Eagle

1-8 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-Ku
Yotsuya 1 Chome 8 Shinjuku-ku Tōkyō-to JP

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

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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