In the middle of Kabukicho, on the 6th floor of Furin-Kaikan, there was a cabaret called "Rotary".The last big box cabaret in Tokyo ended its 53-year history at the end of February 2020.With the covid-19 raging, even Kabukicho, the entertainment district, has become sparsely populated.When will the old bustle return?
I wonder what the people who gathered at the last cabaret are doing ‘now’.
-Unusual Space in Kabukicho
Yasuhiro Yoshida, 82, the owner of Rotary, has been debating since last year; “Should I continue the business or close it? If I do, I will run out of money.”With singing and dance shows, the restaurant, which looks as if it has been transported back to the Showa era, has a floor space of 760 square meters. The cabaret has a long history. It opened in 1968, in the midst of high economic growth. At that time, it was a place where you can feel the latest culture with famous singers on the stage.
In its heyday, there were nearly 200 hostesses, but now there are about 80, and the average age is in the mid-40s. Most of the customers are elderly retirees and elderly businessmen. On weekdays, many of the seats were empty and not even half full, but they managed to stay in business by relying on their regular customers.
-62 Years of Cabaret Love
Yoshida was born in Kitakyushu. He was the last student to enter the Kokumin School, and the war ended when he was a freshman. He was born and raised in a wealthy family where carps swam in the pond in the garden, but even so, he fought over chocolates thrown by American soldiers from a jeep. He moved to Tokyo to enter Kokushikan University, but dropped out due to a fight. In 1958, when he was 20 years old, he started working in Kabukicho, where the postwar atmosphere still lingered.
“It was cabarets that demobilized soldiers played as if they were regaining their youth lost in the war.”
“Kabukicho was not built by foreign tourists as we know it today, it was built by Japanese people who worked hard and played hard.” Yoshida worked in 28 cabarets in Kabukicho and raised three children. The the last cabaret he finally arrived was Rotary 22 years ago. “The three elements of cabaret are sound, light, and smell. Music, light, and scent of women. I have always loved the cabaret culture that was created in Japan, and I want to protect it somehow.” However, he couldn't resist the trend of the times, and the number of customers was dwindling. Yoshida decided to close Rotary at the end of February.
- Women who drifted to Rotary
The hostesses at Rotary are full of personality. While they were working, they kept a homey atmosphere and enlivened the mood until the last day. However, when it closed, they hugged each other and cried in the locker room. It was just like an all-girls school.
The hostess, Ren, whose gray hair stands out is 47 years old. She was born and raised in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, and went to a famous private university in Osaka. It was there that she fell in love with music. After graduation, she returned to her hometown and worked as a temporary employee at a government office, but moved to Tokyo at the age of 29 to make her debut. Her live performances were irregular. She chose to work as a cocktail waitress as a convenient part-time job, but when she casually entered a cabaret, she was fascinated by the atmosphere.“There was a stage and a live band. A cabaret in the Showa era, how cool!” Then, before she knew it, she had been working at the cabaret for 14 years.
-Dancer who lost her stage
When Rotary closes, so do the people on stage who lose their place in the world. Dancer NATSUKI (40) came to Tokyo from Hokkaido at the age of 22, longing to be a dancer. She made her debut at the Asakusa Rock Theater. As the number of strip theaters is decreasing, cabaret is a valuable stage. She has been dancing at Rotary since 2006 and is one of the oldest dancers.She says, "At other places, there were many customers who didn't watch the show, but at Rotary, the hostesses told the customers, 'Let's watch the show,' or 'Here, give them a tip,' and they supported me. I didn't perform there every day, but it was such an important stage for me that I felt like I was a part of the Rotary family.When Rotary closed, Natsuki retired from a dancer.
-Kabukicho, the city hit by the covid-19 disaster
It has been half a year since Rotary closed. Kabukicho has no more bustle. The last bustle of Rotary seems to have been an illusion. The club where about 20 hostesses including Ren moved to was closed temporarily. NATSUKI, a retired dancer, started working at a bar, but her future is uncertain. Even Yoshida, who has been going to Kabukicho for 62 years, is afraid of covid-19 and stays away from it. What will happen to Kabukicho after the spread of the covid-19 is under control? I want to go there first to find their smiles.