2-14-8 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-Ku
Takadanobaba 2 Chome 14-8
Shinjuku-ku
Tōkyō-to
JP
03-3200-439603-3200-4396
Jazz SPOT Intro in Takadanobaba is a tiny basement bar about 2 minutes walk from the station. In addition to the long-running Saturday night jam sessions (which go till 5 in the morning), there are live jams now Tuesday – Thursday from whomever shows up. It’s a very mellow place with no set line-up, the only regular being bar manager Inoue-san on alto sax. There’s a real old-school ‘jazz workshop’ vibe to the Intro, with the musicians communicating freely while running through standards.
Inoue-san acts as bandleader and bartender, pumping out swinging solos and then running behind the bar to refresh your drink while the band vamps. Try to make it on a Saturday as Japanese and foreign jazz musicians often pop in to sit in with the band. The level of play ranges from amateur/students up to professionals who stop in after midnight. Be prepared to give up some personal space and get there early if you`re in a larger group.
There are about 1500 vinyl records and 1000 cds placed around the bar for nights when there’s no live sets. I`ve heard everything from solo Keith Jarrett to the latest Japanese bossa-nova compilation there, so feel free to request anything. Intro is a unique place, and I have very fond memories of my weekly visits there during my student days.
Tokyo Jazz Joint photos of Intro can be seen here.
Size
11-20
Food
Yes
Directions
Station: Takadanobaba -JR Yamamote/Seibu-Shinjuku/Tozai Subway Lines
Exit: Waseda Exit
Distance from station: 2 minutes
Date published
02/12/2009 UPDATED Aug 2015
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Marco Polo Bldg 2F, 1-8-14 Hon-Chi, Kichijoji 2.92 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 2.92 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 2.92 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 2.92 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...
Kashiwagi Mura2 7-20-12, Nishi-Shinjuku 2.99 km
Swanky live club, heavy on the vocalists. Enjoyable but a bit soft for my tastes. It’s the ...
1−28−9, Shibuya, Yoyogi 3.5 km
03-6300-523103-6300-5231
Music Bar is part of the new development Yoyogi Village (read more about it here. It’s no...
102 Dai-Ichi Mitomi Bldg 102, 1-30-6 Arai, Nakano-Ku 3.5 km
03-6454-028303-6454-0283
Rompercicci is a fairly new jazz cafe/bar just a short ten-minute walk from Nakano Station. It...
スズノビル1F, 3 Chome-2-10 Honchō, Nakano-ku 3.5 km
03-3372-347103-3372-3471
Genius was one of Shibuya’s more famous jazz cafes for more than 20 years before increasing...
1-14 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku 3.54 km
03-3267-842303-3267-8423
UPDATE: Found out just yesterday that the lovely Matsuura-san passed away just about two years ag...
1-8 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-Ku 3.55 km
03-3357-985703-3357-9857
Eagle is really the prototypical jazz cafe. It opened in 1967 in Yotsuya, right down the street...
5-56-15 Nakano, Nakano-Ku 3.65 km
03-3389-798003-3389-7980
Jikan Ryokou (the sign is in Japanese 時間旅行, it means “Time Travel”) is simply won...
Numabukuro 1-34-4 B1, Nakano-Ku 3.87 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...
B-113 Lions Mansion Nakano Dai-5 B-113, Arai 1-14-16, Nakano-Ku 3.88 km
I found this small-even-by-Tokyo-standards “piano bar” while lost in Nakano one nig...
Toyo Bldg. B1, 2-20-19 Yoyogi, Shibuya-Ku 4.09 km
03-3370-180103-3370-1801
Haikara-Tei is another Shinjuku jazz bar that somehow never popped up on my jazz radar after all ...
Bunkyo-Ku, Hakusan 5-33-19 4.28 km
03-3811-893203-3811-8932
The Eigakan (映画館 “Movie Theater) is a jazz cafe for both jazz lovers and cinephiles. Own...
1-11 Kanda-Jimbocho, Chiyoda 4.76 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 4.76 km
Cafe Ragtime has live music every Thursday and Friday nights, usually piano and sax or vocalist d...
2-24 Jimbocho Kanda, Chiyoda-Ku 4.76 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 4.76 km
03-3294-362103-3294-3621
All used records (and a few CDs) here with vocals & swing jazz being the specialty. Lots of o...
Jingumae, 3 Chome−5−2 4.92 km
03-3402-753703-3402-7537
Gekko Sabou (月光茶房 “moon-light-tea-chamber”, a wonderful name) is not a jazz cafe/...
6-6-4, Sakae Bldg B1, Akasaka, Minato-ku 4.93 km
The B Flat in Akasaka is a great straight-ahead jazz club in an area without many other options f...
3-7-15 Akasaka, Minato-Ku 5.07 km
Hashi no Shita (橋 の下 means “Under The Bridge” in Japanese) is in Akasaka-Mitsuke...
Yoshino Bldg B101, NIshi-Ogikubo, Kita 5.07 km
03-3395-950703-3395-9507
Aketa No Mise (“The Open Store”) is out in west Tokyo, not far from Nishi-Ogikubo s...
5-1-2 Akasaka Engel Bldg 2F, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 5.09 km
Volontaire moved to its current location in Akasaka a few years ago after more than three decades...
Japan, 〒101-0051 Tōkyō-to, Chiyoda-ku, Kanda Jinbōchō, 1 Chome−2−9 ウェルスビル 5.17 km
The Adirondack Cafe is a unique jazz cafe and bar just off the main road through the Jinbocho are...
2 Chome-43-2 Sendagi, Bunkyo City, Tokyo 5.2 km
‘Modern Jazz’ Players Bar R started in June 2022 in the existing Players Bar R, with ...
2 Chome−1−10, Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku 5.27 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...
3-1-12 Koenji-Kita, Suginami-Ku, Tokyo 5.28 km
080-3496-3883080-3496-3883
S.U.B. Store (Small Unique Bookstore) is a very hip new hybrid cafe/bar/gallery/bookstore/records...
Ogawamachi 3-24, Kanda, Chiyoda-Ku 5.45 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...
Fuji Shoji Bldg. 2F, Sakuragaoka 2-3, Shibuya-Ku 5.48 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 5.48 km
Very small place that is really just a bar with live music every night of the week. I’ve go...
16-4 Kamiyamacho, Shibuya, Tokyo 5.63 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...
2F 3-20-13 2F, Ogawamachi, Kanda, Chiyoda-Ku 5.63 km
03-5577-482603-5577-4826
Grauers is a new cafe/bar opened August, 2011. Owner Furusho Shinjiro is a long time jazz journal...
41-23 Udagawa-Cho, Shibuya-Ku 150-0044 5.69 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...
Shibuya Parco B1, Udagawa-Cho 15-1 5.7 km
03-6455-300103-6455-3001
The central streets of Shibuya often conceal some cool little music spots amidst the brand stores...
3-14-10 Nishi-Nippori, Arakawa-Ku, Tokyo 5.7 km
Charmant opened in 1955 and certainly looks and feels its age. It’s a tiny bar on the secon...
Shibuya-ku, Udagawacho 19-5 5.73 km
Koen-Dori Classics is a small performance space located underneath a church in the heart of Shibu...
〒150-0002 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Shibuya, 1 Chome−5−6 B1F 5.76 km
INC Cocktails opened in late 2018 just a short walk from Shibuya Station. It’s a very large...
Chiyo Bldg, B1, 5-9-22 Dai 2, Roppongi 5.81 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 5.81 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 ...
Utagawacho 30-4, Shibuya-Ku 5.84 km
03-3463-284803-3463-2848
Pres Jazz Bar is located up near the end of “Center Gai” street in Shibuya, not the...
2 Chome-17 Kanda Tsukasamachi Chiyoda-ku 5.86 km
Jazz Bar Gugan is a small bar in the east side of Tokyo, near both the Ochanomizu and Jimbocho ...
B1 26-6, Utagawa-cho, Shibuya-Ku 5.86 km
03-3461-825603-3461-8256
Modern jazz specialty shop, more than 8000 records on sale from the 50s & 60s. Been open sinc...
〒150-0002 東京都渋谷区渋谷２丁目３−４ 5.93 km
03-3499-189003-3499-1890
Seabird is a lovely old cafe next to Aoyama Gakuin University, between Shibuya and Omotesando sta...
Azeria Bldg 1F, 1-3-6 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 5.96 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...
東京都 港区 六本木 7-18-16 川久保ビル １Ｆ・４Ｆ 6.03 km
03-3401-626203-3401-6262
Bar Spice is a classic little Soul music bar overlooking Roppongi-Dori, right across from the Rop...
Makita Bldg B1, 2-4-8 Ueno, Taito-Ku 6.15 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 6.15 km
Every Swing is a small friendly club in the barren back streets east of Ueno Station. This is n...
Annex Bldg. 4F, Ropoongi 4-11-5, Minato-Ku 6.26 km
03-3401-308003-3401-3080
Very supper-club type place, most nights featuring vocal-led bands. The food is good, the service...
1-17-10 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-Ku 6.27 km
There’s a beautiful simplicity about JBS (Jazz,Blues,Soul). Owner Kobayashi-san has more th...
東京都渋谷区桜丘町 17-10 6.31 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...
30 Konya-Cho, Kanda, Chiyoda-Ku 6.4 km
03-3252-498203-3252-4982
Root Down moved down the street just 30 meters from it’s original spot, it’s now Tō...
1-6-12 Minami-Koenji, Suginami-Ku 6.48 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 6.48 km
Misty is a small cafe located in the heart of Asagaya’s old style “shotengai” (...
2-12-5-2F Kita-Koenji, Suginami-Ku 6.48 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 6.48 km
03-5347-736903-5347-7369
Rooster is a great little live-house that features jazz, blues, funk, New Orleans..basically all ...
2 Chome−2−7, Asagayakita, Suginami 6.52 km
03-3336-796103-3336-7961
Tiny club in jazz rich Asagaya, Manhattan is always worth stopping by. All-night jam sessions thr...
東京都千代田区有楽町2-3-6 マスヤビルB1F 6.68 km
03-3575-031503-3575-0315
Kiri is a wonderful little basement spot in between Hibiya, Ginza and Yurakucho stations. It̵...
2-20-2 Kitazawa, Setagaya-Ku 6.78 km
NOTE: Masako closed in FEB 2010…I’m leaving it here anyways, so people will remember....
Matsubara 1-37-14, Setagaya-Ku 6.96 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...
155-0032 東京都世田谷区代沢5-31-14 6.97 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...