Pub Kodama - Shinbashi

My third and final post on a Shinbashi area establishment (for now anyway!).  This one is very special, and I doubt that my writing can do it justice.  Right after we finished a couple of drinks at John Begg as posted about below, we headed out looking for more cool places and adventures within the Shinbashi area.  We walked south along the western side of the station, through the normal bustle of a Shinbashi Friday night.  Oh yes, and did I say it was raining and we had no umbrellas?  Stall after stall, shop after shop underneath the train viaduct.  All of them, or probably more accurately most of them, packed.  Then up ahead, my friend spotted the word "Pub" on a green and white sign in English, which stood out amongst a sea of Kanji.  Here is what it looked like.  However I should note now that as with John Begg, these are not photos taken from my camera.  Details on that later.  The "Pub" sign I am referring to is actually the second and larger of the two (I didn't realize there were two at the time until seeing this picture!).

Upon seeing the sign we headed in for a drink.  What we found was quite interesting.  After ascending up some steps there was a bar which was filled with an older crowd of mostly Japanese men and some ladies.  We were the only Gaijin in the place.  Obviously a locals only type of clientele.  It was smokey, and there was a curving bar along the entire right side of the long and wide room, and towards the back there was a Karaoke machine with an older man belting out some long ago tune on a sound system that sounded quite muddled.  We took our seats at the bar, and ordered a couple of large bottles of Asahi.  I felt like I was an actor in a B movie from the 1950's.  Here is a picture of this bar during a much more sedate and quiet evening.

A very friendly bartender woman named "Stella" who was from Singapore chatted us up and poured our drinks.  She spoke very good English.  Stella told us this Pub was owned by the 86 year old Mama-san who was working alongside her behind the bar.  She has worked here for over 50 years, and had owned it with her husband before he died around 15 years ago.  We said hello to the Mama-san, who was very friendly, seemed to have a great spirit, but regrettably spoke no English.  Here is a picture of the Mama-san.

After a short while my friend commented that he didn't think this was an ordinary bar, and he said to look around at all of the tables.  There seemed to be a woman at each who were chatting with the men, and pouring their drinks for them.  Aha!  This was a "Hostess Bar".  Upon further discussion with Stella, she showed us some black and white photos of what the place looked like in the 1950's.  It was a Caberet at that time.  Here is one of the shots.  Notice the orchestra up in the balcony.  At the time this picture was taken, the Mama-san owned (or rented) the lower floor of this building too.  In the early 1960's they put the floor that we were standing on in, and sub-let the lower level out to another business.  The Mama-san can be seen in this photo on the left.

After the aforementioned new floor went in, here is another picture of the staff I believe from the 1960's.  The Mama-san and her husband are in the middle.

Well truth be told we did not feel altogether comfortable sitting in this bar, with Stella constantly filling our glasses up with seemingly each sip we took.  It seemed like they were trying too hard to get us to drink more.  Little did Stella know she was serving people who needed no such assistance.  Quite the opposite actually.  So we decided to leave, probably only 30-45 minutes after arriving, and after only drinking those two beers.  I became worried about what we would be charged, as they could easily have ripped us off as they seemed a bit surprised to see us leaving so quickly.  Stella looked over at the Mama-san and asked her how much we should pay (I couldn't say for sure this was what she asked but I certainly believe I am right!).  The answer?  2,000 yen.  A fair price I thought for the two bottles.  We thanked them all and left, back out into the cold and rainy night.

So what makes this place, and this post, so special you might ask?  Well, when I came back to the U.S., I tired to find out information on this place.  I could not remember the name, so luckily Google had mapped the street and a quick look in street view gave me the name - Pub Kodama.  Then I Googled Pub Kodama Shinbashi.  The first thing that came up is the following link.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/tv/tokyoeye/archives20110803.html

It seems NHK did a 30 minutes special on this woman, whose name is Hideko Yoshida.  When I went to this web page and watched the accompanying four videos, I was stunned.  What an amazing story, what an amazing place, and what an amazing Lady!!!  I hope your computer has Flash capability and you can watch these videos.  Please take the time to do so if you can.  All of the pictures above (and below) are screen shots I took from them.

The old Shinbashi train viaduct pictured above was built in 1909.  Under it's arches are housed many amazing people, places and things, including Susie's Jazz and Drink, John Begg and Pub Kodama.  I hope to return to Shinbashi and Pub Kodama soon, and bring along with me a Japanese speaking friend.  I want to communicate with Yoshida-san, and tell her that I think she is an amazing person.  I want to spend some money there (for drinks) and repay her for her loyalty and dedication to her business.  Who knows, I may even get up the nerve to sing a song or two.  "What a Wonderful World" indeed!!!

John Begg - Shinbashi

Here is the second post on another great little bar in the Shimbashi neighborhood of Tokyo.  We stumbled into this place when I had planned to go to Susie's but found it closed.  John Begg sits right next door, and it's sign is quite a bit more prominent and inviting than Susie's.  I should start off by saying that regrettably I did not take any pictures at John Begg, so I shamelessly clipped these off the internet.  To the Japanese reviewer who took them, I hope you do not mind!

John Begg was a Scotsman from Aberdeen.  He started the New Loughnagar Distillery in the 1845, and as a result of receiving the "Royal Warrant of Appointment" as a supplier to the Queen (Victoria) he changed the name to Royal Loughnagar Distillery.  John Begg passed away in 1880, and the company was later acquired by John Dewar Ltd and Sons in 1916.  Today the company is still going strong as part of the massive holdings of the beverage giant Diageo.

While the origins of John Begg Whiskey are well documented, how this John Begg bar came about in Shinbashi remains a bit of a mystery.  What I can tell you is the place is run by a Mama-san who has been tending to this same establishment for quite a long time (40-50 years?).  It is my understanding that this bar originated in 1949.  My guess is that not much inside has changed since.  It is a much bigger place than Susie's next door, but before you think it must be large, please don't forget you had to turn sideways when you walked into Susie's.  John Begg is small.  A very nice curved wood bar fronts around 6 or so stools along the right side of the room.

To the left is a seating area with three small sections that can seat around 9 at the most.  A few comfortable looking very small couch type pieces along with a few stools.  That's it.  What makes this place so cool is the decor, both behind and on the bar as well as on the walls.  It is tasteful, old, and classy.  There is a very large painting of the Mama-san when she was young.  A very beautiful lady, both then as well as now.

John Begg has many different liquors but seems to specialize in Whiskey.  Begg's brand is of course the "house pour", and I would recommend the 12 year old Royal Loughnagar Single Malt, which was quite tasty.  Two capable and experienced barmen tend very professionally to the drinks.  The service is first rate.  One speaks a little bit of English, which was very helpful (I did not have my Japanese co-workers along for this adventure).  The place had some classic looking coasters seen here.

Go to John Begg if you want to relax and go back in time.  Enjoy the serenity of the place, the nice service, and the fine cocktails.  The craziness of Shinbashi is outside all around you, but within these walls you can escape.  You can enjoy.  There is a Ginza feel here, which is only a few blocks away.

I hope to return to this place with some of my Japanese friends so I can find out more about it from the Mama-san.  Shinbashi, Tokyo and the world needs more places like John Begg.  Search them out before they are gone forever, like Susie's next door.

Susie's Jazz and Drink - Shinbashi

I want to write two back to back posts on a couple of very cool, small bars in Shinbashi.  I want to get these posts out now, as I just found out one of these bars just regrettably closed one month ago.  The name of this now closed establishment is Susie's Jazz and Drink.  Both of these wonderful, little bars, which sit side by side under the arches of the Shinbashi Station train tracks are throwbacks to an era of long ago.  Founded in the 1950's, Susie's was run by who else - Susie, until it's recent closure.  We happened to stumble on to this place in November of 2011, as I desired to search out a nice, casual bar in the Shinbashi area.  The outside of this place was certainly nothing special, as it was basically just a door with an uninviting, small sign that read "Jazz and Drink".  That was enough for me though, as upon being brave enough to enter we found an inviting and interesting interior along with Susie herself behind the bar.

The theme of the bar was of course Jazz, which was playing softly in the background.  Pictures on the walls of many jazz greats reinforced this theme.

Perhaps the most amazing picture though was of the New York skyline which adorned the entire left side semi-curved wall.  I could not get a picture of it that did it justice, but you can see some of it here on the left.  It was beautiful.

It was a tiny box of a place, with a retro feel that was very warm and inviting.  Whiskey was perhaps the most popular drink here, as it took up a good portion of the menu.

Unfortunately Susie did not speak much English, so I was thankful I had along some of my coworker friends with me.  This kind of bar I think is a bit rare in Tokyo, and they are getting harder and harder to find.  They are off the beaten path, and becoming forgotten in this day of more modern, youthful oriented pursuits.

 I am glad I had a chance to catch Susie just before she closed her doors after decades of continuous service.  I hope she is well in her "retirement".

While I suppose it may be a bit irrelevant at this point due to the closure, here is a card from Susie's.  Maybe the closure is temporary though and one day we may be able to once again get a nice drink and sample the good atmosphere and jazz from this place.

A Whale of a Time at Shimanto

Back in the beginning of the 21st century, our Tokyo office was at a relatively new building in a complex called "Shinagawa Seaside".  It was not very convenient from a train perspective, at least compared to our other Tokyo locations.  During the time spent at this office, which was a number of years, some of our local staffers found a small restaurant on the old Tokaido Road called "Shimanto".  It was a small Izakaya, located on the second (or third?) floor of a nondescript little building.  If you did not know where you were going, you probably would never find it.  During our span at this office location, our staff became friends with the owners as they ate quite a number of meals there. 

The Mama-san was quite a famous and entertaining lady.  She was a bit of a fortune teller, and many people asked her for their fortunes.  I do remember getting mine told by her many years ago.  I cannot remember it specifically now, but I do remember it was for the most part positive.  Do you think she ever gives out any negative fortunes??  :-)

Here is a picture from one of those dinners there in May of 2004.  It is a special shot because it includes my old friend Joe.  I only had the good fortune of joining Joe for dinner a couple of times in Japan which is a pity.  Good company.

One of the things I also remember about Shimanto is that they served Whale.  It came in a shashimi form.  It was the only time in my life that I have tried Whale, which I believe is illegal to be served at any restaurant over here in the U.S.  Anyway Whale was (and I am sure still is) always on the menu at Shimanto.

I have not been to this restaurant for a number of years now, but I heard that it is still going strong to this day.  There seems to be a good market out there in Japan for restaurants who serve Whale, good times, and good fortunes!

March 11th

Today is March 11th, a day that I will forever associate with the disaster in Tohoku one year ago.  It is a bit like September 11th in the U.S., another day that has special meaning since 2001.  I actually spent a good part of this past week in Miyagi, and have seen quite a bit of positive change since my last visit.  Here are just a few photos I took.  This is the location of one of my favorite places - Cha-Cha's which is now a lonely vacant lot.  The Master is trying to figure out his plans for another shop, and I along with many others eagerly await it.

The building that housed the old Furusato along with a number of other small snack bars is now in the process of being demolished.  You can see what it looks like now below.

While these are pictures that may sadden you, there are other many good things going on up there.  The spirit of recovery is alive and strong in the Tohoku.

I can imagine there are many special ceremonies all over Japan on this day.  My company decided not to hold one, probably because the day falls on a Sunday, as well as because the painful memories are still too vivid.  As I sit here typing this on my computer, I take a moment to remember all of those lost on that fateful day a year ago.  Included in this is a special thought that goes to my personal friends who lost family members.  We will never forget.

April 1966: Rita Clark Trip - Epilogue

Well I hope you enjoyed a very brief glimpse into the life of my Great Aunt Rita Clark.  If any of you are so inclined, I would be most appreciative if you could drop me a mail with any comments you might have.  I hope I have conveyed to you the extent of these great books in my possession.  You are just seeing a very small 10 day look into the massive content.  It is quite impressive.  Here are the remaining pages that Rita entered regarding the trip to Japan.

She also wrote a lot of trivial information about various things.  Most were specific about the countries she visited. I am not sure where she gathered a lot of this information.  Perhaps it was encyclopedias, or books she read on the various counties she visited.  Some of the entries read like school textbooks!  Here is another page from Japan from which I took the top picture and added it to my previous post.

Well I can safely say based on my experience that Aunt Rita had a wonderful visit to Japan.  She saw many of the best sites, and stayed in some nice places.  Japan in the mid 1960's was obviously quite different from today.  Just one relatively new Shinkansen line, an exchange rate of 360 yen to the dollar, and Eisaku Sato was the Prime Minister.

I say sayonara to this set of entries to my Blog, and thank you Aunt Rita, for your wonderful contributions!