Osaka (and many other cities) have used cd shops where you can find tons of cds at 1/2 price or less. The latest, hottest stuff won't be there, but older things often will. I almost always bought my cds and dvds used, and Osaka was my favorite place to go looking for stuff.

I thought they had a rule about renting things or maybe it just applies to video games. I may be misinformed.

I thought so too at first, but asked a few techy friends of mine to look into it, as it turns out copying music cd's you rent is OK.

I meant more the physical object itself, vs ripping it.

We have the same rule concerning that in Canada ;)

Similar to what MMM said - CD's in japan usually contain rare remixes or extra tracks not included in the same cd released in other parts of the world. This applies to both Japanese and western artists.

If you don't care about any of that stuff don't bother your friend if you are just trying to save a couple bucks.