Extra on Jazz of Japan | Brian McCrory

Velera

Thu, 28 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Velera jazz bar, located near Akasaka-mitsuke station in Tokyo, Japan

Klavier

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Klavier jazz club, located near Asagaya station in Tokyo, Japan

Ginza Swing

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ginza Swing jazz club, located near Ginza and Yurakucho stations in Tokyo, Japan

Aketa no Mise

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Aketa no Mise jazz bar, located near Nishi-Ogikubo station in Tokyo, Japan

Cafe Cotton Club

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Cafe Cotton Club jazz club, located near Takadanobaba station in Tokyo, Japan

Manhattan

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Manhattan jazz club, located near Asagaya station in Tokyo, Japan

Organ Jazz Club Abecafe

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Organ Jazz Club Abecafe, located near Numabukuro Station in Tokyo, Japan

First-Timer’s Guide to Live Jazz in Japan

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

How to navigate Japanese jazz spots for the first time (and for anyone who wants to know more about what it’s like)

On A Slow Boat To…

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

On A Slow Boat To... jazz cafe, located near Jimbocho and Ochanomizu Stations in Tokyo, Japan

Bigboy

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Bigboy jazz cafe, located near Jimbocho Station in Tokyo, Japan

Natural

Sat, 19 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Natural music salon, located near Mitaka station in Tokyo, Japan

In F

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In F jazz club, located near Oizumi-gakuen station in Tokyo, Japan

Thelonious

Fri, 23 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Thelonious jazz club, located near Higashi-nakano and Ochiai stations in Tokyo, Japan

Oto-ya Hiroo

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Oto-ya Hiroo concert space, located near Hiroo station in Tokyo, Japan

Nardis

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Nardis jazz club, located near Kashiwa station in Kashiwa, Japan

Sunny Side

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sunny Side jazz club, located near Takadanobaba and Nishi-waseda stations in Tokyo, Japan

Strings

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Strings jazz club, located near Kichijoji station in Tokyo, Japan

Velvet Sun

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Velvet Sun jazz club, located near Ogikubo and Asagaya stations in Tokyo, Japan

Jazz Nutty

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Jazz Nutty jazz cafe, located near Wadeda station in Tokyo, Japan

Ten Top 10s for Live Jazz in Tokyo

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

“I’m going to be in Tokyo for a few days and want to catch some live jazz… where should I go? Let me know the best places for live jazz…”

Figure 1: A cocktail at Yoyogi Naru jazz bar in Tokyo

“Sure! Here are the Top 10 best jazz clubs, bars, and venues for live music around Tokyo, with links to homepages, maps, and articles.” If only it were that simple…

Naru

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Naru jazz club, located near Ochanomizu station in Tokyo, Japan

Someday

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The jazz bar Someday in the Shinjuku Sanchome (now in Asakusa) nightlife area offers a big stage, a wide-open seating area, and an audiophile’s setup with special custom speakers hanging from the ceiling. You get the sense that the planning for Someday has all been thought out and carefully arranged to provide a satisfying and authentic live jazz experience in an American-style spacious jazz bar setting among the typically cozier Tokyo options. In the same spirit, the kitchen at Someday provides a variety of reasonably-priced snacks and dishes featured in the English-friendly menus, including some specialty rice and meat plates that are pleasant discoveries at this type of jazz bar.

Sweet Rain

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Sweet Rain jazz club, located near Nakano station in Tokyo, Japan

Kanmachi 63

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Kanmachi 63 jazz club, located near Bashamichi and Kannai stations in Yokohama, Japan

Apple Jump

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Apple Jump jazz club, located near Ikebukuro station in Tokyo, Japan

Jazzspot J

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Jazzspot J jazz club, located near Shinjuku-Sanchome and Shinjuku-Gyoemmae stations in Tokyo, Japan (permanently closed)

Gate One

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Gate One jazz club, located near Takadanobaba station in Tokyo, Japan

Somethin’

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Somethin’ jazz club, located near Ikebukuro station in Tokyo, Japan

Salt Peanuts

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Salt Peanuts jazz club, located near Ekoda and Shin-Egota stations in Tokyo, Japan

Blue Note Tokyo

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Blue Note Tokyo jazz club, located near Omote-Sando station in Tokyo, Japan

Koen-Dori Classics

Tue, 28 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Koen-Dori Classics jazz club, located near Shibuya station in Tokyo, Japan (temporarily closed)

Satin Doll

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Satin Doll jazz club, located near Roppongi station in Tokyo, Japan (permanently closed)

Bon Courage

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Bon Courage jazz club, located near Yotsuya station in Tokyo, Japan

Expression

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Expression co-working & jazz club, located near Jimbocho station in Tokyo, Japan

Jazz Spots of Japan

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This is a brief overview of some of the general types of places that you may find in Japan, to help you learn more about and find the places you may want to visit.

Figure 1: JJ Soul with Mikiko Nagatake, Ryuichi Ishikawa, and Kira Sota at Gate One in 2023

Variations of Jazz Spots

There are many types of jazz spots in Japan. By jazz spots, I mean jazz clubs, jazz joints, jazz rooms, jazz spaces, jazz places… basically anywhere that jazz is featured as a draw or essential feature of the establishment.

B-flat

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

B-flat jazz club, located near Akasaka station in Tokyo, Japan

Kohaku

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Kohaku jazz club, located near Shibuya station in Tokyo, Japan

Pit Inn

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Pit Inn jazz club, located near Shinjuku-Sanchome station in Tokyo, Japan

What's J Jazz?

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Figure 1: Singer Rie Taguchi’s Birthday Live at Satin Doll in 2013

What’s J Jazz?

J Jazz, or Japanese Jazz, is a classification label found in sections of some record and CD shops in Japan. These are sections that record stores use to spotlight and organize albums from Japanese jazz musicians. By separating the Japanese artists’ albums from the general jazz section, both local and overseas customers who are visiting Japan can more easily find unfamiliar Japanese jazz albums.

Lydian

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Lydian jazz club, located near Ogawamachi and Awajicho stations in Tokyo, Japan (permanently closed)

Sometime

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Sometime jazz club, located near Kichijoji station in Tokyo, Japan

No Room for Squares

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

No Room for Squares jazz club, located near Shimo-Kitazawa station in Tokyo, Japan

Dug

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Dug jazz bar, located near Shinjuku station in Tokyo, Japan

Knuttel House

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Knuttel House jazz club, located near Asakusa and Iriya stations in Tokyo, Japan

Zimagine

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Zimagine jazz club, located near Omote-Sando station in Tokyo, Japan

Cochi

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Cochi jazz club, located near Koiwa station in Tokyo, Japan

Boozy Muse

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Boozy Muse jazz club, located near Okubo and Shin-Okubo stations in Tokyo, Japan (permanently closed)

Jazz Bird

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Jazz Bird jazz club, located near Omote-Sando station in Tokyo, Japan

Independence

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Independence jazz club, located near Ikebukuro station in Tokyo, Japan

Intro

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Intro jazz club, located near Takadanobaba station in Tokyo, Japan

Donfan

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Donfan jazz club, located near Otsuka station in Tokyo, Japan

Soultrane

Sun, 18 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Soultrane jazz club, located near Asakusa station in Tokyo, Japan

Body & Soul

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Body & Soul jazz club, located near Shibuya and Harajuku stations in Tokyo, Japan

JZ Brat

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

JZ Brat jazz club, located near Shibuya station in Tokyo, Japan

A-Un

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A-Un jazz club, located near Shinjuku and Nishi-shinjuku stations in Tokyo, Japan (permanently closed)

Bully's

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Bully’s jazz club, located near Yotsuya Sanchome and Akebonobashi stations in Tokyo, Japan (permanently closed)

Porto

Wed, 31 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Porto jazz club, located near Nippori station in Tokyo, Japan

Cafe Beulmans

Tue, 30 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Cafe Beulmans jazz club, located near Seijogakuen-mae and Nakano-Sakaue stations in Tokyo, Japan

Apollo

Mon, 29 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Apollo jazz club, located near Shimo-Kitazawa station in Tokyo, Japan

Barbra

Thu, 25 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Barbra jazz club, located near Ginza and Shimbashi stations in Tokyo, Japan

The Deep

Mon, 22 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Deep jazz club, located near Ginza and Shimbashi stations in Tokyo, Japan

Polka Dots

Fri, 19 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Polka Dots jazz club, located near Shinjuku-Sanchome station in Tokyo, Japan

All of Me

Wed, 17 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

All of Me jazz club, located near Roppongi and Nogizaka stations in Tokyo, Japan

Hot House

Tue, 16 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Hot House jazz club, located near Takadanobaba station in Tokyo, Japan (permanently closed)

Our Delight

Sat, 13 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Our Delight jazz club, located near Warabi station in Tokyo, Japan

Birdland

Fri, 12 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Birdland jazz club, located near Kitasenju station in Tokyo, Japan

Into the Blue

Fri, 12 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Into the Blue jazz club, located near Machida station in Tokyo, Japan

P's Bar

Fri, 12 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

P’s Bar jazz club, located near Ikebukuro station in Tokyo, Japan

Paco

Fri, 12 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Paco jazz club, located near Kojimachi and Hanzomon stations in Tokyo, Japan

Alfie

Fri, 05 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Alfie jazz club, located near Roppongi station in Tokyo, Japan

Yoyogi Naru

Thu, 04 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Yoyogi Naru jazz club, located near Yoyogi station in Tokyo, Japan

Introduction to Jazz of Japan

Wed, 03 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Picture this: a dazzling city, clean and modern yet old-fashioned and traditional – a city of the future and of the past, simultaneously. Bars and izakaya everywhere, busy and tipsy uniformed and suited-up masses of people rushing to and fro. Digital voices emanating from brightly lit signs looming large in the sky, on the sides of buildings, on shop walls. In the middle of this, an unlimited supply of food, drink, merchandise — seafood restaurants, alcohol establishments, and convenience stores are everywhere. And hidden in the dark corners and underground floors… the jazz of Japan. Welcome to the world of Japanese jazz.