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IN THE EARLY 1900S, JAPAN GAVE BIRTH TO A NEW

WAY OF LISTENING TO MUSIC, WHICH SURVIVED TO

THIS DAY DESPITE THE SOCIAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL

CHANGES. THE JAZZ KISSA ARE LISTENING BARS

THAT EXIST WORLDWIDE AND ARE BASED ON A
SPECIFIC RULE: LISTENING, FIRST OF ALL.

Quiet. Listen. Music is the main Like the famous Lion, founded in 1929. struck by a format combining devotion,
ingredient of a listening bar, a special Many were forced to shut down during Far Eastern rituals, and a dose of
idea born in the East and gaining the war and some were destroyed by sociability that, in the international
popularity worldwide. Accurately the bombings. But the spirit of listening expressions of listening bars, turned
selected music, meticulous passion bars carries on. even more accentuated. Lest we forget,
for sound quality, endless love for the Given the lack of live music and around the same time, what is known
unique feeling that vinyls can give you. prices of Western records, this kind of as the second life (even from a market
This is the script of a place in which club grew in popularity in the 1950s. The perspective) of vinyls began, with 33
you drink (often well, with a focus on jazz kissa was a perfect solution. They and 45-rpm record fans booming.
cocktails and organic wines) and eat, hosted precious vinyl collections for Thus, in Amsterdam, Berlin, Los
but most of all you delve into a universe visitors to listen through high-definition Angeles, and Mexico City, you may run
of notes. stereos, often custom-built. Entering into listening bars (also known as hi-fi
On the rise worldwide, from Paris them is a ritual of attention, silence, bars). In the past year, about a dozen
to London, to Milan and New York, and devotion. The setting is Bohemian emerged in Milan alone. The century-
listening bars were born in Japan. The and the sound quality is high. Records old soul of the jazz kissa still survives
early bars dedicated to the enjoyment adorn the walls of purposely minimalist but in more modern versions. The
of records were established in the rooms: the focus is purely on music. In stereo system plays a crucial role: it is
1920s, on the back of the appeal of the 1970s, Japan hosted about 600 often custom-made and the result of
Western productions, particularly listening bars. attentive research, granting perfect
jazz. People started talking about jazz Fast forward to CDs, more sound quality. The speakers and
“kissa”, an abbreviation of kissaten, a democratic live music, and commercial record console are the core: everything
Japanese word for traditional, relaxed music playing in the background, revolves around them. The walls are
cafés or tea rooms. With a dash of anywhere. MP3s, then streaming, often filled with disc covers. Events
jazz (but some kissa are focused on sullied records and listeners grew hosting guests that make their own
different genres). The gramophone increasingly distracted. Yet, listening record selections are organized. There
fills the air with soft notes. According bars survived, under cover. At the is no dancing but plenty of listening,
to experts in this field, Japan hosted – start of the 2010s, they set out to eating, and drinking. Music is central,
before the outbreak of World War II – as conquer the world. Some tourists who not a backdrop. It is an experience
many as 80 jazz kissa, mostly in Tokyo. discovered the jazz kissa in Japan were worth living.

70 Experience Protagonist