kinokuniyas has an online website, but I forgot what it's called. electricforest.com or something really random like that. but the prices are the same at every other jpop store and I'm not even sure if the online store sells in america cause they don't have an english version of the site, atleast I don't think.
(the new york one v)
A good thing about them though is that they almost always carry first press. the time before the last i was there, they had the long sleeve versions of mirrorcle world on display (both version), but at the time i didn't know it was first press and kind of ignored it. That very same time, I was looking through their ayumi selection and they had the first press version of one of the ayumix 2 cds. with the speckle (sparkly) case. I think it was
this version.
Another good thing is that they have everything the day after it is released in japan, if not the day it
is released. Last time I was there, they had dbsk's Toki Wo Tomete single on display and when I went, it was just released a day or so ago in japan, and they had many copies of it on display. and I think someone on this site even called them (the new york one) to ask if they had ayumi's rnrc limited box set, and they said yes and they reserved one for her so she could go up there and buy it. (They even had the limited edition/first press version of koda kumi's black cherry album (cd+2dvd) at the time i saw the first press version of ayumix 2 and first press version of mirrorcle world. I even mentioned a while ago that last time i went, they had first press versions of Rule/Sparkle version A and B (but no version c). I bought version B even though I received no poster. (but that's expected after the single being out for 2 years already)
Down side is that everything is horribly priced. 2 albums ran me
over $100. 2 singles ran me over $40. I rarely buy from them. maybe once or twice a year. Besides. I live 2 hours from them.
Another downside is that they don't have everything by everyone. Last time I checked, by utada, they only had Ultra Blue, Heart Station, Singles Collection, and Prisoner of Love. You'd think a japanese store would sell more by famous artists. They didn't have any hare-brained unity, capsule, Crystal Kay, MiChi, the Gazette, and had maybe 2 singles by Perfume. (I looked for a lot more artists than that but I can't remember) They literally had none of the cds I was looking for.
But I say "Hey, if you are ever in the area, why not try it for your first time?"