult DVD selection, sold sex toys, costumes, and other erotic paraphernalia. Whether this is common or not, I'm really not sure.
In addition, larger DVD rental stores like Tsutaya, which is a national chain, also have bookstores and stationary stores inside of, or sometimes connected to, their rental stores. Some Tsutayas also have cafés in them. While it isn’t much, the diversity of the DVD stores in Japan might just be enough to keep them from succumbing to the fate of Blockbuster and other DVD rental stores in the United States. Time will tell.
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting daily updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.
It is somewhat suprising that these rental stores are still in business, if i looked hard enough, I might be able to find my old tsutaya membership card!
My parents are surprised by this, too, every time they come to visit. As cryptomancer has mentioned in his comment, these stores still have a place over here, even for those who have online streaming accounts. Plus, I think a lot of people here rely heavily on the regular NHK broadcasting and TEVOing all of their favorite programs through that. I wonder if the door-to-door NHK membership fee collectors have anything to do with this.
I hope these stores don't go the way of Blockbuster. It's a fun family tradition to go to the local rental place on Friday night and check out an armful of videos for the next week. Last weekend we binge watched an entire season of Vampire Diaries. Chewing through a stack of DVDs was much cheaper than renting it from iTunes would have been. I do have an Apple TV, but I save it for renting movies that haven't come out in Japan yet, and avoid TV shows because of the price.
I agree. I really like going to these stores, too. There's something nice about getting out of the house, browsing around, and actually holding things in your hand. My son and daughter especially love riding in the pink plastic car shopping carts that the Tsutaya near our house has. Plus if you want to get a book or some new pens and nice paper, etc. while picking up some DVDs for the week, these stores are pretty convenient. I've even seen some smaller stores that offer you all the DVDs you can rent in a month for 2,000 yen. If I were a stay at home all night movie watcher, that would be a great deal.
Indeed, I like the physical connection of actually going to the store. You don't get that with digital distribution. Same thing with games. I remember when I was young, going to the store and buying computer games that came in weighty boxes with satisfyingly thick manuals filled with cool artwork... now everything is downloaded from Steam and I miss those thick manuals. Sometimes I buy real books too, when I just want to hold something in my hand that doesn't have a screen.
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