VIOLON

A Classical Music Cafe with One of the Largest Gramophones in the World
[updated August 2022]

Violon is in the residential area by Asagaya’s Star Road shopping street, extending from the north exit of Asagaya Station. It is a classical music cafe open over 30 years. There is a huge gramophone record player and giant speakers in the end of the room. The dimly lit room is ideal to concentrate on music.
The founder/owner, Kenji Teramoto, used to go to a classical music cafe from his school days and opened this cafe in 1980 to save the sound of the classical music cafe. He selected Asagaya because he used to live there in his school days and he liked the atmosphere.

The hand-operated gramophone is one of the largest in the world and its sound quality is like a live performance. The hand-made speakers and the hollows inside the wall are made to produce good sound. The structure of the room is based on a famous concert hall and the gramophone is on the stage.
In the cafe you can enjoy vinyl records you like (you may bring in your own classical records) with sound quality you could hardly achieve at home. A special record concert on the gramophone is held once a month (on the third Sunday of each month at 6:00pm). Rare records are played with a selected phonograph needle. Only drinks are served for 350 yen each, but food can be brought in. Once you pay you can leave and re-enter as many times as you like on the same day. Brandy can be added to coffee and it is the popular drink at Violon.

After 6:00pm they also have live performances on occasion. For 1,000 yen including a drink, you can listen to various genres of music by professional or amateur musicians.

ACCESS

Photography: TFF staff
Translation: Enju