Eagle is really the prototypical jazz cafe. It opened in 1967 in Yotsuya, right down the street from Sofia University, so four decades worth of college students have passed through the place along with the usual sleepy afternoon salarymen and jazz freaks. Its got all the usual jazz cafe bits (magazine reading material, fliers, expensive coffee) and a massive record collection. In the afternoons they put up a sign on the door announcing a ‘No Talking’ policy, keeping the focus on the music.
Last time I was there I got lucky as they played Grant Green’s”Matador” album on Blue Note, then Eric Dolphy`s “Live at the Five Spot” with Booker Little on trumpet. These sounded like completely different records to the ones I play at home on my tiny system. The music in the Eagle is kept loud and the sound system is crystal clear, so hearing old records in there is a whole new experience. It’s completely worth blowing off work for the afternoon to spend a few hours in there immersed in classic jazz records. The interior of Eagle has been redone so it doesn’t feel as old and atmospheric as some other cafes, but still has a place near the top of any Tokyo jazz joint list.
See photos of Eagle over at Tokyo Jazz Joints.
Size
30+
Food
Yes
Directions link
Directions
Station: Yotsuya – JR Sobu & Chuo, Marunouchi, Nanboku Subway Lines
Exit: 2
Distance from station: 1 minutes
Date published
02/14/2009 UPDATED Jan 2016
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03-5367-236603-5367-2366
Houdenasu (ほうでなす) is a small 2nd floor bar located right in the heart of Shinjuku 3-Chome,...
東京都 港区 六本木 7-18-16 川久保ビル １Ｆ・４Ｆ 2.75 km
03-3401-626203-3401-6262
Bar Spice is a classic little Soul music bar overlooking Roppongi-Dori, right across from the Rop...
Nishi-shinjuku 1-4-20, Shinjuku-Ku 2.78 km
03-3348-910903-3348-9109
The Vagabond is a classic joint right next to the West Exit of Shinjuku station. I think the revi...
Annex Bldg. 4F, Ropoongi 4-11-5, Minato-Ku 2.79 km
03-3401-308003-3401-3080
Very supper-club type place, most nights featuring vocal-led bands. The food is good, the service...
Azeria Bldg 1F, 1-3-6 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 2.81 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...
Daikan Plaza B-306, 7-10-17 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku 2.85 km
03-3364-157703-3364-1577
It’s all about vinyl at Hal’s Jazz. Owner Ikeda-san keeps a few racks of cds in the c...
Japan, 〒101-0051 Tōkyō-to, Chiyoda-ku, Kanda Jinbōchō, 1 Chome−2−9 ウェルスビル 3.05 km
The Adirondack Cafe is a unique jazz cafe and bar just off the main road through the Jinbocho are...
Ogawamachi 3-24, Kanda, Chiyoda-Ku 3.14 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...
2F 3-20-13 2F, Ogawamachi, Kanda, Chiyoda-Ku 3.33 km
03-5577-482603-5577-4826
Grauers is a new cafe/bar opened August, 2011. Owner Furusho Shinjiro is a long time jazz journal...
Watanabe Bldg B2 Ginza 8-6-19 3.34 km
The Ribbon is what most people would think of when hearing the words “Ginza Jazz”. It...
Minami Bldg B1 Asagaya-Kita 2-13-5 3.34 km
03-3337-132503-3337-1325
Masuda-san sadly passed away in 2012. Stardust is an old bar, first opened in Asagaya in 1971 ...
Inaba Bldg , 2F Asagaya-Minami 3-28-31 3.34 km
03-3220-127503-3220-1275
吐夢 (Pronounced “To-mu” or just “Tom”) is unique in a couple of ways. ...
Asagaya 3-37 3.34 km
Note: Closed in early 2015. I guess he couldn’t get many customers after all… Cafe El...
Marco Polo Bldg 2F, 1-8-14 Hon-Chi, Kichijoji 3.34 km
Scratch is a quiet cafe/bar that’s been in heart of Kichijoji since 1974. They open durin...
Wako Bldg 1F 1-62-4 Kanda Jimbocho Chiyoda-Ku 3.34 km
03-5283-711703-5283-7117
Closed 2015 Small Hours is a new cafe/bar located in the back streets between Ochanomizu, Jimbo...
Ikebukuro Roudou Kijun Kyoukai Bldg B2, Ikebukuro 1-8-8 3.34 km
03-5951-680703-5951-6807
Jazz, Funk & Soul are on tap at Miles’ Cafe. The Ikebukuro area is not known for having...
2Ｆ Dai Ichi Nishimura Bldg. 2F, 2-17-4 Miyagawa-cho, Naka-Ku 3.34 km
045-261-4542045-261-4542
Jazz Spot Dolphy opened in 1980 but moved to its current location in 1990 and has kept up a ste...
東京都千代田区有楽町2-3-6 マスヤビルB1F 3.36 km
03-3575-031503-3575-0315
Kiri is a wonderful little basement spot in between Hibiya, Ginza and Yurakucho stations. It̵...
Sasaki Bldg, B1, 2-8-3 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-Ku 3.37 km
03-3200-145203-3200-1452
Gate One is a small bar run by the husband and wife guitar-vocal duo Hashimoto-san and Kajiwara-s...
2 Chome−1−10, Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku 3.37 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...
Toyo Bldg. B1, 2-20-19 Yoyogi, Shibuya-Ku 3.41 km
03-3370-180103-3370-1801
Haikara-Tei is another Shinjuku jazz bar that somehow never popped up on my jazz radar after all ...
〒150-0002 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Shibuya, 1 Chome−5−6 B1F 3.48 km
INC Cocktails opened in late 2018 just a short walk from Shibuya Station. It’s a very large...
〒150-0002 東京都渋谷区渋谷２丁目３−４ 3.48 km
03-3499-189003-3499-1890
Seabird is a lovely old cafe next to Aoyama Gakuin University, between Shibuya and Omotesando sta...
2 Chome-17 Kanda Tsukasamachi Chiyoda-ku 3.54 km
Jazz Bar Gugan is a small bar in the east side of Tokyo, near both the Ochanomizu and Jimbocho ...
2-14-8 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-Ku 3.55 km
03-3200-439603-3200-4396
Jazz SPOT Intro in Takadanobaba is a tiny basement bar about 2 minutes walk from the station. I...
Fuji Shoji Bldg. 2F, Sakuragaoka 2-3, Shibuya-Ku 3.7 km
03-3461-338103-3461-3381
Many years back I found Mary Jane by accident, as I had been looking for the wonderfully named ...
Himawari Bldg. 2F, Dogenzaka 2-26-5, Shibuya-Ku 3.7 km
Very small place that is really just a bar with live music every night of the week. I’ve go...
6-13-9 Minami Aoyama, Minato-Ku 3.79 km
03-5466-334803-5466-3348
Body & Soul is one of the most historically important jazz clubs in Tokyo. Featuring many of ...
Shibuya-ku, Udagawacho 19-5 3.8 km
Koen-Dori Classics is a small performance space located underneath a church in the heart of Shibu...
Shibuya Parco B1, Udagawa-Cho 15-1 3.82 km
03-6455-300103-6455-3001
The central streets of Shibuya often conceal some cool little music spots amidst the brand stores...
Igari Bldg., 1-23-9 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-Ku 3.88 km
03-3200-451303-3200-4513
Milestone sadly closed its doors at the end of July, 2019 after 45 years in business. As the nam...
B1, 3-23-5 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-Ku 3.88 km
03-3367-123303-3367-1233
Hot House is the world’s smallest jazz club! Maybe 8 or 10 customers max in this place. Mak...
Kashiwagi Mura2 7-20-12, Nishi-Shinjuku 3.93 km
Swanky live club, heavy on the vocalists. Enjoyable but a bit soft for my tastes. It’s the ...
B1 26-6, Utagawa-cho, Shibuya-Ku 3.93 km
03-3461-825603-3461-8256
Modern jazz specialty shop, more than 8000 records on sale from the 50s & 60s. Been open sinc...
Utagawacho 30-4, Shibuya-Ku 3.98 km
03-3463-284803-3463-2848
Pres Jazz Bar is located up near the end of “Center Gai” street in Shibuya, not the...
41-23 Udagawa-Cho, Shibuya-Ku 150-0044 3.99 km
03-5458-418503-5458-4185
Bar Bossa in Shibuya is a quiet gem of a place, perfect for bossa nova fans and/or couples lookin...
30 Konya-Cho, Kanda, Chiyoda-Ku 4.04 km
03-3252-498203-3252-4982
Root Down moved down the street just 30 meters from it’s original spot, it’s now Tō...
16-4 Kamiyamacho, Shibuya, Tokyo 4.05 km
03-5790-954403-5790-9544
Despite its old-world cafe atmosphere, Swing only opened in 2014 and is one of the newer jazz spo...
B2F 8-6-18 Ginza, Chuo 4.13 km
Cygnus is the sister club to Aries in Ueno but a bit more upscale. Live shows three times a night...
東京都渋谷区桜丘町 17-10 4.18 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...
1-17-10 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-Ku 4.35 km
There’s a beautiful simplicity about JBS (Jazz,Blues,Soul). Owner Kobayashi-san has more th...
Bunkyo-Ku, Hakusan 5-33-19 4.5 km
03-3811-893203-3811-8932
The Eigakan (映画館 “Movie Theater) is a jazz cafe for both jazz lovers and cinephiles. Own...
4 Chome−3−1, Higashinakano, Nakano 4.5 km
03-3365-057203-3365-0572
Neighborhood cafe/bar/small live club. This is the kind of place you really only find in Japan; i...
3-11-12 2F, Shinjuku 4.66 km
CLOSED Fall 2014. Ten years after closing, and I still miss Jazz Pub Michaux and all those nights...
スズノビル1F, 3 Chome-2-10 Honchō, Nakano-ku 4.8 km
03-3372-347103-3372-3471
Genius was one of Shibuya’s more famous jazz cafes for more than 20 years before increasing...
Makita Bldg B1, 2-4-8 Ueno, Taito-Ku 4.82 km
Aries is a very local jazz live-house in the back streets of Ueno. By “local” I mea...
Tsuji Bldg B1, 3-14-12 Ueno, Taito-Ku 4.82 km
Every Swing is a small friendly club in the barren back streets east of Ueno Station. This is n...
Toshima-Ku, Higashi-Ikebukuro 1-28-1 Takuto T.O. Bldg 2F 4.9 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...
3-15-12 Shinjuku 5.02 km
03-3354-777603-3354-7776
The ‘New Dug’ in Shinjuku is a cafe/bar with a complex back story. It was the annex...
2 Chome-43-2 Sendagi, Bunkyo City, Tokyo 5.07 km
‘Modern Jazz’ Players Bar R started in June 2022 in the existing Players Bar R, with ...
Toshima-Ku, Nishi-Ikebukuro, 1-15-6, Toshima Kaikan B2F 5.32 km
Absolute Blue is a new club opened in Feb 2015 by Ayumi Hoshikawa, previously a club owner in New...
Palace Garden Milano Bldg, 1F, Ikebukuro 2-63-6 5.62 km
Kenny’s Bar is by far the hippest place in not-so-hip Ikebukuro. It’s a small, dark j...
Hotel Wing International Meguro B1, 1-3-14, Meguro 5.71 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 5.71 km
Fat Mama is named after the great Herbie Hancock track from his album “Fat Albert Rotunda&#...
3-14-10 Nishi-Nippori, Arakawa-Ku, Tokyo 5.73 km
Charmant opened in 1955 and certainly looks and feels its age. It’s a tiny bar on the secon...
Dai 2 Okumura Bldg, B1, 1-47-13 Ikebukuro, Toshima-Ku 6.01 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 6.01 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 6.01 km
03-5960-225203-5960-2252
Jazz Live Bar Independence is another great joint located in the surprisingly hip neighborhood ...
5-56-15 Nakano, Nakano-Ku 6.12 km
03-3389-798003-3389-7980
Jikan Ryokou (the sign is in Japanese 時間旅行, it means “Time Travel”) is simply won...
102 Dai-Ichi Mitomi Bldg 102, 1-30-6 Arai, Nakano-Ku 6.21 km
03-6454-028303-6454-0283
Rompercicci is a fairly new jazz cafe/bar just a short ten-minute walk from Nakano Station. It...
2-20-2 Kitazawa, Setagaya-Ku 6.25 km
NOTE: Masako closed in FEB 2010…I’m leaving it here anyways, so people will remember....
B-113 Lions Mansion Nakano Dai-5 B-113, Arai 1-14-16, Nakano-Ku 6.28 km
I found this small-even-by-Tokyo-standards “piano bar” while lost in Nakano one nig...
155-0032 東京都世田谷区代沢5-31-14 6.28 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...
Tokyo-to, Meguro-Ku, Yutenji 1-22-6 6.29 km
Ohio is great, an intimate, friendly bar with a huge collection of soul music. Owner Kin-chan has...
5-6-14 Daizawa, Setagaya-Ku 6.49 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...
Numabukuro 1-34-4 B1, Nakano-Ku 6.88 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...
Matsubara 1-37-14, Setagaya-Ku 7.29 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...
Yoshino Bldg B101, NIshi-Ogikubo, Kita 7.38 km
03-3395-950703-3395-9507
Aketa No Mise (“The Open Store”) is out in west Tokyo, not far from Nishi-Ogikubo s...
3-1-12 Koenji-Kita, Suginami-Ku, Tokyo 7.52 km
080-3496-3883080-3496-3883
S.U.B. Store (Small Unique Bookstore) is a very hip new hybrid cafe/bar/gallery/bookstore/records...