Rock Cafe B.Y.G
B.Y.G · Rock Cafe B.Y.G
- Ward
- Shibuya
- Price
- ¥700–1,500, no cover charge
- Hours
- Ground-floor cafe about 11:30–
- Closed
- irregular
- Getting there
- 3 min from Shibuya Stn exit A0, in Hyakkendana
- Founded
- 1969
- Opened in 1969; the name stands for Beautiful Young Generation
- Despite the live house downstairs, the ground-floor cafe carries no cover charge
- Next door is Lion, where talking is forbidden and only classical plays
We do not republish copyrighted photographs. Use the links below to see the actual venue.
Obvious to locals, invisible to visitors
There is a simple reason guidebooks leave this out: to the people who live here it is too obvious to be worth explaining.
Opened in 1969; the name stands for Beautiful Young Generation. Its basement is called Japan's oldest live house, and the bands that founded Japanese rock played here — their signatures cover the ground-floor walls.
Despite the live house downstairs, the ground-floor cafe carries no cover charge — just order food or a drink. With around ten thousand records and CDs on hand, anyone can request a track.
Next door is Lion, where talking is forbidden and only classical plays. BYG is its exact opposite — requests and conversation both welcome. Circuit these two plus Murugi and you have the insider's tour of Hyakkendana.
In 1973 the owner shut the live house, saying no band was left worth backing, and ran it as a rental studio for some thirty years. He reopened it in the 2000s after being moved by BEGIN's blues.
What it is
Shibuya is a ward where old cafes hold out at the centre of trends. Some items carry no price tag. Ask and you will be told — and the number usually has a reason behind it. They pack carefully, so even fragile finds travel home fine. Arrive at opening and seating is no issue — though turnover is brisk, so lingering is hard. Keep the receipt — it makes the name easy to look up later, since many signs are kanji-only. If you return, come at a different hour — the impression changes considerably.
What to order
Why locals keep coming
The price range is wide — a few hundred yen and tens of thousands sit on the same shelf. The depth of stock from years in one niche is different in kind — items you could not know existed via search.