These CD's were side by side when I hit the sale section. I guess HMV, Japan was expecting me! My future wife Hikaru Utada and that expressionless chick with the edge I love: Namie Amuro.I bought a couple of CD's whilst I was in Japan. I didn't get to go as crazy with the CD purchases as I would've liked. CD's cost more in Japan than they do here in the UK. It may have been the gangsta exchange rate that headshot all value for money - but I worked it out that CD's average at around £15 a pop. Some were even £20! CD's in the UK tend to be around £12. With new releases often retailing at £9.99. I think Family mart need to look into retailing CD's...
This is solace for those who import Japanese CD's and feel they're getting ripped off. You're not. The only extra charges you're paying for are for the post and packaging and even then, it's no more expensive than it would be had you bought the CD in Japan. Some websites it even works out even cheaper than buying the CD's in Japan. Especially if you opt for the Taiwanese or Korean presses of Japanese releases - which are always a heck of a lot cheaper.
Some advice when buying CD's in Japan: look for little independent record stores and avoid the big 'un's like Virgin, HMV and Tower records. They may not always have the latest releases. But what they do have will always be cheaper than it'll be in the big retail chains.