Finding France in Japan / Chanson Is Life Itself: Long-established Ginza Chansonnier Conveys Emotion and Depth of French Pop Music

By Kenji Iwaasa / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

6:00 JST, August 4, 2024

Ahead of the Paris Olympics, The Yomiuri Shimbun looked for places and foods in Japan that evoke the atmosphere of the host country. This is the first in a series of articles on the subject, inviting you into the world of chansons, or French pop music.

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On an evening in mid-June, a live performance began on a stage lit by blue and purple lights at Kaerutachi (“frogs” in Japanese), a long-established chansonnier, live music club for chanson, in Ginza, Tokyo.

The event featured “L’aquoiboniste” (The whateverist), “A Paris dans chaque faubourg” (In every suburb of Paris) and “Mademoiselle Hortensia”. The songs had varying themes, such as love and separation. Five Japanese and French female singers sang them in turn, accompanied by live cello and piano.

Chansons are called “three-minute stories.” The singers sometimes sing as if speaking lines. Like actors, they enchant the audience by expressing emotions through their eyes, facial expressions and gestures.

Audience regulars in their 50s and 60s listened attentively. A 67-year-old company owner said he started coming to the club about 40 years ago, having been introduced by an older colleague. As the club hosts live acts almost every day, he checks its performance schedule before coming.

“The lyrics of chansons sung in Japan are beautifully translated into Japanese from their original French,” said the company owner. “They can convey the emotions of the singers and the stories in the songs to my heart. It’s so moving that I get misty-eyed.”

The man paid special attention to Yuki Kaiyama, 76, who sang the last song of the day. She is a famous performer who was also active at Ginpari, another Ginza chansonnier opened in 1951. Until its permanent closure in 1990, the club had produced many popular singers, including Akihiro Miwa. Kaiyama has many fans, even holding a live tour in Paris in March.

“Chanson is life itself — just as we get older and more experienced, we gain more flavor, depth and charm,” Kaiyama said.

Founded in 1964, Kaerutachi currently stands as the oldest chansonnier in Ginza.

Yumi Kitamura, 64, its third owner, was originally just a customer. She was entrusted by the second owner to run the club in 2011. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the transformation of the surrounding area, the chansonnier has kept chanson culture alive in Ginza.

According to Koji Hatori, head of the Tokyo-based Japan Chanson Association, which has around 350 members including singers, the number of chansonniers has been declining as singers and fans age.

At their peak, there were nearly 30 chansonniers in Tokyo. Now there are only about a dozen. “We urgently need to train young singers and find new audiences,” Hatori said.

Against this backdrop, Hina, 25, a resident of Hyogo Prefecture, entered the world of chanson three years ago. Originally wanting to be an actress in musicals, she was fascinated by the depth of chansons.

In 2022, she won the best new talent award in a competition held by the association to discover new singers. She is pursuing a new form of expression called “contemporary chanson,” a fusion of dance and chanson.

She has been expanding her activities, including releasing a digital version of her new cover of “Zou Bisou Bisou” in April.

People her age have recently started humming her songs, she says.

“Chanson has changed my life. It’s still so profound to me,” she added.

She vowed to continue improving her skills.

Despite challenges, Kitamura is determined to make 2024 “the year of chansons.”

This year, Fubuki Koshiji would have been 100 years old. She was referred to as the “queen of Japanese chanson” and is still remembered for her Japanese rendition of “Hymne a l’amour” (Hymn to Love). Kitamura’s chansonnier is also celebrating the 60th anniversary of its founding, and the Olympic Games are being held in Paris.

At the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Japanese artist milet sang “Hymne a l’amour” to serve as a bridge between Tokyo and Paris.

“I hope the Paris Olympics will spark young people’s interest in chansons and bring them to chansonniers,” Kitamura said.