Topic: Golden Gai
Concept and Methodology
In the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo, incongruities appear abundant: the area presents an image of modernity and tradition simultaneously, and despite its clean-cut and business-oriented façade, it hosts the city’s largest and most infamous entertainment district, Kabuki-cho. Known for its bustling nightlife and sex industry, Kabuki-cho is situated to the east of Shinjuku Station, which separates it from the skyscraper-ridden landscape of western Shinjuku. Within Kabuki-cho lies a small area known as Golden Gai (“Golden Town”) that hosts a number of small bars that have recently gained a reputation for their reputable and bohemian clientele. Unlike the rest of Kabuki-cho, Golden Gai is not associated with the yakuza or with being a red light district, but it has attracted a number of foreign visitors recently. Furthermore, many scholars have commented that Golden Gai exemplifies the city of Edo (old Tokyo) in terms of its structure and atmosphere, and it has remained fairly unchanged since the 1940’s.
For our project, we would like to trace the history of Golden Gai, looking first at how Eastern Shinjuku was transformed from a swampland into the highly urban area of today. To gain a better understanding of the Edo Period and of post-World War II Tokyo, we will consult several academic sources and visit museums (namely, the Edo Tokyo Museum and the Shinjuku Historical Museum). We will then investigate the formation of Golden Gai itself by conducting a series of interviews with people who are well-acquainted with the area and its history (some possible interviewees are tour guides, older locals, and bar owners). In addition to constructing an oral history of the neighborhood, we also plan on consulting archival photographs and materials in order to recreate its evolution. Furthermore, we would like to inquire as to how Golden Gai has managed to remain relatively unchanged despite the constant building and re-building that surrounds it; in a city that is so enamored with temporality, Golden Gai remains something of an anomaly. In this vein, we would also like to speculate about the area’s uncertain future.
As for the technical aspects, we would like make a documentary using video (mini DV), photography, and audio. The documentary will not include the group members in the shots, though some voice-over narration may be employed (in lieu of this, text on a black screen might be used in combination with audio; this will be intercut with footage). The attitude will be one that is intimate, but it will not necessarily reflect the “personal journeys” of the filmmakers; this intimacy should rather arise from the atmosphere of the neighborhood itself. To avoid the chaos of the nightlife, most of the shooting will be accomplished in the afternoon (this will also provide better natural lighting). While postproduction editing always creates a certain amount of manipulation, we hope to adopt a perspective that is as objective as possible. Our aim is to let the history of Golden Gai unfold naturally for the viewer, not to create a sensationalistic or deliberately controversial work. Finally, given the nature of the area (according to some of the sources, filming is prohibited), clearance will likely have to be granted in order to complete our project, so we will need to obtain permission as soon as possible to avoid potential conflicts.
Bibliography
Chaplin, Sarah. Japanese Love Hotels: A Cultural History. London: Routledge, 2007.
Cybriwsky, Roman. Tokyo. London: Belhaven Press, 1991.
Richie, Donald. Tokyo. London: Reaktion Books, 1999.
Watanabe, Katsume. Gangs of Kabukicho. New York: PPP Editions, 2006.
Online News articles:
Braun, Stuart. "The Fringe Club." Metropolis 364. http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyofeaturestories/364/tokyofeaturestoriesinc.htm
Matsubara, Hiroshi. "Golden-gai drinks in economic and legal changes." The Japan Times 17 12 2002
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