Jazz picks
Blue Note - Jazz club: Omotesando
[Open 5:30pm-1am daily.]
The venue of choice for top jazz and R&B acts from overseas.
Pit Inn - Jazz club: Shinjuku
[Open 2:30-5, 7:30-10:30pm daily.]
It may be smoky and cramped, but you can hear some of the most interesting local and international jazz in town here.
Jazz cafes
Big Boy - Jazz cafe: Jimbocho
[Open 1-5, 7-10:30pm. Closed Sun, Mon, 2nd, 4th Sat.]
With its bright yellow door and sunny, brasserie-like interior, Big Boy has an atmosphere that's the complete opposite of old-fashioned jazz kissas. The management plays jazz both new and old, and the sound system is optimized for piano music, so...
Eagle - Jazz cafe: Yotsuya
[Open 11:30am-midnight. Closed Sundays and holidays.]
Boasting a big collection of vinyl, an impressive sound system and humongous JBL speakers, Eagle has a certain old-school jazz-kissaten charm, as long as you don't mind the cigarette smoke. In the afternoons it's "quiet time," when you're...
Eigakan - Jazz cafe: Hakusan
[Open 3-11:30pm. Closed Sundays.]
This cozy cafe bar is furnished with European and Japanese antiques and heavy-duty lights used for shooting movies; the ambience seems almost like that of a private detective's office in a Raymond Chandler novel. The cafe's resident cat grooms...
Intro - Jazz cafe: Takadanobaba
[Open noon-midnight daily.]
An old-fashioned "jazz kissa" where you can nurse your drink and nod your head to the music for hours on end.
Jazz Blues Soul Bar - Bar: Shibuya
[Open 2-11pm daily.]
The initials stand for Jazz Blues Soul, with an emphasis on jazz and coffee during the daytime. The huge, 11,000-disk vinyl collection here also includes an impressive selection of old-school hiphop from the seventies through the nineties. ...
Narcis - Jazz cafe: Shinjuku Kabukicho
[Open 5-11pm. Closed Sundays.]
The bustling Kabukicho neighborhood may seem like a strange place for a jazz cafe, but Narcis is a great spot for listening to quiet jazz, and their stylish interior design is reminiscent of old cafes in New York City's East Village. The tiny...
New Dug - Jazz cafe: Shinjuku
[Open noon-2am daily.]
This popular cafe-bar was featured as a setting in Haruki Murakami's novel "Norwegian Wood." In the afternoons customers enjoy quiet jazz along with a cup of their relatively bitter coffee (Y420), while at nighttime the place is packed with lively...
Samurai - Jazz cafe: Shinjuku
[Open 6pm-midnight (Sat. 3pm-mid). Open every day.]
Thousands of maneki neko (good-luck cat statues) fill the interior of this spacious cafe-bar, along with signed covers of jazz albums and underground theater posters. There's a counter and several tables, making this a good venue for a small party....
Jazz clubs
Aketa no Mise - Jazz club: Nishi-Ogikubo
[Open 7-11pm daily.]
Shows 7:30-11pm; admission is Y2500 with one drink.
Body and Soul - Jazz club: Shibuya
[Open 6:30-11pm daily.]
This intimate jazz club has been an important part of Tokyo's jazz scene since 1974, moving to Shibuya from their previous Omotesando location in October 2021. There's a full calendar of live music with shows every night - mostly local artists, but...
JZ Brat - Jazz club: Shibuya
[Open 5:30-11pm. Closed Sundays.]
A popular venue for jazz and R&B acts from home and abroad.
Someday - Jazz club: Shinjuku Gyoen-mae
[Open 6:45-11:45pm. Closed some Mondays.]
A smallish live club that features local talent.