Genius was one of Shibuya’s more famous jazz cafes for more than 20 years before increasing rents pushed them out, necessitating a move to sleepy Nakano-Shinbashi, a bit west of Shinjuku.
It is owned and operated by the lovely Suzuki-family, a warm and chatty couple with many jazz stories in their past. The cafe is filled with beautiful black & white photos taken at gigs over the years, as well as a substantial collection of Japanese jazz magazines and journals. The main attraction at Genius though is the huge record collection; Suzuki-san humbly claimed it was only ‘a couple thousand, with some more at home’ but there’s certainly more than that. By my eye test I’d guess 5000+, and word from some customers is that they have another 5000 at home, rotating what they bring to the cafe. When I was last there he pulled out an amazing John Coltrane in Europe bootleg featuring Eric Dolphy, an absolute treasure.
The sound system is pristine and there is tasty cake and coffee on the menu, plus the usual alcohol options. Genius is yet another perfect spot to spend an afternoon listening to jazz. Pictures of Genius are over at Tokyo Jazz Joints.
Rompercicci is a fairly new jazz cafe/bar just a short ten-minute walk from Nakano Station. It’s a bright, warm space with superb speakers and an extensive vinyl collection covering all genres. Looks like some nice cakes available for afternoon coffee/tea time plus wine, whisky and beer for night time drinking. It’d be nice to have an addition to the Tokyo jazz cafe scene rather than the usual subtraction as more and more places close down No smoking joint, which will appeal to a lot of people. Video below.
Jikan Ryokou (the sign is in Japanese 時間旅行, it means “Time Travel”) is simply wonderful. It’s a tiny 12-seat joint in the back streets of Nakano, an area full of small drinking dens. The owner Asai-san is in her late 50s and opened the place about twenty years ago..she was being coy about dates and her age as bar mama-sans often are.
As you can see from the video below, the walls are covered in classic rock album covers as well as jazz records. In one night there I heard John Coltrane, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Cannonball Adderly and as I was leaving late at night I think she was pulling out some Mozart. So it’s not exclusively a jazz spot but most music geeks I know would have no problem with any record in her huge collection.
I found this small-even-by-Tokyo-standards “piano bar” while lost in Nakano one night. The system is quite unique; they have live music a couple times a week but on “bar nights” customers are welcome to start jamming or rehearsing, using the grand piano that’s wedged in the place or by bringing their own instruments. While sitting at the tiny bar in the corner one night I saw two guys walk in and order drinks, then start playing trumpet and bass. Very casual, very cool.
Pignose is a real neighborhood joint, very cramped but really friendly. Highly recommended.
Neighborhood cafe/bar/small live club. This is the kind of place you really only find in Japan; intimate, friendly and wonderful. Live music most nights but it’s not really a “club”.
Organ Jazz Club: the name gives it away, doesn’t it? One of the few places in town with a real Hammond Organ, this place is a must-visit if you like your jazz to be funky. Live gigs almost every night.
