Missing old-school audio? Press play at Dug Factory, Tokyo’s boombox specialist and analogue empire

Ask anyone in Japan about acquiring a vintage boombox and one name will crop up repeatedly: Junichi Matsuzaki. The Tokyo-based 65-year-old has amassed a collection of 5,000 portable radio-cassette players and vintage electronics. At his shop in Shibuya, the shelves are lined with mono and stereo examples from the 1970s to the 1990s by Japanese companies such as National, Sony, Pioneer and Sharp. There are blank cassettes, Japanese music of yesteryear on tape and merchandise designed by an artist friend, including T-shirts declaring “Boomboxes are beautiful”. Matsuzaki sits at a small desk, repairing a Sony radio with a tiny built-in TV screen to make it fit for contemporary use.

“The number of pieces that I sell every year is limited,” he says. “Each item requires careful maintenance and restoration before it can even be offered for sale.” Parting with favourites can be hard but Matsuzaki is pragmatic. “When I buy a boombox, I look for great design,” he says. “I keep some for my personal collection and sell the others. However, if someone wants something specific from my collection, I’m open to letting it go.”

Matsuzaki used to work as a display designer, adding panache to interior spaces with old Japanese appliances. “That spilled over into my personal life,” he says. “I spent weekends browsing recycling shops, gradually assembling a collection of pieces that caught my eye. What began as a hobby evolved into a professional pursuit.” Design moved into the background as boombox dealing took over.

Matsuzaki acquires most of the pieces in the collection directly from owners who no longer use them. He also works with waste-disposal companies, which set aside radios and cassette players as they arrive. If he’s lucky, he might pay a few hundred yen but he can pay up to ¥100,000 (€550), depending on the model and condition. Selling prices are similarly varied. A Sony CF1700 might be retailed at ¥11,000 (€60), while the hefty Sharp GF-909 can sell for ¥220,000 (€1,200).

Matsuzaki says that cassette culture is enjoying a revival in Japan, prompted by an increasing number of artists releasing new music on tape, as well as the rise of cassette specialty shops in Tokyo. His customers vary in age and nationality but the core buyer is likely to be someone in their fifties or sixties who grew up with radio-cassette players. The outsized JVC M90 – an early-1980s hip-hop classic beloved of Run DMC – is highly sought after. And mint condition is key. Matsuzaki’s collection includes used items but also unused deadstock pieces. Original packaging and accompanying manuals are significant too. “Complete sets from the era are prized, as they offer a full glimpse of the appliance as it was originally conceived,” says Matsuzaki.

After 23 years it’s hard to believe that Matsuzaki has gaps in his boombox collection but he hankers after one in particular: the National RX-5350, a large stereo radio-cassette player released in 1983. “While many models of the era leaned towards rugged, bulky designs, this one stands out with its sleek, futuristic design,” he says. “One day I hope to acquire one in excellent condition.”
dug-factory.com