The ancient bathhouse is one of countless traditional businesses in Japan that are facing the risk of disappearing due to the wave of urbanization and population decline. Faced with that reality, the Login. jp student group turned this place into a mobile music club (pop-up club). They constantly move from one setting to another, from dyeing workshops, tofu shops to rice fields or rural trains across the land of cherry blossoms.
Two founders Jun Kim (Korean origin) and Rihito Mizoguchi (who lived in the US for many years) and the group posted about 30 videos on YouTube. Login.jp "numbers" small businesses by turning everyday scenes into vivid music spaces through DJ's ambient mixes.
Through the "The Shoten" project, the group hopes that music will become a bridge to help young people reconnect with the local community.
Sometimes people tend to take things for granted and less appreciate things that are too close. We want to evoke and bring those experiences to those who live amidst this cultural feature every day" - Kim shared with AFP news agency.
The first product was posted by the group in early 2025, filmed at a fish market in Akabane district (Tokyo) - a place famous for its nostalgic commercial districts. Kim said the group had to knock on about 30 to 40 stores to find a place that agreed to film.
Because each neighborhood owns its own community and operating method, the group has to spend a lot of time chatting with shop owners to understand the cultural characteristics surrounding their work. The core goal of the project is to delve deeper into "the layer of depth beneath the exterior of Japan", instead of just stopping at familiar tourist symbols such as Tokyo Tower or Mount Fuji.
In a regular nightclub you will drink alcohol, but soaking in a public bath puts you in a state of real concentration on music" - DJ Zendo shared about this different music playing experience.
Mr. Katsuhito Okubo (32 years old), owner of the 4th generation Denki-yu bathhouse, admitted to being hesitant when the group of children asked. However, through conversations, he realized that they really wanted to understand this living space instead of just borrowing the event setting. Taking over Denki-yu when it was facing the risk of being demolished, he was heartbroken: "Many buildings disappeared overnight. Then neighbors asked each other in bewilderment: "What was it like here before?".
For Mr. Okubo, public baths are a rare space that nurtures the "kyozai" spirit - coexistence and mutual acceptance without having to say a word. "Old guests who have lived since before social media are teaching the younger generation the art of living together," he said.
Login.jp's mission of connecting memory values is bringing positive signals. After the video filmed at a stationery store reached more than 2 million views, the store owner welcomed countless new customers who came just to chat and listen to him tell stories.
The group's representative, Jun Kim, confided: "The project may not generate immediate sales, but it is connecting people to cherish these old spaces more".
