Photo/Illutration Satofumi Hashimoto, Roland Corp.’s head of retail promotion who helped design Roland Store Tokyo, poses in the capital’s Harajuku district on Oct. 20. (Kaname Ohira)

For many musicians, the Roland brand is the last word in electronic sounds.

Now Roland Corp. has opened its first directly managed store in Japan in the trendsetting Harajuku district of Tokyo.

The three-story building stocks the latest in synthesizers, electronic pianos, guitar-related gizmos and other digital products.

Roland, which is based in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, said the outlet will not only serve as a venue for publicizing the brand and spreading information about new products but also serve to provide feedback from product users.

Roland Store Tokyo, as the outlet is called, is located in Ura-Harajuku as the backstreets of Harajuku are known. The area is famed for its fashion stores, variety shops and idiosyncratic cafes. 

The company deliberately chose the neighborhood because it is a favorite haunt of musicians and bohemian types.

U.S. guitar manufacturer Fender Musical Instruments Corp. opened a flagship store nearby this past summer.

Roland Store Tokyo has a total floor space of 150 square meters on its three floors from the basement level to the second floor.

T-shirts, mugs, bags and other goods with Roland’s logo, as well as illustrations associated with the company’s products, are on show near the ground floor entrance.

The items are popular with foreign visitors looking for souvenirs, company officials said.

The ground floor also features synthesizers, the company’s showpiece product, as well as digital wind instruments.

Electronic drums and guitars are arranged in the basement level, where making a lot of noise is taken for granted and poses no problem.

There’s a laid-back feel to the space on the second floor, which features digital pianos.

Roland previously only operated dedicated areas in musical instrument shops. The directly operated retail space allows the company more freedom in its PR activities.

“Our product development staff are assigned routine opportunities to be at this outlet, where they communicate directly with our users so they can draw on that experience in developing products,” said Satofumi Hashimoto, Roland’s head of retail promotion, who helped design the interior.

Roland set up its first directly managed retail store in London last year. The company plans to set up more shops elsewhere in the world, mostly in major cities, in the years to come.

Roland Store Tokyo is open from noon through 7:30 p.m. It is closed on Tuesdays.

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