2F, 1 Chome−13−6, Kabukicho, Shinjuku
Kabukichō 1 Chome 13-6
Shinjuku-ku
Tōkyō-to
JP
I found this tiny gem of a jazz cafe amidst the chaos that is Kabukicho in Shinjuku. It is a small place run by Kawashima-san, an exceptionally friendly lady with a taste for free jazz. She’s got a nice vinyl collection in the wall cabinet, the usual Japanese jazz magazines for browsing, and some surprisingly delicious coffee on the menu. (Bonus point for the vintage pink payphone which may or may not work.)
What really knocked me out about the place were the photos to the right of the bar, some old, out-of-focus shots of guys playing by the window in the front of the cafe. I thought I recognized one of the musicians..a guy with dreadlocks playing the trumpet..it was Leo Smith! Then in another picture a guy with a huge grey beard blowing into a sax..Evan Parker! Turns out that up until a few years ago, Kawashima-san would have live solo gigs in the cafe, featuring some really extreme players like Smith, Parker and even Charles Gayle. Imagine hearing Charles Gayle play a live solo gig in that space… Unfortunately Kawashima-san said they stopped doing the gigs (no reason offered when I asked)..Maybe we can get a petition going to start them up again? The world needs more free-jazz cafes.
Photos here at tokyojazzjoints.com
Size
11-20
Directions
Station: Shinjuku
Exit: My City Exit
Distance from station: 6-9
Take the main entrance into Kabukicho by the Don Quiote discount shop on Yasukuni-Dori. Walk straight down all the way to the Koma Theater. Turn right and look up along the buildings on the right side. You’ll see a small sign that says “Jazz” among all the porno shops and snack bars. It’s on the 2nd floor above a “uniform” store.
Date published
02/14/2009 UPDATED June 2015
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03-6455-300103-6455-3001
The central streets of Shibuya often conceal some cool little music spots amidst the brand stores...
Shibuya-ku, Udagawacho 19-5 3.67 km
Koen-Dori Classics is a small performance space located underneath a church in the heart of Shibu...
6-6-4, Sakae Bldg B1, Akasaka, Minato-ku 3.69 km
The B Flat in Akasaka is a great straight-ahead jazz club in an area without many other options f...
1-14 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku 3.69 km
03-3267-842303-3267-8423
UPDATE: Found out just yesterday that the lovely Matsuura-san passed away just about two years ag...
102 Dai-Ichi Mitomi Bldg 102, 1-30-6 Arai, Nakano-Ku 3.73 km
03-6454-028303-6454-0283
Rompercicci is a fairly new jazz cafe/bar just a short ten-minute walk from Nakano Station. It...
〒150-0002 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Shibuya, 1 Chome−5−6 B1F 3.74 km
INC Cocktails opened in late 2018 just a short walk from Shibuya Station. It’s a very large...
B-113 Lions Mansion Nakano Dai-5 B-113, Arai 1-14-16, Nakano-Ku 3.77 km
I found this small-even-by-Tokyo-standards “piano bar” while lost in Nakano one nig...
Utagawacho 30-4, Shibuya-Ku 3.78 km
03-3463-284803-3463-2848
Pres Jazz Bar is located up near the end of “Center Gai” street in Shibuya, not the...
B1 26-6, Utagawa-cho, Shibuya-Ku 3.8 km
03-3461-825603-3461-8256
Modern jazz specialty shop, more than 8000 records on sale from the 50s & 60s. Been open sinc...
5-1-2 Akasaka Engel Bldg 2F, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 3.82 km
Volontaire moved to its current location in Akasaka a few years ago after more than three decades...
3-7-15 Akasaka, Minato-Ku 3.84 km
Hashi no Shita (橋 の下 means “Under The Bridge” in Japanese) is in Akasaka-Mitsuke...
〒150-0002 東京都渋谷区渋谷２丁目３−４ 3.93 km
03-3499-189003-3499-1890
Seabird is a lovely old cafe next to Aoyama Gakuin University, between Shibuya and Omotesando sta...
Toshima-Ku, Higashi-Ikebukuro 1-28-1 Takuto T.O. Bldg 2F 4.08 km
03-5391-738803-5391-7388
The Owl cafe in Ikebukuro was a great mystery to me as the first three times I went by it was clo...
Chiyo Bldg, B1, 5-9-22 Dai 2, Roppongi 4.17 km
Electrik Jinja opened in April 2012 and quickly became the hippest spot in Roppongi. It’s ...
Hama Roppongi Bldg. 5F, 6-2-35 Roppongi, Minato-Ku 4.17 km
03-3479-203703-3479-2037
Opened in May 1980 and now in its 41st year, Alfie is simply one of the best live jazz spots in ...
Azeria Bldg 1F, 1-3-6 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 4.2 km
03-5770-384303-5770-3843
Vanilla Mood is a cool little jazz bar/club just across from Roppongi Hills. It has been open for...
1-17-10 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-Ku 4.2 km
There’s a beautiful simplicity about JBS (Jazz,Blues,Soul). Owner Kobayashi-san has more th...
Toshima-Ku, Nishi-Ikebukuro, 1-15-6, Toshima Kaikan B2F 4.22 km
Absolute Blue is a new club opened in Feb 2015 by Ayumi Hoshikawa, previously a club owner in New...
東京都渋谷区桜丘町 17-10 4.26 km
03-5784-456503-5784-4565
Music Bar 45 is a small 2nd floor joint located just a few minutes walk from the south exit of Sh...
東京都 港区 六本木 7-18-16 川久保ビル １Ｆ・４Ｆ 4.34 km
03-3401-626203-3401-6262
Bar Spice is a classic little Soul music bar overlooking Roppongi-Dori, right across from the Rop...
Numabukuro 1-34-4 B1, Nakano-Ku 4.45 km
03-3388-204003-3388-2040
Organ Jazz Club: the name gives it away, doesn’t it? One of the few places in town with a r...
Palace Garden Milano Bldg, 1F, Ikebukuro 2-63-6 4.56 km
Kenny’s Bar is by far the hippest place in not-so-hip Ikebukuro. It’s a small, dark j...
1-11 Kanda-Jimbocho, Chiyoda 4.62 km
03-3233-434303-3233-4343
Big Boy is a tiny cafe/bar on a side street off the main road through Jinbocho, the old book shop...
Fujimi Yoshida Bldg. B1, Fujimi 2-2-11, Chiyoda 4.62 km
Cafe Ragtime has live music every Thursday and Friday nights, usually piano and sax or vocalist d...
2-24 Jimbocho Kanda, Chiyoda-Ku 4.62 km
Kissa Ko is one of the older cafes in town but had a facelift in 2012 so now has an all new decor...
2F 1-52-1 Jimbocho, Kanda, Chiyoda-Ku 4.62 km
03-3294-362103-3294-3621
All used records (and a few CDs) here with vocals & swing jazz being the specialty. Lots of o...
Annex Bldg. 4F, Ropoongi 4-11-5, Minato-Ku 4.74 km
03-3401-308003-3401-3080
Very supper-club type place, most nights featuring vocal-led bands. The food is good, the service...
Dai 2 Okumura Bldg, B1, 1-47-13 Ikebukuro, Toshima-Ku 4.83 km
03-6914-349903-6914-3499
Montgomery Land opened up a couple of years ago just a short walk from Ikebukuro Station. It̵...
Umimoto Bldg (梅本) , 4F, 3-29-2 Nishi-Ikebukuro 4.83 km
03-3985-024003-3985-0240
Paper Moon (ぺーぱーむーん) is a 15 seat L-shaped counter bar opened and run by the friendly Ya...
Parkside Fuki B1, 3-22-8 Nishi-Ikebukuro 4.83 km
03-5960-225203-5960-2252
Jazz Live Bar Independence is another great joint located in the surprisingly hip neighborhood ...
2-20-2 Kitazawa, Setagaya-Ku 4.93 km
NOTE: Masako closed in FEB 2010…I’m leaving it here anyways, so people will remember....
3-1-12 Koenji-Kita, Suginami-Ku, Tokyo 5.02 km
080-3496-3883080-3496-3883
S.U.B. Store (Small Unique Bookstore) is a very hip new hybrid cafe/bar/gallery/bookstore/records...
155-0032 東京都世田谷区代沢5-31-14 5.08 km
TEL 03-3412-3947TEL 03-3412-3947
Lady Jane has a very cinematic feel to it, the kind of joint that a lot of people outside Japan w...
Japan, 〒101-0051 Tōkyō-to, Chiyoda-ku, Kanda Jinbōchō, 1 Chome−2−9 ウェルスビル 5.19 km
The Adirondack Cafe is a unique jazz cafe and bar just off the main road through the Jinbocho are...
5-6-14 Daizawa, Setagaya-Ku 5.35 km
03-3412-594503-3412-5945
Jazz Haus Posy was opened in 1973 by jazz fanatic Misa. She’s a serious enough fan to hav...
Ogawamachi 3-24, Kanda, Chiyoda-Ku 5.37 km
03-3259-005503-3259-0055
Jazz Olympus was opened by the very friendly Komatsu-san in 2009. It’s a sleek cafe/bar t...
2 Chome−1−10, Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku 5.42 km
03-3291-232103-3291-2321
Naru in Ochanomizu first opened in 1969 as the sister live spot to the Naru jazz cafe in the Yoyo...
Bunkyo-Ku, Hakusan 5-33-19 5.44 km
03-3811-893203-3811-8932
The Eigakan (映画館 “Movie Theater) is a jazz cafe for both jazz lovers and cinephiles. Own...
Matsubara 1-37-14, Setagaya-Ku 5.45 km
03-3321-943103-3321-9431
Miles is a treasure. It opened in 1960 and is one of the few remaining neighborhood jazz bars fro...
2F 3-20-13 2F, Ogawamachi, Kanda, Chiyoda-Ku 5.57 km
03-5577-482603-5577-4826
Grauers is a new cafe/bar opened August, 2011. Owner Furusho Shinjiro is a long time jazz journal...
2 Chome-17 Kanda Tsukasamachi Chiyoda-ku 5.8 km
Jazz Bar Gugan is a small bar in the east side of Tokyo, near both the Ochanomizu and Jimbocho ...
東京都千代田区有楽町2-3-6 マスヤビルB1F 5.86 km
03-3575-031503-3575-0315
Kiri is a wonderful little basement spot in between Hibiya, Ginza and Yurakucho stations. It̵...
Hotel Wing International Meguro B1, 1-3-14, Meguro 5.92 km
03-5496-438103-5496-4381
Blues Alley Japan. is a sophisticated club with great food and an eclectic live schedule. It...
5-16-17, Meguro Honcho, Meguro-Ku 5.92 km
Fat Mama is named after the great Herbie Hancock track from his album “Fat Albert Rotunda&#...
1-6-12 Minami-Koenji, Suginami-Ku 5.99 km
Kissa Seikatsu (喫茶生活 “Cafe Lifestyle”) is a gem of a place a few mins walk from...
1-35-21 Minami-Asagaya, Suginami-Ku 5.99 km
Misty is a small cafe located in the heart of Asagaya’s old style “shotengai” (...
2-12-5-2F Kita-Koenji, Suginami-Ku 5.99 km
03-03339-621103-03339-6211
Nadja is a great little cafe in Koenji that stands out for its tasty lunch menu, especially the M...
Inoue Bldg (井上ビル) B1, 5-16-15, Ogikubo, Suginami-Ku 5.99 km
03-5347-736903-5347-7369
Rooster is a great little live-house that features jazz, blues, funk, New Orleans..basically all ...
6-13-9 Minami Aoyama, Minato-Ku 6.01 km
03-5466-334803-5466-3348
Body & Soul is one of the most historically important jazz clubs in Tokyo. Featuring many of ...
2 Chome−2−7, Asagayakita, Suginami 6.23 km
03-3336-796103-3336-7961
Tiny club in jazz rich Asagaya, Manhattan is always worth stopping by. All-night jam sessions thr...
2 Chome-43-2 Sendagi, Bunkyo City, Tokyo 6.26 km
‘Modern Jazz’ Players Bar R started in June 2022 in the existing Players Bar R, with ...
Tokyo-to, Meguro-Ku, Yutenji 1-22-6 6.32 km
Ohio is great, an intimate, friendly bar with a huge collection of soul music. Owner Kin-chan has...