Did anyone ever heard about the Japan salon music?

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De1ay

Recruit
9
5
Jul 19, 2026
In the Japanese context of the 1930s–40s, salon music referred to a sophisticated, Western-influenced popular music style performed in upscale venues, cafes, and dance halls.

And my favorite composer is Koichi Suggi .He is widely regarded as one of the most excellent arrangers in pre-WWII Japan, particularly celebrated for his work in salon music and Japanese jazz.He turned Japanese folk melodies into jass style.

Maybe give it a try!
 
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"During my time at the Yokaren school, Ichino and I had another classmate, Shimada Yutaka from Kumamoto, who was obsessed with light music. On weekends, the three of us would often head to Yokosuka, where we'd visit cafes where we could listen to our favorite music. In 1936–1937, Yokosuka flourished as a naval base and was a lively and peaceful city. Back then, a Yokaren student's spending limit for a single outing was 50 sen, and the squad leader would check the contents of their wallets every time. So, to avoid spending money, we always took a box lunch with us on our outings. Even in good times, when a bowl of udon or shiruko cost only 5 sen, with a daily allowance of 50 sen, we had to rack our brains to cope. So three fans of easy listening music came up with a clever trick: by ordering just one cup of coffee, we could sit in the cafe for two or three hours, enjoying the music. The New St. Louis Cafe in Yokosuka was very kind to the young men in John Bell sailor uniforms (the seven-button uniforms didn't exist yet) who frequented it almost every Sunday. Those were truly the good old days. The New St. Louis Cafe never showed any displeasure, even if we only ordered one cup of coffee, and always let us listen to our favorite music to our heart's content. We turned up the volume on the record player, and, being young, we enjoyed light music: from Dick Maine's "Under the Apple Tree" and "Daughter of Ireland" to Noriko Awaya's "Unknowing the Feelings of Others," and ending with "Besame Mucho" and other Latin American melodies.
Of course, sake and cigarettes were forbidden for junior aviators of the Imperial Japanese Navy, as we were only 15 or 16 years old. We spent the mornings at the New St. Louis, and in the afternoon at the Petty Officers' and Sailors' Club in Hemi, we devoured our packed lunches, adding oyakodon and other such items, and in the evening we returned to our training unit, the Yokaren."

MATSUNAMI Kiyoshi, Meirei ikka idetatsuwa:
zai Rabauru 582 kû no shito (Take off to carry
out orders: desperate struggle of the 582nd Air
Corps at Rabaul), Tokyo: Kojinsha , 1981.
 
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