Deep in the heart of Tokyo’s Ginza district, you’ll find a bar that instantly transports you to the Appalachian Mountains. Where the air is filled with the sound of banjos, upright basses, and fiddles. Not violins. Fiddles.
That bar, aptly named Ginza Rocky Top, is a legendary Japanese bluegrass venue to locals and savvy tourists. But now, thanks to a travel blogger making it go viral, people around the world are captivated by this hidden gem.
In his video posted to Instagram, Jose, aka @okay.jose, says, “follow me” as we can already hear the tune “Bluegrass Breakdown” being played in the distance. He then opens the door to reveal five musicians (Bluegrass Police, one of the many bands and solo musicians that play at Rocky Top) blowing the roof off the joint. Even the singer has mastered the Southern twang.
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“One thing I learned living in Japan: they will reverse-engineer your culture and do it better,” one captivated viewer commented.
Another seconded, “Right!? The best whiskey I’ve ever had: Suntory Yamazaki 18. Best Neapolitan pizza: a corner stop in Sasebo. Best espresso: a Cafe in Fukuoka. Best croissant: a STREET VENDOR IN NAGASAKI!!”
How bluegrass found its way to Japan
Japan does indeed have a long history of being able to perfectly imitate—and often elevate—aspects borrowed from other cultures. Be it religious philosophies, culinary creations, or niche aesthetics. Thanks in no small part to Japan’s own culture, which “focuses on mastery,” as history teacher Sarah Kovner put it.
While most people are very aware of Japan’s rockabilly (rokabirii buumu) movement that exploded in the 1950s, it’s not-so-common knowledge that around the same time, post-World War II U.S. military radio broadcasts also introduced Japan to bluegrass music. This would lead to the formation of the Bluegrass 45, which became the first Japanese bluegrass group to tour North America—even gracing the Grand Ole Opry stage in 1971—and thus solidifying bluegrass into the culture forever.
Perhaps the most unexpected factoid in all this: not only is the bluegrass scene very vibrant in Japan…it is the second-largest bluegrass music scene in the entire world after the United States.
In addition to Rocky Top, you can find plenty of other clubs and festivals dedicated to the genre. The Takarazuka Festival, for instance, started in 1972, is the third-longest-running bluegrass festival globally.
Sometimes we wander across the globe to gain newfound appreciation of where we came from
We often travel to immerse ourselves in other cultures, hoping to see and experience something completely different from what we know. But there can be something just as special about seeing our own culture through someone else’s lens.
So, while Americans traveling to Tokyo might not expect to hear those familiar honky-tonk sounds coming from a Tokyo bar, encountering them in such an unexpected place might leave them with a newfound appreciation for the music they thought they already knew.
