Tadaharu Nakano -- Tanoshiki Kissaten (楽しき喫茶店)

Honoka ni yume wo oi nagara (Chasing a dream so faint)

Itsuka kohi no sameru no mo (I didn't even realise)

Shirazu ni sugosu boku datta (When my coffee's gone cold)

Everyone likes a good cafe, right? I know I do. It's where I can enjoy coffee as a wonderful drink and not as a necessary drug to keep myself from turning into a walking corpse. Of course, I have to pair it with a cute and tasty dessert. Then I'll immerse myself in a book or a school project and forget that the outside world exists until I notice more than 2 hours have passed. Often times, my coffee gets cold, but it only makes for a better drinking experience. I sound like a coffee aficionado, but believe me, I'm far from it. I just have a (not so) healthy addiction to the caffeinated bean water.

I think Japan has an immense number of cafes of a wide variety. You got your retro kissatens where you can smell the Showa era, the chic and minimalist outlets with your fancy Cold brews, and cozy alcoves that feels like you've entered someone's house. Some may even have a gramophone(s) where you can enjoy records from the bygone days with your cuppa joe. I've been to all the above with a particular preference for the record and cozy type. If it's got a nice Showa atmosphere, even better.

I'm not very familiar with cafe culture in the early Showa era, but those in Ginza, especially, were probably the epitome of modern and where you wanted to be seen in. There were certainly the more low-key kissatens that incur less stress as well. Where ever it may be, these coffee joints were usually fashionable spots (just like now, really) with that fancy Western coffee and gramophones where you could listen to the latest hits and pretend the world's not in an absolute state (just like now, really). As you'd expect, there were many coffee and cafe-related ryukoka that reflect this image, and who better to sing these than the man who oozes early Showa modernism, Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴).

 From コロンビア月報（邦楽）1940（昭和15年）
National Diet Library archives

One of the very first songs I recognized singer Mr. Nakano for was one such song aptly titled, "Chiisana Kissaten" (小さな喫茶店... The Little Coffee Shop), an originally German tune that relays sweet memories of a date at a little cafe (at least, in the Japanese lyrics). A few years later, he would release another kissaten song with a similar tango flavour, "Tanoshiki Kissaten" (The Delightful Coffee Shop). I actually like the latter a lot more and it's one of my Nakano favourites. This is due in part to Toshio Nomura's (野村俊夫) words. Unlike "Chiisana Kissaten," "Tanoshiki..." features our main character deriving joy in dropping by his favourite coffee shop in the evening after a long day or after a walk. He relaxes with a coffee and a smoke, and revels in his own daydreams while listening to some music in the background. The mellow, light-hearted melody by *ahem* Haruo Kashiwagi (柏木晴夫) and Mr. Nakano's ordinarily powerful and resonant baritone turning into a soft lilt matches this more subdued vibe. Perhaps something like that is wafting out of the cafe's gramophone. The bottom photo was the ad for "Tanoshiki Kissaten" from the Columbia Records monthly magazine from February 1940, and it describes this tune as having a sentimental and urban atmosphere. Can't argue with that. 

Also, "Haruo Kashiwagi" was actually one of Mr. Nakano's pen names. Considering he was both a singer and songwriter/director in a time when both roles do not mix and the latter was usually the one who calls the shots, I conclude that he was actually quite a powerful artist within the company.

 From コロンビア月報（邦楽）1940（昭和15年）
National Diet Library archives

Anyways, I don't smoke and I can't have coffee after 3pm if I want to sleep, but as someone who enjoys solo cafe time, "Tanoshiki Kissaten" actually encompasses my state of mind when I drop by a comfy cafe. One of these cafes is this underground (literally) joint called Cafe Ataraxia (かふぇあたらくしあ) in a side street of Jimbocho. It's a modern-looking record cafe with a hint of retro that has a Credenza gramophone and a Syrena gramophone, both older than my late grandfather. The walls are lined with shelves chockful of vinyls and the furniture is a hodge-podge of cute antiques. If you're a fan of classical music, I highly recommend it as chic Master Kubota will always be playing his selection on a turn table. I believe you can make requests, but only if you ask nicely and in advance. As for the coffee, the beans are on constant rotation and they all pack a punch. Then we've got aesthetically pleasing desserts which I'm guessing are made in-house - they look like they are. I first came across Ataraxia when I went for a my first record appreciation event late last year and I've since fell in love with its calm atmosphere, coffee and sweets. Now, I drop by every now and then. It truly is the tanoshiki kissaten. Here's the cafe's website (it's in Japanese) if you'd like to check it out if you're in Tokyo.

I naturally grew a year older while deliberately cutting
my life expectancy short with this visit last December.
That chocolate cake made it worthwhile.

Would I call Mr. Nakano an early Showa "Modern Boy" (Mo-bo)? I mean, technically, yes, he more than fits the bill, but it feels really wrong to me for some reason. Hai-Katsu is the quintessential mo-bo for sure, but Mr. Nakano feels different. He feels more like a... Jazz Dadd- NO, NO, NO - intrusive thoughts OUT... I will explain that in due time...