On the ground in Kyoto and back at it
Hey fellow record dreamer,
The TL;DR: I’ve settled in Kyoto and am back building Collxn. Daily Drops are still in the works, Collxn onboarding continues (thanks for your patience), and I'm curious what you'd like to know about record culture over here.
Read on for the details! Or share Collxn with a record-loving friend.
⛩️ Coming to you from Kyoto
It’s been a minute. I’m writing this from Kyoto (post-typhoon, no less), where I'm settling in with my family after the move from New York. Thanks for your patience while I get my feet back under me.
As a side note, I spent some of August rebuilding the website for HanaYou—my wife Ryoko’s ikebana business. If you're ever in town, you might find fresh flowers and dusty record sleeves under the same roof.
Speaking of record culture in unexpected corners, I’m having a lot of fun finding vinyl in all sorts of places here in Kyoto. I'd say I already had a reasonable handle on record shops here, but:
- Listening bar recs from a craft beer spot's owner? Sure.
- Curated crates in an indie bookshop next to the neighborhood sento? Yeahhh.
- A full hi-fi setup blasting "Aino Shirushi" in a curry shop? Let's gooooooooooooo!
I haven’t done my usual rounds at the actual shops yet, but some friends from Austin did when they were visiting last week, and let's just say they went home with more bags than they came with. I can't wait to jump in!
So here’s a question for you:
💬 What would you want to know about Kyoto record culture?
Whether it’s digging spots, collector culture, or something more offbeat, hit reply and let me know. I might turn your curiosities into future Collxn Connxn posts.
💼 Luggage Records: What would you bring?
I couldn’t bring everything on my record shelves from NYC. Most of my collection is still boxed up in storage, but I did tuck a few records into my luggage: some essentials, some comforts, some I just wasn’t ready to be without.
Over the next few newsletters, I’ll be sharing a handful of those picks in a short series I’m calling “Luggage Records.”
Here’s the first:
Luggage Record #1: Choose Your Weapon
- Artist: Hiatus Kaiyote
- Album: Choose Your Weapon
- Format: 2 x Glow-in-the-dark vinyl + 7" single
- Acquired at: Turntable Lab, Brooklyn
Why this came with me: I had this album in heavy rotation in late 2016/early 2017 while I was waiting for my daughter to be born in far southern Japan. Years later, she got old enough to ask for it by name ❤️. "Molasses" (on side D) was my first obsession from Hiatus Kaiyote. My wife and I saw them at Brooklyn Steel a couple of years ago. Such a fun show. And their opening act? The drummer, solo. Absolute machine.
🌀 Daily Drops still brewing
Development on Daily Drops is picking back up after my international-move hiatus.
If you're new here: it’s a feature that gently surfaces one record from your collection each day, complete with context and a small nudge to re-visit.
It's like getting a morning mixtape... from your past self.
You’ll see it in beta very soon.
✉️ Alpha still open (quietly)
Alpha onboarding is still open for those with a Discogs account, though replies are slower than usual while I settle in. If you’ve emailed and haven’t heard back—you’re still on the list. Thank you for your patience. 🙏
Thanks for reading. If you're still here after a quiet few weeks: thank you even more.
- Ash