TOKYO, Feb. 27, 2024—Until several years ago, it was unimaginable for locals of this once world-class shipbuilding city of Sasebo, Kyushu that these narrow alleys, which were dug as World War II period air raid shelters, would continue existing other than for storage. It did to the contrary to thrive as a watering holes and retailers for visitors searching for ‘hiding places,’ or hypothetical shadows from the day-to-day life focused on the sunny side.
The bar ‘Tough’ on the Tunnel Alley, one of the narrow strips dug under a hard-rock hill, is busy with visitors looking for experiences of war-time life in shelter. ‘Yonken-me Shokudo (4th restaurant) is another, long, bowling alley-like eatery. The ceiling of both outlets are so low that visitors would have to lower their bodies to get in.
But no matter the inconvenience and tight space, visitors seem to find comfort in the window-less places where no sunlight filters. Or they look as if they quest for darkness and shadows, like Simon & Garfunkel’s Sound of Silence. And visitors are not only from Japan but other countries too.
For much of the post-war period dark and shadowy places were everywhere in Japan, perhaps the reason why people vied for brightness to escape sorrow, sadness, and hardships they experienced. Rooms were lit sparingly, streets were dark with few street lights, and by 8:00 p.m., restaurants and retail stores were closed, except the glitzy Ginza, the place for successful entrepreneurs, and Akasaka, the geisha district for politicians and supporters. Even the now-famous and infamous Shinjuku Kabuki-cho entertainment district’s streets were dark and gloomy.
But it’s no more. Every dark side in Japan was turned up and exposed to brightness. It’s probably is the reason why people are searching for ‘men’s hiding places,’ which typically are bars and restaurants that one wants to keep secret, or go on a solo camping trip in outback mountains.
Yet many cannot resist posting activities on social network services.
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