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Kichijoji's live chanson venue to draw the curtain after 35 years
After 35 years of music, live chanson venue La Belle Epoque, in Tokyo's Kichijoji, will draw the curtain for the last time at the end of this month.
Owner Kozo Katsumi, 73, who recently started performing opening acts each night, will sing his last song on Oct. 31.
"I've done 35 years without regret," he says.
Born in Otaru, Hokkaido, Katsumi moved to Tokyo at the age of 18, wanting to become an actor. It was while working at a music management agency that he first discovered French chanson, becoming captivated by both its pathos and humor. On Nov. 1, 1974, he opened La Belle Epoque near JR Kichijoji Station's south exit.
The venue enjoyed success, and was ranked alongside veteran Ginza chanson house Ginpari -- "Ginpari in the east, La Belle Epoque in the west" -- and finally inherited the former's famous gas lanterns after it shut down in 1990.
The stage was frequented by singers such as Yukari Kaneko, Kumiko, and the late Misao Nakahara, and the venue has put on four acts every night since its opening. Regular customers included Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, and former Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura.
But business has declined of late, and now the 60-seat venue has seen just four or five customers a night.
"I wanted us to keep on going, but we couldn't hold out any longer," says Katsumi, and he chose to close the doors exactly 35 years after opening.
"The most valuable thing we have as people is other people. I'm blessed and happy to have so many friends," he says. And while La Belle Epoque may be drawing to a close, his love of chanson carries on, with chanson lessons and street performances.
Click here for the original Japanese story
(Mainichi Japan) October 23, 2009
