After I bought it, I put it in storage for a while, but when I decided to put it in the store, I asked a contractor to overhaul it. There are not many companies that can tinker with jukeboxes, even in the Kanto region. At first, the vendor took it back to his company and tended to it, and it was fine for a while after it was delivered, but after a few years, problems began to appear. So, I asked the same vendor to repair them.

A black telephone of Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone Public Corporation. It is no longer
　in use, but it brings back memories. The weight
of the receiver reminds me of those days.　　

The vendor was visited by two grandfathers. They came by train with a tool box on top of a carry-on bag. What was missing was the main parts, which were usually transplanted from other jukeboxes. But they couldn’t find the parts, so they made them themselves and brought them to us. But then, the thing is, when I tested it at my own company, it worked. When they tested it at their own company, it worked, but when it came to the store, it didn’t work. They had to go back four times before they could get it right. The third time they came back, it still wasn’t fixed. He looked so sad.

The jukebox contains rock, blues, and Yokohama-related songs, as well as old favorites. Kasai says he can’t change the lineup too much. If I decide on a certain number of songs at the beginning, I can’t change them because there are certain songs that I play when someone comes in,” he says. For example, when one of the regular male customers comes in, he serves tequila to everyone in the bar. At that time, “Tequila” by Champs is played, and everyone drinks it in one gulp.

The entrance to BAR FACTORY is an automatic door, which is not often seen in bars these days. It is somewhat noisy when opening and closing.

A middle-aged male customer stands in front of the jukebox, and “Flower Necklace” by The Tigers comes on. As I listened to the song, I recalled what the master once said to a girl. The first time the girl came to the restaurant, she was wearing a V-neck T-shirt. The Master looked down at the girl’s slightly sad-looking neck and said, “Who would wear a necklace there? I wonder who will put the necklace there.”

Now, seven years have passed since then, the girl has grown up and become an adult woman, and a beautiful necklace may be hanging around her V-neck neck, shining in a dazzling light.

Bar Factory
2-29 Akebono-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama
045-252-7715
Hours: 7:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Closed: Mon.

Text: Hiroyuki Imamura Photo: Takashi Yanagida