In the Footsteps of Haruki Murakami: The Old Blind Cat

Haruki Murakami is famous for being a lover of music - jazz in particular. Even before he graduated from Waseda University in 1973, he opened his own bar called Peter Cat in Sendagaya. However, before that, during his first few years at the university, he frequented a jazz bar in Shinjuku. Some articles about him say that he even worked in this bar. The truth of this matter, I cannot really confirm. 

The name of the bar is, The Old Blind Cat. The moment I found out about this place, I had been itching to go there and see for myself what this old place has to offer. Fortunately, it didn't disappointment me. The place is found right outside the East Exit of Shinjuku Station. It only takes a 3-minute walk from the station to find the place. The jazz bar is found on the basement of an old building beside Big Echo.

Going down the stairs to the basement of the building felt like going to another world, as if you're being drawn to a place where you'd meet a sheep man or a talking cat. I slowly pushed the door open and took a step towards a different world. The place is very, very old and very, very small. Oh no, I am not exaggerating, that is really what it is. There are around 10 seats on the counter and behind them are four narrow tables which equally narrow couches on both sides that are supposed to cater to up to four people. But if the customers are a little on the heavy side, it might only accommodate one. I came in at around 8:45pm and there were very few people around. A group of four in the corner, two men on my left and an old man on my right.


"Are you related?" The bar owner asked me in Japanese as soon as I sat down. "No, I am alone." I said and smiled. He asked me because I came in right after an old man and sat beside him on the bar. "Where are you from?" He asked me again. "Philippines." He nodded and smiled. The old man with graying hair had a very light aura. His face was calm and cheerful. You can see that this man might have looked good in his younger days. He did not look like other old men who appear stressed or scary.

I ordered Margarita. He prepared it right in front of me. Across the bar, there are a lot of bottles of different kinds of drinks, from wine to whiskey, rum to gin, sake to vodka. Name it, he has it. There are also bottles of assorted Japanese snacks that you can freely munch on to your heart's content. The bar charges Y700 yen for unlimited snack. A glass of Margarita costs Y1,100 yen. Prices of drinks range from Y800-Y1,100. You can also order a whole bottle if you want to.

When the bar owner gave me the drink, he asked me if I don't feel cold in Tokyo. I said, "Yes, I do." He said he knows that the Philippines is very warm. The owner and the old man beside me appeared to be very chatty with each other. I later found out that they were old friends and they could both speak English a little.

The old man requested a song from the owner, which the latter gladly played after the present jazz album finished playing. There were no vinyl record players anymore in the bar. Some of the recent posts online that I've read before going there mentioned of a real player playing. But now, there were just old cords and old equipment in place of the old player. The owner is also now digitized. He's using a PC to play the jazz albums. I don't mind it that much, the place is too surreal for me to even mind about that. A few minutes later, he turned off two large LCDs hanging on the walls and played a jazz concert album featuring Bono of U2. Oh yes, the legendary Bono singing jazz just made my heart leap. Okay, this thing is not 1960ish anymore.
It amazed how there was a fusion of a very old school, almost kitschy, kind of jazz atmosphere and a very modern, digitized media playing jazz. No, it didn't turn me off. It just made me appreciate the place more.

The metal walls of the bar are rusty and scratched with several doodles that can no longer be distinguished. One girl who came in asked the owner if they could write on the walls but he laughed and said no. The old vinyl records that used to be the main attraction of the place were not only used to design the shelves of the bar. The yellowing sleeves were stacked neatly above the narrow tables.


The Old Blind Cat was established in 1965, making it 51 this year! It was amazing how a small place like this have been kept alive and thriving for a very long time. I tried to order as much as I can drink because I wanted to help the place live, not that it appears that it's dying. I want to express my appreciation to places like these that are kept alive not solely for business purposes but for love. While preparing the drinks of the customers, the owner happily sang the songs and hummed. I felt the pleasure he experienced while listening to jazz and serving people. It's not every day that you go to this kind of place and you encounter this kind of person.

I asked him why he named the place "The Old Blind Cat." He explained it thoroughly but I did not get the rest of the explanation. Forgive my faulty Japanese. From what I understood, the name is related to or inspired by the 1930s when jazz artists used to come and play live." He even added that nowadays, no more jazz players come, only JPop stars do, he even joked. Please don't quote me on this because, as I said, my Japanese is faulty. 

This place is really a hideout from the rest of the crazy world raging outside it. It is like a world romanticized in the pages of Haruki Murakami's novel. It's also interesting that this place, being strategically placed on the basement of a building, blocks off any signal from your phone. It gives you a moment to be alone, detached from the rest of world just enjoying jazz in the company of strangers.

So if you want to go somewhere where you can stay, get lost and never be found, you know already know a place to go.