INTERVIEW

The OPEN BOOK
Owner Kai Tanaka

I started coming to Shinjuku because my grandfather, the prize-winning writer Komimasa Tanaka, was a regular here in Shinjuku’s retro-style Golden Gai bar district. When my mother passed away, I inherited some assets, but I was still a graduate student unsure what to do with my inheritance and my future, Then I struck upon the idea of opening a bar in Golden Gai, with its links to my grandfather. I moved quickly to buy some land here and open this bar. My goal as clear, and it was to promote my grandfather’s name by creating a family legacy. I began with building a reputation with the lemon sour cocktail, in hopes that my grandfather’s and my stories would spread later on.
　Most of the books in the bar’s huge collection belonged to my grandfather. Customers have also contributed books. There are also customers who come for advice, such as on their love lives. I think they are looking for someone who will give them honest opinions since, as we all get older, we have fewer opportunities to receive such direct, honest advice. My bar is open to anyone wanting a pep talk. And those who don’t, please come for the lemon sour cocktail.