Chan Is Missing - Jenny In Japantown
Jo and Steve head over to a bar in Japantown where Chan’s daughter Jenny works. They want to find out if she has any news to share about her father’s whereabouts. This scene was filmed inside the Kyomasa Cocktail Lounge at 1705 Buchanan Street.
… a vintage photo … Citysleuth found two contemporary photos of its location which he composited into the one below. The center portion is from a 1980s photo, the sides from a 1970s photo; together they show how it looked when Chan was filmed. Marked by the arrow, the Kyomasa Lounge was on the second level, next to the better-known Kokusai Theatre.
… and Now, the theatre (referenced earlier in the movie) closed in 1987 and the space where the Kyomasa Lounge used to be was up for lease when CitySleuth recently stopped by. But the Soko Hardware store at far right is still there. Both Then and Now the Japanese-styled tower displays the sign Nihon Machi - “Japan Town”.
Then … The lounge entrance is at the top of the stairs behind the tower, above. Below, they enter from the left and climb a set of 5 steps up to the lounge.
… and Now, the most recent tenant here was the Korean karaoke bar and restaurant ‘Playground’. But the space is now under construction in preparation for a future tenant. Citysleuth noticed there’s now only 3 steps leading up, not 5. Why? … read on…
Then … They ask for Jenny. The two extra steps led to an elevated floor level that created a sunken bar effect. The lounge entrance is on the left.
… and Now, the bar is in the same spot but at a regular height because the elevated floor is gone.
Then … Jenny appears; she suggests they take a seat at a nearby table..
… in 2017 … this is the same view in Playground before it closed. The drop ceiling, above, has been removed, below.
… and Now, here it is today.
Then … Jenny doesn’t know where her father is but said he apologizes for not being able to complete the cab deal. She then gives them an envelope containing the $4,000 they had given him … “It’s all there”. Steve’s reaction? … “Goddam!”. The shoji screens covering the windows are the same ones seen from the outside in the vintage photo at the top of this post.
… and Now, these windows look down on the Japantown block of Buchanan Street named Osaka Way.