A Gathering Place for Literary Figures

[text omitted] …for nearly 20 years after that, until the buildings were requisitioned by the U.S. military after the war, Bungeishunju occupied both buildings—a certain room on a certain floor of the older building at one point, a certain room on a certain floor in the newer building at another time, and an entire floor of the new building at yet another time, as our business grew.”

Regarding the Rainbow Grill, it says “We brought some mismatched tables and chairs from our old Kojimachi office to room 211 on the second floor of the old building, and shortly after we opened for business, the Rainbow Grill opened in the basement. It had a spacious salon, restaurant area, banquet hall, and bar. The leather sofas and chairs in the salon became a popular place where numerous literary figures associated with Bungeishunju would meet for years to come.”

Kan Kikuchi, who was president of Bungeishunju and regarded as a major figure in literary circles, was a regular patron of the Rainbow Grill.