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.