In this age of musical abundance, it¡¯s hard to fathom that an LP once cost the equivalent of a few days¡¯ wages in Japan. In the 1950s, audiophiles who couldn¡¯t afford to buy their own music did their listening at coffee shops known as meikyoku kissaten (¡°musical masterpiece cafes¡°), which boasted high-end audio gear and extensive libraries of classical or jazz records.
Though they outlived their usefulness long before the arrival of YouTube and Spotify, a handful of these kissaten have endured. Their anachronism is part of the charm: They conjure an atmosphere of reverence that¡¯s more befitting of a church than a coffee shop. At a few of them, you¡¯ll get shushed if you try to have a conversation; it¡¯s better to bring a book, sit back, and forget the bustle of the outside world for a few hours.
Though Tokyo¡¯s most famous meikyoku kissaten is undoubtedly Lion, in Shibuya, some of the best examples can be found along the JR Chuo Line. For decades, the go-to place was Classic, a dilapidated cafe in Nakano that was known for its wonky floors and eccentric panoply of antiques. Its owner, a painter named Shichiro Misaku, opened Classic in 1945 after his previous kissaten in neighboring Koenji, Renaissance, was destroyed by wartime bombing.
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