INSIDE GOLDEN GAI: AN INTERVIEW WITH a VETERAN BARTENDER
Golden Gai is a world-famous Tokyo drinking district that operates by its own rules. It’s a beautifully grimy ecosystem of spider-like alleys, crammed five-seater bars, and dilapidated buildings that look like the background of a video game, and give you the feeling of being a mobster protagonist as you stumble through its streets from bar to bar.
Expert bartender Joe, in front of Golden Gai’s BRIAN BAR on the 2nd floor.
BRIAN BAR’s location:〒160-0021 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Kabukicho, 1 Chome−1−9 新宿ゴールデン街 G2通り
Seriously different from any other part of Japan, at any hour of the day people are stumbling out of Golden Gai’s alleyways, with select dives opening as early as 9:30 am [truth be told actual opening hours can change according to the owner’s mood]. There are over 240 bars squeezed back to back within Golden Gai’s handful of alleyways according to 2023 estimates, which means it’s going to take considerable dedication to bar hopping to try them all.
A full map of Golden Gai’s bars as of 2023, just in case you have the dedication to try them all.
Golden Gai has kept its post-war realness amongst all the renovated neon-lit clubs and franchises that characterize most of Shinjuku, by fighting hard against land developers and even the yakuza; who resorted to tactics like arson in an attempt to take control and sell the land for high prices. Luckily, the bar owners of Golden Gai won the "battle of land rights" for the most part, by fighting back and continuing to run their ramshackle bars [which can charge anywhere from 600 to 1500 yen for one drink] keeping its irreplaceable atmosphere alive.
Golden Gai is more than just tourists, go past the crowds and be consumed by the dark alleys that ultimately lead to your next drinking utopia [or something close to it].
Although in recent years, it’s on the itineraries of international visitors looking for a good time or part of some wild story about your friend's stint in Tokyo, the area is definitely not just a tourist trap despite its notoriety. Many of Golden Gai’s more shadowy corners have maintained a secretive or even exclusive vibe, due to their unspoken rules including Golden Gai’s infamous members-only policy, which limits entry to the average person at some bars or use of cover charges for entry [usually ranging from 500 yen and upwards]. However, many of these hole-in-the-wall drinking spots are open to newbies, have no cover charge and even have menus in English.
Joe mixing highballs mid interview.
Golden Gai first developed as a black market spot post-WWII, then turned into a red light district in the 1950s, crammed with illegal two-story brothels posing as bars on the ground floor. After anti-prostitution laws cracked down on Golden Gai’s sex trade in 1958, the area transitioned to hosting more legit bars and turned into an artistic hub for Tokyo’s creative community in the 60s-70s. An old saying around Tokyo was you couldn’t be taken seriously as an artist or creative unless you were a seasoned regular at a Golden Gai dive bar. Now, Golden Gai is a preserved yet still VERY active spot for late-night drunkenness, repping a murky past and mysterious present.
sabukaru got the chance to talk to Joe, a bartender at BRIAN BAR who has seen it all in terms of nightlife debauchery and Golden Gai antics, serving everyone from celebrities to the denizens of Tokyo’s underbelly.
Joe BRAIN BAR’s beloved bartender is equal parts therapist and drink maker.
BRIAN BAR is a perfect case study of a Golden Gai Bar, it’s partially hidden, tucked away on the second floor on Golden Gai G2 street, and decked out in red and black tones. The spot is favored by regulars but still welcomes newcomers savvy enough to find it. The atmosphere is dim, the drinks are simple but strong, and the main draw is Joe, who despite his lowkey nature is a guy who’s seen it all and kept drinkers coming back for more after 10 years of bartending. Amongst his many solid pieces of life advice, he recommends you follow the traditions of Golden Gai bars [outlined at length in his interview but also here] to keep you from venturing into “asshole tourist” territory.
BRIAN BAR’s unassuming sign as you walk past it on Golden Gai.
sabukaru sat down with Joe over whiskey highballs, as he juggled a counter jammed with customers alongside our questions about how to do Golden Gai right like a regular, even if you're just passing through its alleyways for one night.
Thanks for sitting down with us today at sabukaru online, our readers are from Japan, but also reading about culture here from outside of Japan. So, they don’t yet understand the glitz and grime that Golden-gai represents and how special it is. How would you describe the energy of the area in a couple of sentences?
今日はお忙しい中お時間いただきありがとうございます。日本の様々なサブカルチャーをが外国に向けて発信してるんですけど、まだゴールデン街を経験したことない方々に向けてゴールデン街の簡単な紹介をお願いします。
Golden Gai’s alleyways and pre-WWII buildings are some of the last remaining of their kind in Tokyo.
I suppose it’s a place where people connect. It doesn’t matter so much whether you’re an important person or making a living off of a part-time job, we all sort of stand on a leveled field, you know? [The Golden Gai area] is a small town where we’re all equal.
一番しっくりくるのが人と人が繋がる場所。あんまり何者かっていうのが関係ない場所で、偉い人もアルバイトしてる人も平等な街ですかね？みんなが対等な立場にいる、そういう感じですね。
A lot of celebrities come and hang out in Golden-gai because they can be incognito. How do you deal with famous people? Do you act like you don’t know who they are?
タレントやセレブが良く来られることでも有名なゴールデン街ですが、やはりそういった方々も気兼ねなく飲めるということが大きな要因になりますか？そういった方々には特別な対応をされてたりしますか？
Yeah, a lot of celebrities come by, but most people don’t really make a big deal out of it. Similar to how the people who were just here, I treat them as a regular customer, you know?
確かに色んな有名人が来られますけど、悪い意味じゃなく、みんなそんな騒がないですね。さっき来られてた方々みたいに、一お客さんとして対応してますね。
Nicholas Cage’s image is proudly displayed on the door of a Golden Gai bar. Usually, celebrities drink in the area with little fanfare keeping their anonymity.
For people who are absolute beginners to the area, how do you do Golden-gai correctly? What’s the exact game plan? For example: should you start after midnight or wait until even later?
ゴールデン街初心者に告げるゲームプランはあったりしますか？ゴールデン街を満喫するにはどういったお店に行って、何時ごろまで飲めたらいいもんですか？。
My recommendations for people coming and out of the country are a bit different… For locals making a trip from outside of Golden-gai, I have to say, each of the bars here are completely different from each other, you know?
They specialize in creating a space unique to them, so the atmosphere can completely differ from door to door, but as a rule of thumb, people don’t come to Golden-gai for drinks.
To be honest, so long as it’s alcohol, any kind of alcohol is fine. To take it to the extreme, there are stores that only serve green tea. You come to Golden-gai for the people and the unexpected connections you can make. So with that in mind, you can imagine the vibe of some bars may or may not be to your liking, and that’s why I recommend people to just try different places.
Go into the first place that sparks your interest, and ask the people there where they recommend. I think broadening your perspective from there is how I imagine one can go about having a good night in Golden-gai.
日本人の方々にお勧めする場合と海外から来られてる方々にお勧めする場合で違ってくるんですけど… 国内の方々には、やっぱりお店一つ一つ雰囲気が全く違ってくるんですよね。何かに特化したお店だったりすることによって生まれる違いもあるんですけど、基本的にお酒を目的っていうよりかは人を目的に飲みに来る街だから。正直お酒はなんでもいいんですよね。極端な話、緑茶杯だけ提供してる様なお店もありますし、普段出会わないであろう人たちと出会うことを目的に集まるっていうのが本来のゴールデン街の形なので。そうすると雰囲気や人たちに合う／合わないっていう問題が生じますので、初めて飲みに来られる際はチャレンジしてみることをお勧めしますね。まずは「気になるなあ」と思ったお店に入ってみて、そこの店員さんや隣に座ってる人に紹介された先に足を運んでみる。そういった感じで広げていくっていうのが僕自身楽しく遊べる形なのかな？
What sort of people do you think fit the vibe of BRIAN BAR?
どういった人が BRIAN BAR の感じに合いますかね？
It’s not necessarily dependent on BRIAN BAR itself because the atmosphere can change from night to night, but rather who is bartending for the day I suppose. I’m bartending for the night, but come tomorrow someone else is scheduled to be behind the bar… the vibe will completely change, so people sort of pick which days to come and hang out. I’m the type to listen and talk back and forth, but depending on who’s bartending, that may not be what you get from coming to BRIAN BAR. Like I said, people really come here for the people rather than the drinks.
BRIAN BAR に合ってる人っていうよりかは、BRIAN BAR でバーテンしてる僕、ジョーと合うって言った方がいいのかな？今日は僕が立ってますけど、また明日は違う子が来るので…その子も僕とは違う感じですし、やっぱりみんな個性的に違うので「今日は～曜日だからあの子が立ってる、あそこ行こう」みたいな。僕が人の話を聞いてベラベラ喋る感じなので、本当同じお店でもに人によって色が変わる。本当にお店やお酒じゃなくて人のために来る街なので。
Bartender might be too simple to describe what you do. You’re also a therapist or someone's rentable secret keeper for a couple hours too… What do you think the regulars of your bar are actually looking for in Golden-gai? Is it a second home? An escape from unpleasantness? A place to make business deals?
お客さんのセラピストから秘密の守り人までされてるジョーさんをバーテンダーと呼ぶには単純すぎるかもしれないですね。常連のお客さんは、何故ゴールデン街まで足を運ばれるんでしょうね？やはり第二の家族を求めて？逃避場所でしょうか？それとも商談の場なんですかね？
I suppose people come when they want to be heard, or sometimes even to catch up on what’s been going on with my life. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but people really come around here because they want a human connection, you know?
They come here to talk about things they can’t necessarily open up to with their coworkers or even family. It’s a bit difficult to make it into words, but they’re not necessarily looking for an escape, you know? It’s not necessarily unique to our bar, but all in one place 20 year olds can be talking serious business with 50 somethings, or it can even be the opposite, where we’re all just laughing at dirty jokes all night. Of course, we’re all decent human beings, so we’re mindful of overstepping boundaries, but it’s an easy going environment where judgment is the last thing we have to worry about.
やっぱり「話を聞いてほしいなあ」って来られる人もいるし、逆に僕の周りで最近何があったか聞きたくて来られる人もいるので、同じことを言う様で申し訳ないんですけど、やっぱり話をしたいんだなあと思いますね。職場の人だったり友達にも話せないことをフラットに聞いてくれる場所／人を求めてるのかなって思いますね。言葉にするのが難しいんですけど、決して逃避場所を求めてるわけでもないんですよね。他のバーでもそうかもしれないですけど、20代の子が50代の人とめちゃくちゃ真面目な話をしたりもしますし、逆に下ネタかまして大笑いしながら飲んだりもしますし。勿論最低限のマナーを守りながらっていうのは大切にしてますけど、職場の人や家族でも感じちゃう壁がない環境でフラットに話をしに来てる感覚はあるかもしれないですね。
What are some secrets that you have heard that weigh heavily on your heart?
ここ数年バーテンダーとして働いてきた中で重く感じた秘密だったりありましたら教えてください。
I have a lot of heavy secrets I can’t possibly talk about [laughs]. But I’m also the type to talk about absolutely everything about myself, and I accidentally reveal personal information to my customers. Because of that, someone personally sent me a TENGA [Japanese sex toy] in the mailbox [laughs]. This other time, I went on to reveal the fact that my family in Fukuoka-prefecture runs a beauty salon in detail, and when I was drinking elsewhere, a complete stranger came up to me and asked if my family did exactly just that. I only found out later that one of my regulars started spreading my personal information outside of BRIAN BAR [laughs].
ガチで重いやつはちょっと言えないですね《笑》。逆に僕が結構自分のことをなんでも喋っちゃうタイプだから、たまに住所とか簡単に言っちゃうんですね。ふざけて住所言ったら、家にTENGAが届いちゃったり《笑》。後は、実家が福岡で美容室やってるんですけど、そういうことも喋っちゃうから、別の日に全然関係のないお店で飲んでると「福岡の実家が美容室の老舗やってる方ですよね？」って聞かれたり。要はBRIAN BAR のお客さんが他の人に喋って全然知らないところで実家がバれちゃったみたいな《笑》。
What are some places you like to visit after work in Golden-gai?
お仕事終わりに行くゴールデン街のお店ってあったりしますか？
I can’t reveal their names here, but a couple of people and I go out for drinks after work. If you don’t mind it being in the same line of bars as BAR BRIAN, red. is somewhere I can recommend. It’s quite small and only has about 4 seats on the counter, but they specialize in coffee-wari drinks and hotdogs, and the tight space makes it quite cozy, you know?
ありますよ。メディア紹介とか承ってないところが多いので名前は出せないんですけど、うちの系列でよければ五番街の red. はお勧めです。BRIAN BAR の半分ぐらいのスペースでカウンターに4席しかないんですけど、コーヒー割りとかホットドッグを提供してるお店で。でもギュッと狭い分親近感が湧きやすい。
The interior of red. a Golden Gai bar where Joe frequents after his shifts. Your favorite bartender’s favorite bar.
After working at this bar for over 5 years, does the neighborhood seem like home or is it something you’d still like to keep a separation from in your personal life? Do you ever feel like it's "sleeze" gets to be too much for you?
5年以上 BRIAN BAR でバーテンダーとして働かれてきて、ゴールデン街で一緒にお仕事している方々とも仲が良いと仰ってましたが、やはり第二の家族の感覚はあったりします？逆に週末は仕事場から離れた時間を過ごしたい気持ちもあったりしますか？
Yeah, we’re always looking to get drinks after work, and go bar hopping around Golden-gai. We’re all good friends, so we go drinking at each other’s bars talking about random things. But to be honest, I tend to lock myself in my apartment on the weekends [laughs]. I don’t mean to say this in a bad way, but sometimes I just don’t feel like going to work [laughs].
It’s a small community, so there’s not an hour where I don’t bump into people I know. Even when I do go to other bars, the regulars there are people I know, so there’s not been a day that I haven’t bumped into a familiar face, and I’m only human, so I sometimes need time to be alone in my apartment, you know? Rest assured I’m not saying I hate seeing people [laughs].
そうですね。よく仕事終わりに「どこ行こう？」っていう話になるんですけど、結構ゴールデン街の中でハシゴしてる感じはありますね。やっぱりみんな仲が良いんで、個々のお店で身近でそんなに話せないことを喋ったり。でも正直週末は家に籠っちゃったりしますね《笑》。悪い意味じゃないんですけど、やっぱり「仕事行きたくねえなあ」っていう日もあるんですよ《笑》。どうしてもここで働いてると、知ってる人に合わない時間ってないんですよ。他のお店入っても、店主さんはともかく常連さんにも「あ、ジョー！」みたいなことがあるので、絶対に誰にも合わない日がないんですよ。やっぱり人間だから「誰にも会いたくねえなあ」っていう日には全く違う所に行ったり、家に籠ったりしますね。決して嫌いだからとかじゃないので、そこはわかっていただきたい《笑》。
What are some memories you've had in BRIAN BAR that you can't forget?
BRIAN BAR で働かれてきて、未だに印象深く感じられる強烈な一晩や出来事などありましたら教えてください。
I’ve of course had very intense memories having worked for an extended amount of time here, but to be honest, the small things are what comes to mind when being asked this question…
When I first started out, people came in and shut the door on my face seeing that I was bartending for the night. BRIAN BAR used to be on the first floor, so people used to look into the bar through the window to check who was behind the bar for the night, so a lot of our customers used to decide to have a drink or not by passing by.
As time passed, the same people started to become my regulars, and before I knew it, they all showed up for my birthday and celebrated with me. That’s when I realized I had become one of the reasons why people came back to BRIAN BAR, and that very moment remains as one of my favorite memories even after all these years.
強烈な出来事もいっぱいあるんですけど、どちらかというと些細なことが一番印象に残ってて。働いてて初めて「認められたなあ」と思えた時の話なんですけど、扉を開けて「今日は～さんじゃないんだ」って言って帰る人もいるんですよね。うちのお店は元々路面店だったんですけど、その時は通りかけに窓覗いて「ジョーだから帰るわ」っていう人の方が多かったんです。そう言ってた人たちが気付いたら毎週僕が立ってる日に来てくれる様になって、僕の誕生日イベントの時にみんな祝ってくれた時が一番印象に残ってますね。認められたじゃないけど、このコミュニティの一員に慣れたんだって思えましたね。「こいつとも喋りたい」と思える人たちの一人になれたんだっていうのは、店長になった今でも嬉しいと想えることですね。
A small Shinto shrine attached to a bar located in Golden Gai that’s easy to pass by.
Although there’s a recent surge in media attention, Golden-gai can still be secretive. How do you gain the respect, to the level of street cred per se, from people around Golden-gai?
昨今メディアでも取り上げられる様になったとは言え、未だに密かなコミュニティの印象が強いゴールデン街ですが、お客様と界隈の人間からのリスペクトはどういう風に得るものですか？どういったことがリスペクトの対象にあたるんですかね？
Well… I hate to keep going back to the same idea, but it all comes down to the fact that everyone stands on equal ground around here. So, once anyone starts looking down on anyone, Golden-gai ceases to exist. Of course, there are certain bars that are famous for having Mama-sans with attitude, so in those cases there are some power imbalances, but on the other hand, the bars continue to exist precisely because of the customers.
To be honest, there’s not a need to come to Golden Gai, considering how expensive drinks can be, too. So the fact that some people continue to come back indicates that they are already paying some respect to these establishments. But like I mentioned, some people just like being told to fuck off in some of these bars, and that’s an established relationship these bars and customers have built over time [laughs]. A fair amount of people are masochists, and other people have their own kinks, and to each their own, you know?
In my case, I like to treat my customers like my friends, both in a good and bad way. I just tell them to drink more and more, and we have a good time together, you know? I suppose they keep coming back because they like the feeling, I don’t know. This is actually a tough question [laughs]. To be honest, this isn’t something I think of at all. Everyday, I just try to be myself while at work, you know?
Of course, I don’t mean to say I don’t think about how I can improve my workflow to keep my regular customers coming back, but at the end of the day, it comes down to how authentic I can be with them. I’m as serious about my craft as any other bartender around, but I keep it fun, you know?
When I first started out, I did think and worry about a lot of things, but as time went by, I found a sweet spot, and the rest is history. I tried a lot of different things, but at the end, being myself was the one and only answer. My regulars don’t come to see “Joe The Bartender”, but rather just Joe, you know?
そうですね… みんな対等という話に戻るんですけど、基本的に各々リスペクトを払って成り立ってる場所でもあるんで、そもそもそれがベースになってるんですよね。だから誰かが見下しちゃったりするとこの環境は成り立たない。昔も今のいるんですけど、いわゆるザ・ママさんがやってる様なお店だったりするとお客さんがリスペクトを払う側になる一方で、お店としてはお客さんが来てくれて成り立ってるという事実もあるわけじゃないですか？
正直飲み物なんかも値段が高かったりするので、わざわざ来る必要もない。だから来てくれてる時点でそれ相応のリスペクトを払ってくれてるのに、お店側が上に立つっていうのも違うし、逆にお客さんから下に見られる様じゃ信頼関係が築けなくなっちゃう。でも正直ゴールデン街にも色んなお店があるんで「お前帰れよ！」ってぐらいに強く言われる方が嬉しいというか、そういった関係性で成り立ってるお店もあるんで《笑》。ちょっと強気なお姉さんにいじられたくて来られる人もいるので、本当に一口に言えないですよね。
僕の場合ですと、良くも悪くも友達と飲んでる感じなんですよね。だから「飲んで飲んで」って言ってみんなで乾杯して楽しむみたいな。多分身近に感じられるから他人が常連客になってくれるのかな？難しいですね《笑》。正直こういったことをあんまり考えたことがないので。日々一生懸命に裏表なく自分でバーテンダーをやってきただけなので。勿論より多くのお客さんに来てもらうために色んなことを考えながらやってますけど、結局個性で勝負っていうのが一番大事なことになってくるのかなあって。真面目にちゃんとやることを前提にどれだけふざけられるかみたいな。「うっせー、バーカ」みたいな真面目にテキトウな会話もしますし《笑》。
働き始めは色んなことを意識しながらやってましたけど、そのうち「このやり方で良いのかあ」っていうものを感じられて、最終的に「普段の自分を演じてればいいんだあ」っていうことに気付かされて。バーテンダーのジョーに会いに来てくれてるというよりかは普段のジョーに会いに来てるのかな？
What are the most important pieces of etiquette that newbies or foreigners should remember when entering your bar? Are there any unspoken rules?
BRIAN BAR やゴールデン街に初めて来られる方や外国人のお客さんに向けて、ここならではの暗黙のルールやマナーなどありましたら教えてください。
A sign outside bar “DEATHMATCH IN HELL”
Service charge/cover charge persists to be an issue. Some bars don’t charge their customers, but as a rule of thumb, you should assume that most bars will ask you for service charge on top of your drinks. There are just far too many people that make a big fuss about it, you know?
The other big thing is space. Some people feel entitled to their seats, but most if not all of the bars in Golden Gai are too small for that. Back then, people who’ve had a few drinks in had the decency to leave their seats as new customers came in. Most of my Japanese customers would move around the bar to make room when two customers came in, you know?
Inside the bar DEATHMATCH IN HELL
Not to knock on them, but most foreigners sort of don’t understand these etiquettes because they aren’t used to it, you know? I just hope people are mindful of other people when they come to Golden-gai, because it’s just way too small. Like I said, it’s a very respectful environment, so we have to all try to fend for ourselves to protect this community. The employees and regulars understand this, so I only hope newcomers can be part of protecting this culture.
よく揉めるのがチャージ問題。勿論ないお店もあるんですけど、基に的はチャージを払わなきゃいけなくて。それでチャージの意味が分からなくて揉めるんですよ。それから狭いんですよね、どこのお店も。だから自分たちだけで場所仕切ってっていうことをされちゃうとちょっと困りますね。昔は席が埋まってても、お客さんがのれん潜ると「じゃあ出るよ」っていう気遣いじゃないんですけど、そういったことが普通だった。やっぱりみんなの場所っていう認識があったので。日本人のお客さんだと、女の人が入ってくると男の人が「座って！」って席譲ったり、一席しか空いてないところを二人入ってくるとみんな席ずらして二人座れる様にしたりとか。
正直外国のお客さんだとそういうことに慣れてないからできなかったり。どうしても狭いので、遊びに来る際はこういうことに注意はしてほしいですね。やっぱりフラットな環境なので「みんなでお店を守っていこう」っていう意識があるんですよね、ゴールデン街は。お客さんと店員でお店が守られてるから、インバウンドの方々にも同じ気持ちでやっていきたいですよね。
Do you ever get an assumption or impression of someone based on the kind of drink they order? What are some drink orders you might be impressed by?
注文される飲み物によってお客さんの感じを読み取ることはできたりしますか？どういった飲み物がどういった人たちに人気ですか？
I mean sweet drinks are quite popular among our female customers, but I’m not sure about the rest. Highballs are unanimously loved regardless of gender or age… actually, Hoppy is definitely an old-person drink [laughs]. To be honest, alcohol isn’t our main focus as a business, so we don’t even provide shaken drinks. A lot of newcomers make the mistake of ordering a Martini, so I suppose that’s one way of knowing they’re new to the scene [laughs]. We do have a lot of different bottles lined up on our walls, but we only really provide cha-wari [shochu mixed with tea], Highballs, or Lemon Sours [laughs].
普通に女性の方々は甘いものが好きですけど、他はどうだろう？ハイボールなんかもわりかし誰でも頼むからなあ…でも、ホッピーはおじさんが多い《笑》。正直お酒を売りにやってる商売じゃないので、基本シェイクとかもやらないし。よくあるのが、来慣れてない人だとマティーニとか注文しがちなんですよ。ちゃんとしたカクテルを頼まれると「待て待て」みたいな《笑》。こんだけお酒並べてますけど、基本的に茶割かハイボール、あとはレモンサワーしか提供してないんですよ《笑》。
How did you get started being a bartender, was this your first gig, or did you do something else in the Golden-gai nightlife scene before you started working here?
バーテンダーを始めたキッカケは、BRIAN BAR が最初になりますか？それともここで働く前も何か他の仕事をしてましたか？
Yeah, I started my career with BRIAN BAR. We did have to close shop for a period of time, but I’ve basically been with the same parent company my entire career. Like I mentioned, BRIAN BAR used to be located on the ground floor, and it took about 2 years before we got to where we are today. During those 2 years, I was bartending in the very same place but under a different establishment. We had to leave the original location because the landlord there decided to open a new bar of their own.
そうですね、BRIAN BAR で初めてバーテンダーとして働く様になって。途中お休みしてた時期があったんですけど、さっきお話した様に BRIAN BAR って元々路面店だったんですよ。この二階のスペースに移転するのに２年ぐらいかかったんですけど、同じスペースで違う名前のバーでやってたんですよ。その期間は違う看板でやってたんですけど、同じ系列のお店でずっとバーテンダーやってますね。元々やってた場所は2018年に仕舞っちゃったんですけど、そこの大家さんが自分のお店をやりたいってなっちゃったんで出なきゃいけなくなっちゃって。
How does one go about opening a bar in Golden-gai?
ゴールデン街でバーを開くのは、やはり並大抵の手段ではできないものですか？
It’s very difficult. Money isn’t the issue, but rather your connection with the community. Most owners that are planning on retiring already have someone lined up to take over their places, so it's like lines of people waiting for most establishments around Golden-gai, and there aren’t a lot of ways to cut those lines, you know?
We have a very strong sense of community, so bar owners like handing their space down to people they can trust, and it gets tricky when you consider the fact that no one really knows who owns which buildings because as you can see, they’re quite old. Rarely do we get outsiders barging in and starting their own bar. Most of the bar owners are people who have been in the community for a significant amount of time. That’s why we value keeping a tight connection with people here, and recommendations made by the bar side aren't completely random, you know?
めちゃくちゃ難しいです。それこそ繋がりが大事で、お金だけあっても通用しないですね。もう引退しようとしてるお店なんかも次に入ってくる人が決まってたりするので、常に順番待ちしてる人がバーっと入る感じですし、横入るするための手段もあんまりない。コミュニティ意識が強いので「もう～年続けてるから、次空くときやってみない」みたいな形が多いですし、もう昔からある建物ばっかりなので誰が利権を持ってるのか分からなかったりもするんですよ。よそから入ってきてお店を出してることはまれで、昔からやってた人の元から独立していくっていうイメージですかね。だから朝はお店回って挨拶したり、お客さんにお勧め聞かれた時に「～がいいよ」って他の所を紹介したり、繋がりを大切にしてるので。
Who are some of the biggest bosses, or most important people in Golden-gai, who keep the neighborhood running? Do you need to get some sort of stamp of approval from one of the big guys to start a bar here?
ゴールデン街のボスにあたる人たちってどういった人たちになるんですか？コミュニティを固めている人のイメージがイマイチなくて。
There’s not one person on top that’s puppeteering Golden-gai, but there are those we call veterans, who have been around the community longer than anyone else.
The same people also don’t have all the power and influence over Golden-gai either, but rather respect the connections they have within their own circles. There is a board of directors, and the members did have a lot of say in crises like the pandemic. If you can imagine Golden-gai as a big circle, there are a bunch of small circles that are connected through years of relationships. Of course, we pay the basic level respect to people outside of the small circle we’re in, but we don’t feel indebted to these people, and we have our own line of command we follow, you know?
誰か上にいる感じでもなくて、やっぱり昔からやってる人たちが先輩になってくるんでそれ相応のリスペクトを払ってたりして。ゴールデン街をまとめて仕切ってる感じじゃなくて、お店同士の繋がりで成り立ってて。でもお店の系統によって仲良かったりもするので、そういう違いもあったりして。一応理事会みたいなのもあるんですけど、コロナ禍の時に連帯責任が問われる場面ではゴールデン街理事が動いてたりしてて、でも上にフィクサーがいるみたいな感じは全くないですね。色んな輪が一つの大きな輪の中にある感じですかね？ゴールデン街全般的に最低限の年功序列やマナーは大切にしてるんですけど、わりかし各々の輪の中で指示系統が成り立ってるので、輪の外の人たちとはあんまり関りがないですね。
Any last words for the younger generation?
最後に若者に向けて一言アドバイス等ありましたらお願いします！
Don’t be afraid to try new things!
物怖じせずなんでもチャレンジしてください！
Interview by Ora Margolis and Ken Kitamura
Transcription by Ken Kitamura
Words by Ora Margolis
Photos by Shiori Oita
