Last Saturday I went to meet a new friend at Penny Lane coffee and Live Café, just a 10 minute walk from Kurashiki Station, along the main street of Kurashiki central. To my surprise I had walked by Penny Lane many times and never really noticed the place but today I was on a mission to talk with Sean O’Connor http://seanmusic.com/. He would be performing here tonight and I wanted to take advantage of his setting up his equipment and rehearsing before his show to learn more about him, his music and how his new life in Okayama was working out.
I arrived a little bit earlier than Sean and I used this time to introduce myself to the owner, get a bit of history on Penny Lane and take some shots for this story. Sean has been living and performing in Japan for the last 2 years. A seasoned musician from Ireland, who has dedicated himself to sharing his love for the music of his homeland. Please look at the discussion area on the top page of JapanTourist for when Sean will be performing again. He travels around Japan and soon he will be sharing with us the places he goes to so if you are in the area and feel like chilling to live music, you can get your music event information and travel suggestions in one place.
Penny Lane http://pennylane-web.com/ has been opened for about 10 years and welcomes artists from around Japan and internationally. The owner is a trained musician herself decided to convert her home into a place where artists can visit and the locals from Kurashiki and the wider area of Okayama Prefecture can experience an intimate musical sensation. This live café can sit about 20-30 people which makes for a night of music and the real possibility of making some new friends.
If live music is not your scene than during the day Penny Lane is a café which offers all the usual drinks and light food you would expect in a sidewalk café. In this immediate area there are many options but if you were in the mood to get your palm read the owners daughter Megumi is there from 10:00-12:00 and 2:00-5:30. In my time in Japan fortune telling can be found in most cities and is well patronized by people. At Penny Lane the prices for a reading starts at 1500yen for 15 minutes.
On the second floor you can visit the gallery which exhibits art from local artists. The exhibitions change often so this will always offer a unique viewing each time you visit.
