Jewel cases for Japanese CDs?

[zorrow]

Japan-made CDs usually come with an extra booklet with the lyrics in Japanese and some other extras. Therefore, their jewel cases tend to be thicker than our usual jewel cases. Do you guys know where can I find some spare jewel cases for my old Japanese CDs?

Thanks in advance!

[Bloozguy]

Try sending a PM to tombo. He lived there for a while. I've bought a few CDs from him and those cases appear standard.

[Feynman]

Hmmm...my house is home to many Japanese CDs, and none of them I can see are any different than others.

[zorrow]

Maybe this just applies to very old Japanese CDs? Or maybe to just the Japanese editions of Western artists' releases? Because the vast majority of the Japanese CDs I own do have those thicker cases. They are however from artists like John Sykes, Mercyful Fate, Kai Hansen, Marty Friedman, etc. I've purchased many of those because of the Japan-only bonus tracks, and because I collect CDs from certain artists.

[crunchee]

Maybe this just applies to very old Japanese CDs? Or maybe to just the Japanese editions of Western artists' releases? Because the vast majority of the Japanese CDs I own do have those thicker cases. They are however from artists like John Sykes, Mercyful Fate, Kai Hansen, Marty Friedman, etc. I've purchased many of those because of the Japan-only bonus tracks, and because I collect CDs from certain artists.

I think it depends a lot on the individual CD issue, not all CD special editions/compilations/CDs with bonus stuff is created equal as far as format and packaging is concerned, IMO, even in Japan.

I was stationed in Japan for a couple of years about 10 years ago, and I LOVED shopping for CDs in the local economy. I found more than a few oddball Japan only CD issues over there, and some older stuff that you could only find on the Japanese market, at least at the time...Wes Montgomery's albums on Riverside (with bonus tracks) comes to mind, for example. I know of at least one CD that I have (no, not a Wes reissue), that included a bonus 3" CD (anybody remember the 3" CD 'Single'?), and there were many variations in packaging from what I remember.

Funny thing is, is that (at the time) all the CDs that WEREN'T made in Japan but sold there were CHEAPER than the ones that WERE made in Japan...it has something to do with the record companies, or Japanese taxes/surcharges, or both, I dunno. And it wasn't at all unusual to find bootleg CDs in reputable music stores, but they were usually budget (cheaply priced) crap compilations that you could get elsewhere in official superior versions.

[tommy p]

I think I know what you're talking about. 15-20 years ago I would buy Japanese import CD's at record shows and the cases were a little more substantial than the domestic ones, lyric insert or not. It hasn't been that way in quite a while though.