Japan’s music cafés are striking a chord abroad

学习目标

• 读出场景、历史、改造与三点原因之间的衔接
• 解释嵌套定语从句、what 主语从句与否定程度
• 区分记者观察、受访者评价及作者推论
• 在新情境中运用重点搭配与句型

SPACE TALK, located in the London district of Clerkenwell, takes music seriously. Before the bar opened in 2024, its owner enlisted an architect, designer and sound engineer to create the perfect acoustic environment. Resembling the deck of a wooden spaceship, the bar is divided into four zones. On a recent evening, your correspondent sipped cocktails while trippy electronic music floated out of the bespoke sound system. In its ethos, Space Talk is one of many spots around the world loosely inspired by Japan’s ongaku kissa (music cafés). These venues are commonly known as listening bars or hi-fi bars.

位于伦敦克勒肯维尔区的 Space Talk 对音乐十分认真。 酒吧在2024年开业前，老板请来建筑师、设计师和音响工程师，打造理想的声学环境。 酒吧内部仿佛一艘木质宇宙飞船的甲板，分为四个区域。 不久前的一个夜晚，本刊记者在这里小口喝着鸡尾酒，迷幻的电子乐从定制音响系统中飘出。 就经营理念而言，Space Talk 是世界各地众多从日本音乐喫茶（音乐咖啡馆）汲取灵感的场所之一，不过这些借鉴并不拘泥于原样。 人们通常把这类场所称为聆听酒吧或高保真音响酒吧。

The first ongaku kissa opened in Japan during the 1920s. Visitors drank tea or coffee as music—often classical, tango or swing—played through gramophones. In the decades after the second world war, cafés devoted to jazz grew popular. Imported records and audio equipment were expensive, and jazz kissa offered a place for enthusiasts to hear the latest album by Miles Davis or John Coltrane. They were places for quiet, reverential listening.

日本最早的音乐咖啡馆在20世纪20年代开门营业。 顾客喝着茶或咖啡，留声机则播放着音乐，常见的有古典乐、探戈和摇摆乐。 第二次世界大战后的几十年里，专门播放爵士乐的咖啡馆逐渐流行起来。 进口唱片和音响设备价格昂贵，爵士喫茶便为爱好者提供了一个能听到迈尔斯·戴维斯或约翰·柯川最新专辑的地方。 在那里，人们安静而虔敬地聆听。

Owners would (and still do) display a fussy attention to detail. High-quality speakers are a must; the nerdiness often extends to amps, turntables and styluses. (Gramophones have gone, but vinyl is still very much in vogue.) This music is not merely for ambience: the act of listening is central to the experience. Many kissa ask visitors to remain silent. Kawasaki Toshiya, who runs his own listening bar in Tokyo, says the atmosphere this creates is akin to “sitting in meditation at a temple”.

店主过去就对细节讲究得近乎挑剔，如今依然如此。 高品质扬声器是必需品；这种发烧友式的钻研往往还延伸到功放、唱盘和唱针。 （留声机已退出舞台，黑胶却依旧很流行。） 音乐并不只是用来营造气氛：聆听这件事本身才是体验的核心。 许多音乐咖啡馆会请顾客保持安静。 在东京经营一家聆听酒吧的 Kawasaki Toshiya 说，由此形成的氛围就像“在寺庙里静坐冥想”。

The listening bars that have sprung up in the West, South America and Africa—most of which have opened in the past decade—rarely have stringent rules on chitchat. Space Talk, for instance, has not banned nattering, but it has implemented a “no photos or videos” policy. All Blues, a venue in New York, politely asks visitors to “let the music do the talking”. Some bars host dedicated events where guests can hear an album in full or listen to music tied to a particular artist or theme.

在西方国家、南美和非洲陆续出现的聆听酒吧，大多是在过去十年里开业的，很少严格限制闲聊。 比如，Space Talk 并未禁止聊天，但实行了“不得拍照或录像”的规定。 纽约的一家店 All Blues 则客气地请顾客“让音乐来说话”。 一些酒吧还会组织专场活动，让客人完整听一张专辑，或欣赏围绕某位音乐人、某个主题安排的音乐。

The “real magic” of ongaku kissa culture is to create an environment “where you can be genuinely moved to the core by music”, says Nick Dwyer, the director of a documentary on Tokyo’s music cafés. What makes this new wave of venues interesting, he says, is that proprietors have “their own take” on the format and are adapting it into “something that works in London, New York, Barcelona or wherever”.

拍摄过东京音乐咖啡馆纪录片的导演尼克·德怀尔说，音乐喫茶文化的“真正魔力”，是营造出一种环境，让人能“被音乐打动到心底”。 他认为，这一波新店有意思的地方在于，经营者会对这种形式作出自己的诠释，把它改造成“适合伦敦、纽约、巴塞罗那，或任何当地城市的东西”。

There are three reasons why the ongaku kissa model has succeeded as a cultural export. One is Japanomania. A record 43m foreign holidaymakers visited the country in 2025. Over several decades, Japan has established itself as a trendsetter and tastemaker in everything from video games to fashion and design, meaning that where the Japanese lead, others will follow.

音乐喫茶模式能成功走向海外，有三个原因。 第一个是人们对日本文化的热爱。 2025年，到访日本的外国度假游客达到创纪录的4300万人。 几十年来，从电子游戏到时尚和设计，日本在许多领域确立了引领潮流和塑造品味的地位；这意味着，日本人引领潮流之处，便会有人追随。

The second reason is that listening bars and ongaku kissa offer an appealing alternative to nightclubs, which are in decline. These bars provide a relaxed, stylish environment for retired ravers and youngsters alike. Here, enjoying music need not mean enduring punishing opening hours (and punishing hangovers).

第二个原因是，聆听酒吧和音乐咖啡馆提供了一个有吸引力的选择，可以替代日渐式微的夜店。 它们为已经告别狂欢派对生活的人和年轻人，都提供了轻松而有格调的环境。 在这里，享受音乐不一定非得忍受令人吃不消的营业时间安排（以及同样难熬的宿醉）。

The third reason is that these bars offer a distinctive, curated experience to suit a wide variety of tastes. Jim Hanmer, the co-founder of Jazu, another listening bar in London, made a pilgrimage to Japan to visit several jazz kissa. (“Jazu” is a nod to the Japanese pronunciation of “jazz”.) He was drawn to the venues that reflected the owner’s lifelong passion. In these places, “you could listen to a record that you’ve heard 30 times before, but because you’re in this unique environment, it sounds totally different.” At a listening bar, even an old track can find a new groove.

第三个原因是，这些酒吧通过精心选择和安排，提供有鲜明特色的体验，契合各种不同的品味。 伦敦另一家聆听酒吧 Jazu 的联合创办人吉姆·汉默，曾专程前往日本，像朝圣一般走访了几家爵士喫茶。 （“Jazu”这个名字是在呼应日语中“jazz”的发音。） 那些凝聚着店主毕生热爱的场所尤其吸引他。 在这样的地方，“你可能会听一张已经听过30遍的唱片，但因为身处这个独特环境，它听起来却会完全不一样。” 在聆听酒吧里，即使是老曲子，也能找到新的律动。

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