Kiki's Pub is a tiny blues bar tucked in behind Exit 1 of Toranomon Station. For 16 years, it has hugged the edge of a small cluster of nomiya (drinking spots) stranded between big streets and surrounded by homogenous rows of office blocks. When I called for directions, I was told to find the #10 Mori Building, but in this kind of identi-kit neighborhood, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
You talkin' tto me? -- Ed StaufferWhen I called the second time, the owner, Ed Stauffer, answered the phone. He didn't have to tell me he was from the Bronx, but I did have to tell myself it was NOT Robert De Niro on the other end of the line. Ed even looks a little like the actor, as he likes to point out. Dressed in blue jeans and a black Hobgoblen T-shirt exposing the odd tattoo on his forearm, he could have walked off the set of "Cape Fear."
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.