Text: Atsuko Tanaka / Photo: Shusei Sato & Atsuko Tanaka / Edit: B SABURO

"9sari Cafe & Bar" opened in 2014 by Kan a.k.a. GAMI, one of the leading rappers in the Japanese hip hop scene. It is located off Nishi-Waseda Station, an area is full of greenery with a laid-back atmosphere. Lunch time is packed with a steady stream of customers, but Kan always makes time to take pictures with fans. This is not just a cafe, but an interactive experience for hip hop minded fans.

The cafe even features a recording studio in the back where many famous rappers from Japan and abroad have recorded. We talked to Kan and his partner Kobayashi, the CEO of the label "9SARI GROUP" which was originally established by Kan.

-Tell us what inspired you opened this cafe.

It started as a recording studio and office, but I wanted a place where I could make food and drinks for the studio guests, so I created the cafe.

-What is the concept of the cafe?

It's a hangout spot for everyone. Years ago, there were record stores and clothing stores around Shibuya where hip hop heads got together. Unfortunately most of them have since closed down. When I traveled around for my tour I saw there were still spots around in other cities which inspired me to open my own spot. It’s been eight years since we opened and we get a wide variety of customers and conversations.

-What is your recommendation from the menu?

Hamburg steak. I make it every day. Skirt steak is also popular.

Kobayashi: The hamburger is named "Kan-san's hamburg steak", so fans ask for it by name. It's delicious.

-How do you curate the menu?

Mostly I pick things I like personally. We change the menu every three months or so. If I come across something I like, I’ll add it, but generally the menu hasn’t changed much.

-You sell various goods like T-shirts and sandals here. What items are popular these days?

CBD beer. Mr. (Kobayashi) was interested in making this. He’s been thinking about various CBD-related projects.

Kobayashi: I've been wanting to do it for a long time so I started working on it this year. There are many factories that make craft beer now. We brew ours in Aomori. We can't make big amounts, so this time we made about 500 to 600 cans. Since the 9sari group made it we set the alcohol content 9%, but it's fruity and delicious. Other than that we have coffee beans that I got from a roaster friend. For the T-shirts and sandals we try and design them for daily wear. In terms of food the highlight is "Kan-san's special menu". When Kan has time, he’ll come up with a special for the day, such as natto fried rice.

-Another big feature of this cafe is the two cats (9-chan and 11 (elf)). Are they originally your cats?

9-chan was a stray cat who was in the backyard when I was building this place. Although he was a kitten, he was left behind by his family and cried all day, so I adopted him. After that, there was another cat named 10-chan, but he passed from an illness, so then I got elf from a friend.

-What is a memorable event that has happened here?

Rappers from the US and abroad have come here to record songs. A few contacted us saying "I'm in Japan now, can I use your studio?" The first artist to record here was the Jungle Brothers. It was right after we built the studio and they recorded right in front of us. Many other famous artists have used it so I'm vary happy I have this studio.

Kobayashi: They hear about us through our friends and they wanna record songs while they are in Japan. We’ve had rappers like EL DA SENSEI, D Smoke, and members from The Diplomats pass through.

-What makes the studio special?

I asked LAKOBA, who has been running a studio in LA since the 80’s, to design our studio. Also this engineer named Idea, who had been working with me for a long time, helped find the equipment and assemble it.

-Many of your songs have been produced here too. Are there any memorable songs or projects you recorded here?

Quite a few, but I would say an EP called "9sari" since it's the first project I made in this studio.

-So, tell us about the neighborhood.

When you think of Shinjuku you might think of Kabuki-cho, but Kabuki-cho is a small area, so basically it’s more of a residential area. This area is famous for Waseda University and Shin-Okubo and Kabukicho are within walking distance, so it's a convenient place. It used to be a student town, but now Shin-Okubo has a booming K-pop scene and it’s multi-cultural which makes it very lively.

-What is your message to customers who are thinking of visiting this cafe for the first time?

Whether you are interested in hip hop or not, feel free to stop by and experience the atmosphere. Also various artists are here all the time, so you might be surprised who you see. Come through!