The Literary World Gathers in Shinjuku at Night: Jun Takami and the Bar “Wa,” 1945–1965

In postwar Shinjuku, bars served as small literary circles for writers and editors. Jun Takami also frequented the bar “Wa,” where he shared drinks with literary figures such as Fumio Niwa. There, it was not only manuscripts and works but also casual conversation, debates, and even gossip that bound the writers together, as words exchanged before they took shape as literature. Born in 1907, Jun Takami had been publishing novels and critical essays since before the war and remained a central figure in the literary world after the war. Records also show that he would guide visitors from afar to Shinjuku’s bars, where he interacted with members of the Japanese PEN Club and other cultural figures. Even after Takami’s death in 1965, Shinjuku’s bar culture persisted, becoming a unique space for interaction where writers, editors, and theater troupe members gathered night after night. Through conversations and personal relationships that were never recorded in print, Shinjuku’s bars served as another cultural stage that supported postwar literature.