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Home > Blog > Plexus Story #3 : third part Trip to Japan

Story #3 : relaxing interlude between two diggin' sessions in Tokyo

A new Plexus Story*!
In search of Tokyo's most obscure Record Shops, Guillaume takes a little break... Here's the next part of his first diggin'trip to Japan.

Published on August 24, 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...

February 2015, I land in Tokyo for a memorable stay : two weeks of peregrinations in the paradise city of record stores, guided by my friend Jérome. I quickly realized : for many collectors, going in search of the world's rarest records in the conditions offered by the Japanese capital is a dream come true...

Read Story #1 | Read Story #2

The digging-tourism paradox in Tokyo

That first trip was particularly intense, and those that followed were no less grueling...

But despite the countless hours spent shuffling hundreds of bins of records (and the daily fatigue of carrying those roller bags full of preciously hunted albums), comes to me a certain appeasement, a real sense of satisfaction...

This monotonous, monomaniacal toil always seemed to give rise to an incredible sense of pleasure.

Head-spinning hunt of record stores

The record hunter's appetite is truly insatiable : this comes as no surprise to those who know this passion.

Nor is this something specific to the digging activity : the same madness can be found in every collection, whether it's literature, plastic art, musical instruments, design...

Only here, faced with such an immensity of possibilities, in front of such a multitude of record shops and boutiques offering records for sale, in such a high density*... this richness can very quickly make more than one experienced digger lose his head.

* La concentration de magasins de disques au mètre carré est unique à Tokyo.

To buy or not to buy... that is the question

There are two possible scenarios : either you go into compulsive madness and find yourself completely broke in a very short space of time... or, on the contrary, you quickly stall in the face of the incommensurability of these infinite stocks, then end up not knowing what to do and finding yourself paralyzed.

Fortunately, I've always (more or less) managed to strike a balance between these two pitfalls.

Because every one of my travels was filled with captivating cultural discoveries, allowing me to get my head out of those infinite, swirling references to modal jazz, Japanese disco, noise-rock, acid-folk, detroit house, neo-acoustic, post-rock, heavy & metal...

Recovering from a day at the public baths

The most life-saving experience of these many trips to the record capital was undoubtedly the public baths, called "Sento".

It's hard to find a place and a ritual that can better help you disconnect from everyday reality, or at least take a real break from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

For my first experience, I simply stepped into one of these typical baths at our first hotel in Azabu Juban.

The hotel's basement had baths reserved for clients, and my curiosity pushed me to try them out.

Photo : like the first image (visible in the intro), this delightfully retro fresco decorated one of the many Sento I came across.

ritual steps

Knowing the importance of this ritual in Japanese culture, I first read up on the subject in my guidebook to avoid any blunders... and embarked on the adventure blindly.

I find myself alone in this half-creepy but surprisingly quiet and serene basement. I hope I'm right about the sequence of steps: strip completely naked, put my clothes away in a locker, wash up on a stool, then plunge into a warm bath.

The experience is somewhat flawed, as I find myself alone in this space usually shared by the whole community.

Not that it's really a place for exchange and discussion, but being alone in such a place, while having to abide by a large number of collective rules, seems to lose some of its deeper meaning.

Sento obsession

After this first more or less conclusive attempt, looking for a public bath close to my accommodationbecame a reflex and a real need during my future travels.

Each time, these relaxing interludes allow me to disconnect from my primary obsession and immerse myself in an authentic Japanese experience.

Searching for that little lost address, that typical storefront, in the early hours of the night ... it's a quest just as subtle and satisfying as the one for a record that everyone seems to have forgotten.

After all, you're unlikely to come across many tourists in these neighborhood baths. The number of these establishments in Tokyo is impressive, although decreasing year by year.

A short guide to Sento

For a European like me, entering this kind of typically Japanese establishment doesn't come without a certain amount of culture shocks: nudity remains a first barrier, and above all, you have to confront a practice that has never really developed in Western Europe.

To complete your disorientation, very little information is provided at the entrance to these timeless spots, often run by little grannies with welcoming smiles, who are more than a little surprised to see a gaijin * showing up in these popular establishments.

* Gaikokujin : "person from an outside country", or simply Gaijin ("outsider"), are Japanese terms used to designate foreigners in Japan.

1 Take off your shoes ! As in all Japanese interiors, shoes are left at the entrance. Looks like you won't be alone in this Sento.

2 Individual lockers with padlocks for your shoes.

3 Vending machine : a very common fixture (on every street in Tokyo, vending machines sell absolutely anything). Here, hot and cold drinks to enjoy on your way out.

4 Illuminated sign displaying prices (often very inexpensive in local Sento places).

5 Musical atmosphere is a must

6 Changing room : some other lockers await for your clothes in the next room. Now, all you have to do is enter...

Immersion in Japanese culture

The continued existence of such a ritual seems now obvious to me. In such a hierarchical society, with so much social pressure, a place like the sento seems indispensable: it provides a real break from the daily routine and offer a chance to find oneself on an equal footing with society as a whole - even if very few of the wealthy class continue to take part in this ritual.

I clearly remember being in the locker room with a Japanese man, tattooed from head to toe.

First drying off in front of me, then coming out into the lobby to have a refreshing drink by my side, casually, as if nothing were happening.

Was he really a Yakuza, as rumor has it ? I don't know... In any case, the social and cultural distance seemed to be abolished, and I don't think any other place could do it better than these little neighborhood bathhouses.

These visits to the public baths became an essential part of my various trips to Tokyo, and certainly remains one of the most powerful and enriching experiences I've had there, while at the same time being so simple and authentic.

Small tea, big moment

The tea ceremony also occupies a singular position in my heart, and I was lucky enough to be invited to take part in a private session organized entirely on our behalf, thanks to Jérôme's wife Emie.

Through her work as a translator, she had come into contact with an accomplished student of the art, who agreed to introduce us to it in a trial session, with us as her test subjects.

Here again, I knew nothing about this practice, apart from the few images and clichés that we Europeans may have in our heads: the refinement and slowness of the gestures, the floral art (or Chabana), the poetic dimension of the experience...

And I must admit that I was a little afraid that I would never have the opportunity to truly discover this art, with a master of ceremonies and in an authentic environment.

A place out of time

Hidden away at the top of a huge Yokohama building, I find myself immersed in a totally surreal, timeless environment. Once through the door, I'm invited to take off my shoes and follow the path that leads to the various tea rooms.

Exceptionally elegant and beautiful, dressed in a sumptuously detailed kimono, my hostess guides me to the first open room*, where the floor is covered with tatami mats.

* The rooms in which tea ceremonies take place - known as chashitsu - have different meanings depending on their size and composition, and each of them are reserved for a certain type of ceremony. The size of the room's entrance, its overall dimensions, the type of view it offers... all these elements define the register and prestige of the ritual.

Ceremony begins

I'm lucky enough to have a translation and explanation of the various rituals : the positioning of the body on the tatami, the reading of the calligraphy chosen to match the floral composition, the choice of utensils, ceramics, type of tea, the rhythm and precision of the movements... Each gesture is imbued with an aesthetic dimension, and the entire ceremony is part of a profound spiritual process.

The session lasts almost two hours, but the experience seems totally timeless. The slowness, intensity and precision of the gestures, the simplicity and purity of the aesthetic formalism, everything is done to dilate temporality and transform our apprehension of the world around us. I leave feeling a little nervous, but deeply marked by this unique experience. Finally, our hostess offers us a magnificent brochure on the history of the tea ceremony. Her work, her generosity and her passion will remain forever engraved in my memory.

Although they may seem like clichés of Japanese tourism, these two experiences - the sento and the tea ceremony - are nonetheless essential if you really want to immerse yourself in traditional Japanese culture.

The interludes provided by these privileged moments have allowed me to give a particular rhythm to my travels, and to slow down a little my blind and fanatic race in search of rare records.

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW !
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