With his goatee and finely pointed ears, James Vyner has a puckish quality that makes it difficult to imagine him, bewigged, in Her Majesty's court. In an alternative life, yes, Vyner was a barrister.
Since moving to Japan nearly 10 years ago, Vyner has traded the rarefied atmosphere of the courtroom for the equally esoteric one of a record store. Mr. Bongo, the Japanese branch of London's premiere dance music outlet, has become something of a clubhouse for DJs scouring the streets of Shibuya for the latest dance-floor fodder.
"Record stores have a distinct odor," says Vyner of the small shop high above the din of Udagawa-cho. "Most of these guys spend all their time in dark clubs, then head for the record shops when they bother to get up. Even my staff spends their lunch hour visiting other shops in the neighborhood."