Ken Taniguchi

Ken Taniguchi runs the store his father opened in 1936 in Ochanomizu, Japan.  The store started as a repair shop for accordions in the years before World War II.  When US soldiers came in for repairs on all manner of instruments, the shop developed a strong reputation and soon expanded.  Ken came into the business in 1965, the year before the Beatles toured Japan, which forever changed the industry.  Finding a special niche, the store specializes in left handed electric guitars.  He rode the wave of demand in guitars but always felt the new competition made business very difficult.  As a result, Ken became active in the music industry and headed the Tokyo branch of the JIMAI for over twenty years.