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.

Living in Haruki Murakami's World: Walking Tour in Shinjuku

For fans of Haruki Murakami, Shinjuku is an interesting place to visit because there are several locations in the area that are either featured in his novels or were visited by the author himself in the past.

Waseda University. Start the tour at Waseda University, one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan. Murakami studied drama at Waseda University and graduated in 1973. In his novel Norwegian Wood, Toru Watanabe's university strongly resembles the author's own university. Watanabe enters the university in 1968 and lives in a dorm for two years. This dorm is based on Wakeijiku, a dormitory for male students, which is not very far from the university and where Murakami used to live himself.

How to get there: Take the Tozai line and get off at Waseda Station. The university is 7-minutes away from the station. You can also take the JR Yamanote Line and get off at Takadanobaba station. You can walk for 20 minutes or take the bus bound for Waseda University and get off at the last stop.

The statue of Shigenobu Okuma facing the Waseda University Bell Tower - A famous landmark in the university.

Toden Arakawa Line. Behind Waseda University is an old streetcar, which one of the only few ones left running in Tokyo. Watanabe's character in Norwegian Wood uses this line to visit his friend, Midori, who lives in Otsuka. 

Toden Arakawa Line, one of the last surviving streetcars in Japan.

Nakamuraya Cafe. In Murakami's novel, 1Q84, Tengo usually meets Fuka Eri at a cafe called Nakamuraya Cafe in Shinjuku. When I searched for it in Google Maps, the app said that the cafe already closed in 2011. However, I didn't let that disappoint me. I still went to Shinjuku to visit the place and see it for myself. The building called Nakamuraya Building, which stands beside Coach, is still open. It has eight floors of restaurants and shops. The 6th floor, which used to host the Nakamuraya Cafe, is now an oriental restaurant called Kichiri Mollis. So instead of dining there, I decided to go to the B2 instead and try the famous Nakamuraya curry at Manna. This might not be the exact Nakamuraya Cafe on the 6th floor of the building but I think it is still affiliated to the Nakamuraya group of companies because it serves the same famous curry.

 

Nakamuraya Building in Shinjuku

You'll easily find Manna right outside the elevator. There is a spacious space in front of it where there are several chairs for waiting visitors. This shows that there are a lot of people who go to this restaurant and are willing to wait just to try its famous curry. I was lucky because there were only 3 couples ahead of me so I didn't have to wait for a long time. The interior of the restaurant is not special. There is a large bar a little across the front desk/cashier and that's all there is to it. The restaurant has nicely-designed lamps though.

Manna is found at the basement of Nakamuraya Building

I ordered their Nakamuraya Curry set meal with green salad, Indian milk tea, indian chicken curry and rice. You can get the set for only Y1,620 yen or just order curry and rice for around Y1,100. The curry was very good, it was not hot but not bland either. The additional seasonings in the small white containers were also very good, they add a different taste to the meal when added.

How to get there: From Waseda University, you can walk along Meiji Dori to Shinjuku for 30-45 minutes depending on how fast you walk. If you are feeling too lazy to do it, you can take a bus from the Nishi Waseda Bus Stop bound for Shinjuku. Get off at Kabukicho bus stop and walk towards Shinjuku Station East Exit. You'll find a long line of shops and restaurants. Coach will not be difficult to spot.

The famous Nakamuraya Curry

Kinokuniya. This is a chain bookstore that can be found all around Japan. It sells both Japanese and English books. In the novel 1Q84, Tengo first bought some books from the store before heading to Nakamuraya cafe to meet Fuka Eri. In his book What I Talk About when I talk about Running,  Murakami also mentioned buying parchment paper and a good fountain pen at Kinokuniya to write his novel.

"Tengo Took the elevated train to Shinjuku after his third class ended. He bought a few books at the Kinokuniya bookstore and then headed to the Nakamuraya Cafe." -IQ84

Kinokuniya in Shinjuku is composed of 8 floors of books and magazines.

How to get there: The bookstore is across Nakamuraya Cafe.

The Life of a Murakami Character

 

While being adventurous and trying to travel alone somewhere in the north of Nikko to see a lovely snow festival at night, I almost got stranded in this scary train station that looked like it leads to the end of the world. It reminded me of Haruki Murakami's novel Hard-boiled Wonderland at the End of the World, where human-eating creatures live underground, hiding in the shadows of the subways waiting for the next victim to devour.

Finally Here: Waseda Vs. Keio Baseball Match

 

     This is the moment when it struck me that yes, I am finally living my dream. 

     It has been my dream for the longest time to study at Waseda University. It took me six long years of tormenting wait, frustration and internal battle to finally fulfill it. I only used to like and reblog Waseda photos on Tumblr before, silently praying in my heart to be a part of it one day. But during this moment, when I was there to watch the Waseda Vs. Keio baseball match for the first time, I was singing and cheering for Waseda, not just as a fan, not just as an aspirant, but finally as a student. 

     At that moment, while belting out the Waseda hymn, I realized that finally, the dream had come true. I was watching the match with my own two eyes and taking photos with my own camera. And now, I'm posting this photo on my own blog and not just reblogging someone else's.

     *** To read my article on the Waseda Vs. Keio Match originally published in Pinoy Gazette, the pioneering Filipino newspaper in Japan, please see this online link.

On the Other side of Nishi-Waseda

     Today i tried walking on the other side of Nishi-Waseda. It is less crowded and a lot more peaceful than the road I usually take to the station, which is always filled with students walking and biking, trying to move past one another in a hurry. This other side is less commercial, not totally residential but there are mostly mansions and less stores. And today, for the first time in four months, i finally saw the Toden Arakawa Line, one of the few remaining streetcars in Japan.