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Home > Blog & Collections > Plexus Story #4 : Kissa Life, Japan's audiophile obsession

Story #4 : Kissa Life, Japan's audiophile obsession

A new Plexus Story* !

In Japan, music finds its way into every corner of the public space. During his travels, Guillaume has noticed how each note is carefully integrated into its surroundings : wherever you go, the Japanese passion for HIFI is obvious.

The golden age of the Kissa Bar is the best testimony to this deeply rooted sound culture...

Published on June 15, 2023
by Plexus

* What are these Plexus Stories ?
Have a coffee, spin a record, sit back and enjoy this article : Plexus shares his memories, anecdotes and record store secrets...

In the previous episodes....

Enthusiastic record dealer, Guillaume continues his Diggin'Trips in Japan in search of secret stores and forgotten records. Now familiar with the unique atmosphere of diggin' records on the Japanese cities, he has learned to find a kind of balance between the density and diversity of such a vinyl Eldorado, without missing a few well-deserved breaks at the Sento!

Speaking of breaks... have you ever stepped through the door of an authentic audiophile bar? Come along, we'll take you there.

Read Story #1 | Read Story #2 | Read Story #3

A culture of sound(s)

You can't remain indifferent to the huge display of speakers, amplifiers and turntables to be found in the vast majority of public places in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan. Whether in record shops, Izakaya*, hotels, waiting rooms, subways, galleries, bookstores... music is always present, in every imaginable form.

* L'Izakaya is the Japanese version of the English pub, the French bistro or other tapas & drinks places. It serves alcoholic beverages, usually ordered with hot or cold dishes to share with friends/colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere.

This constant presence is always conceived with great attention to detail and a real reflection on the particular features of each space : number of visitors, size of the building, layout, etc.

You can find a very wide range of installations : from micro-HIFI (mini-speakers integrated into gallery walls) to monumental High-Fidelity where the system is an integral part of the architecture of a room or building, like these immense two-way horns installed behind the walls of some auditoriums.

Whether in the small 20m2 home of an audiophile grandpa, or in the gigantic hall of a museum, music and its forms of dissemination are always a major preoccupation for the Japanese.

Tokyoites' days are entirely filled with this multi-faceted bites of sound and music : ambient and field recordings commonly played in public spaces such as the subway, daddy jazz heard at the corner of a neighborhood alley, the few notes of music telling children when it's time to go home (goji no chaimu*), the old-fashioned AOR of the Izakaya, over-vitalized Jpop escaping day and night through the open doors of the Pachinko halls**. ..

* goji no chaimu is a melody played in the streets of Japan around 5 p.m. to test public equipment against the risk of natural disasters (you can find more interpretations about these little melodies here here).

** Un pachinko is a popular gambling game, kind of a noisy cross between a pinball machine and a slot machine.

Despite everything, there's no real hearing fatigue at the end of the day. Because each sound broadcasted respects a certain number of codes and remains consistent with the spirit, rhythm and aesthetics of each space.

HIFI Obsession

Are the Japanese fanatics of the JBL brand?

What's initially shocking, when you look at these different diffusion elements, is the recurrence of a small orange logo that in itself symbolizes the Japanese fascination for the world of HIFI. Three letters for a legendary brand : JBL.

Whether in record shops, tearooms, restaurants, clothing stores... there's always a pair of JBL 4312 speakers in a corner (or, on the contrary, well exposed), in more or less good condition, ready to play a Chet Baker melody.

The Japanese passion for this famous American brand is unique. There must be more pairs of JBLs in Japan than in the rest of the world.

Yet there's no lack of choice when it comes to Japanese brands: Yamaha, Pioneer, Victor, Diatone, Coral, Trio, Sony, Onkyo, Technics... all these legendary names have designed absolutely magnificent models, with exceptional performances.

The excellence of Japan's HIFI brands

Think of Yamaha's NS series, for example, with the legendary NS1000 (and other variations), which to some extent are inspired by the JBL L100, while bringing a new technology to the table with their beryllium domes. Ditto for Technics' SB series: equally magnificent in terms of musicality, performance and finish.

A multitude of Japanese loudspeakers in the 1970s and 80s could compete with the American armada without having anything to be ashamed of. However, the charm and exoticism of JBL soon made itself at home, establishing the American brand at the heart of the Japanese HIFI scene and becoming something of a norm, a standard, a reference.

Illustration
Illustration

Audiophile bars

These days, it's hard to miss a photo of a Kissa bar on social networks. It's in places like these that devotion to the JBL brand reaches its peak.

Photo

From tradition to trend

On my first trips to Tokyo, few foreigners frequented these unique places, run by little grandpas in back alleys far off the beaten track by the flow of Western tourists. But very quickly, they became the very symbol of the audiophile ideal, and some of them (especially in Tokyo's tourist resorts) found themselves packed with Europeans and Americans in search of exoticism..

In recent years, many new Kissa bars have opened in Tokyo's hyper-center. Unfortunately, they're a far cry from the authenticity of previous generations...

Very often, we find here the very clichés of the audiophile archetype:  big JBLs with blue fronts, a Macintosh as driver (probably recent and with tacky-fluorescent-green-tinted tubes). Not forgetting a pair of Garrard 401s, with a very uncertain wow...

Most of the time, the result is disappointing, soulless and nowhere near the sound quality you'd expect from such equipment.

I don't mean to denigrate newcomers in any way ! It has to be said, however, that riding the wave of the audiophile bar is no substitute for a solid basis. By the opposite, for many of the former Kissa owners, it was a real life choice, reflecting a boundless passion and quest for an audiophile ideal.

If you've ever been lucky enough to walk through the door of an old Kissa bar, you know exactly what I'm talking about. These places are the result of a lifetime: every object, every decorative accessory, every HIFI element tells a story. These temples, at once outdated and sacred, reflect through their different layers the aspirations and obstacles encountered by their owners.

Kissa bars: HIFI temples and social sanctuaries

These places reflect a whole section of society: they are veritable temples enabling salary men* to unwind from their grueling days and take a timeless break from the hustle and bustle of the city. A practice that's not new : a whole part of Japanese society (mainly men) has taken refuge in Kissa bars since the 1930s, right up to their golden age in the 70s/80s.

* Salaryman is the term used by the Japanese to designate the classic employee of large corporations (as opposed to the factory-worker or craftsman). Recognizable by his eternal suit, tie and briefcase, the Japanese Salaryman sacrifices his whole life for the company he works for: he takes little or no time off, works more than 12 hours a day, sleeps regularly frequently at the office in order to avoid wasting time on transport...

Far from being an artificial stereotype, Salarymen are a true Japanese social reality. Their pace of life and dedication remain unrivalled, but reflect a host of social problems: alcoholism, loneliness, prostitution, suicide...

As well as being a genuine place for sharing and discovery, it was also one of the only ways to really listen in the best possible conditions to the future classics by John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Kenny Dorham, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk...

Until then, access to high-fidelity equipment and imports of American albums had been highly rare : like radio, the Kissa bar was one of the most important players in the democratization of American and European jazz in Japan.

>>> After the 80s, the number of Kissa bars gradually declined, until they became almost obsolete by the 2000s.

Lately, over the past decade or so, the return of vinyl and the growing impact of social networks have revived interest in these musical sanctuaries, making them - in a sense - an archetype, a model, a goal, for a whole new generation.

Rendezvous at Milestone Café

One of the most authentic experiences I've had of one of these places is at the now-closed Milestone in the Takadanobaba district.

A breath of fresh air in the city

Open since 1976, this was the quintessential kissa bar. Located in a quiet alleyway in Takadanobaba (a station north of Shinjuku), Master Orito-San, wearing the traditional kimono, welcomed you with incomparable composure and kindness.

Photo

Certainly surprised to receive strangers here, Orito-San always maintained a certain distance at first, perhaps cold on arrival, but which gradually softened as he realized that you respected the rules of the place.

Once you'd crossed the threshold, a serenity and calm took hold of you with an almost unreal grip. Tables were often half-occupied, with 2-3 regulars relaxing a few feet away from the huge JBL Olympus speakers at the end of the room.

Far from the hustle and bustle of snack bars and Izakaya, Milestone café offered a truly timeless experience, as if suspended beyond the tumult of Tokyo life.

A one-of-a-kind decor

Passion alone seemed to guide Orito-San's decorating choices. The small tables, like the rest of the room, were arranged with care : fine tablecloths delicately ironed, floral arrangements constantly renewed, books and specialized Jazz magazines occupying an entire wall...

At the far end of the room, straddling the two Olympus, a totally surreal painting imposed an atmosphere at odds with the classicism of the other photographs on display.

Photo

Orito-San circulated behind his counter to the rhythm of the albums he meticulously selected from his collection.

On CD or vinyl, he played a flawless selection of forgotten Hard bop, Cool Jazz and vocal Jazz, from the 1950s to the 90s, all the while serving the regular salarymen with all the old-fashioned charm of this unique establishment.

FlashBack

I still remember my first visit with Vincent Guignard (formerly head of the Music-Play boutique in Niort): I was totally captivated by the atmosphere radiating inside the bar...

Settled at a small table with a fresh (surprisingly on the menu) Belgian beer in our hands, Orito-San proceed  to play a magnificent Chet Baker piece from his European 80's period, in which of course Chet sings with all the sadness in the world on his shoulders. A salary man half-asleep in the corner of the room, his personal bottle of whisky barely opened, is lulled to sleep by Harry Warren's "This is always", beautifully covered by Chet Baker.

photo

The huge JBL Olympus loudspeakers are topped by their mythical crate-pressed tweeters. Amplified by two dusty MC30 blocks bursting with saturation and rumble, their 38cm woofers deliver music of uncommon presence. The monumental HL88 horns also play their part.

Orito-San, meanwhile, uses the extended duration of some tracks to disappear behind his bar and catch a peek at a sports match being broadcast, on a TV hooked up for his personal use.

Photo

Despite this surprising mismatch, a magic happens, as the result of an uncertain and fragile balance : the charm of this more or less well-tuned HIFI system, the marginal kitsch of the decor and its floral exuberance, the restraint and impassivity of Orito-san, the simplicity and perfect mastery of his "playlist", and the respect imposed by the impressive collection of specialized magazines made available to customers.

The Kissa Bars' worldwide heritage

These memories of the Milestone Café are a far cry from the impersonal, predictable atmosphere of the new Kissa bars now opening all over the world. Today, every collector, every DJ, every record shop, every bar dedicated to music, every thrift store, must have a dj booth with a nice wooden cabinet incorporating a pair of Technics MKII, a rotary table, a nice vintage amp driving a big pair of Altec or JBL if possible. This scheme, this very art of music diffusion, is directly inherited from and inspired by the Kissa bar, and subsequently by the private installations of Japanese audiophiles.

There's nothing new under the sun when enthusiasts like Devon Turnbull (aka Ojas*) present one these « Hifi Listening Room Dream » to the mainstream public. They've simply succeeded in democratizing a practice and know-how that until now had remained in the hands of Japanese aesthetes.

Devon himself makes no secret of the fact that he was directly inspired by the great Japanese technicians, who passed on their knowledge through an incredible number of specialized magazines (including the legendary Stereo Sound).

* Ojas est la marque lancée il y a quelques années par Devon Turnbull. Elle surfe sur l'héritage japonais des années 80 : système haut-rendement DIY, amplification à tubes, cellule Denon "améliorée", session d'écoute audiophile... le tout teinté de design, fashion...

>>> Pour une approche plus personnelle et authentique du savoir faire japonais, visitez le blog JE Labs : c'est un véritable observatoire et champ d'expérimentation de la hifi vintage.

Map illustration

By the same logic, places like Brilliant Corners and Spiritland in London, Bambino in Paris, ESP Hifi in Denver, Bar Shiru in Oakland, Eavesdrop in Brooklyn, Gold Line Bar in LA, Potato Head in Hong Kong, and many others wouldn't exist without this heritage of traditional Japanese Kissa bars.

All these places are wonderful, with incredible designs and equipment... but I'm convinced that the atmosphere of a little Milestone, lost in the middle of a Takadanobaba alleyway, remains unrivalled. Pushing open the door of one of these old Kissa bars is to live an incomparable and unforgettable experience, which seems to remain unique in Japan to this day.

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW ! 
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