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.
Size
11-20
Directions
Station: Nakano Station – JR Chuo, Sobu lines, Tozai Subway Line
Exit: North
Distance from station: 6-9
Date published
01/24/2012
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1-17-4 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-Ku 4.92 km
03-3200-373003-3200-3730
Jazz Nutty opened in 2009 next to the campus of Waseda University. The wonderful Mr.& Mrs. ...
Dai 2 Okumura Bldg, B1, 1-47-13 Ikebukuro, Toshima-Ku 4.95 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 4.95 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 4.95 km
03-5960-225203-5960-2252
Jazz Live Bar Independence is another great joint located in the surprisingly hip neighborhood ...
Palace Garden Milano Bldg, 1F, Ikebukuro 2-63-6 5 km
Kenny’s Bar is by far the hippest place in not-so-hip Ikebukuro. It’s a small, dark j...
Toshima-Ku, Higashi-Ikebukuro 1-28-1 Takuto T.O. Bldg 2F 5.1 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...
2-20-2 Kitazawa, Setagaya-Ku 5.27 km
NOTE: Masako closed in FEB 2010…I’m leaving it here anyways, so people will remember....
155-0032 東京都世田谷区代沢5-31-14 5.56 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...
16-4 Kamiyamacho, Shibuya, Tokyo 5.6 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...
Fuji Shoji Bldg. 2F, Sakuragaoka 2-3, Shibuya-Ku 5.71 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 5.71 km
Very small place that is really just a bar with live music every night of the week. I’ve go...
41-23 Udagawa-Cho, Shibuya-Ku 150-0044 5.75 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...
5-6-14 Daizawa, Setagaya-Ku 5.84 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...
Shibuya Parco B1, Udagawa-Cho 15-1 5.93 km
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 5.99 km
Koen-Dori Classics is a small performance space located underneath a church in the heart of Shibu...
Utagawacho 30-4, Shibuya-Ku 6.01 km
03-3463-284803-3463-2848
Pres Jazz Bar is located up near the end of “Center Gai” street in Shibuya, not the...
Jingumae, 3 Chome−5−2 6.05 km
03-3402-753703-3402-7537
Gekko Sabou (月光茶房 “moon-light-tea-chamber”, a wonderful name) is not a jazz cafe/...
東京都杉並区西荻南2-25-4 6.09 km
03-5344-970103-5344-9701
Opened in 2010, Juha is a small but lively coffee shop about 5 minutes walk from Nishi-Ogikubo St...
B1 26-6, Utagawa-cho, Shibuya-Ku 6.09 km
03-3461-825603-3461-8256
Modern jazz specialty shop, more than 8000 records on sale from the 50s & 60s. Been open sinc...
1-8 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-Ku 6.12 km
03-3357-985703-3357-9857
Eagle is really the prototypical jazz cafe. It opened in 1967 in Yotsuya, right down the street...
1-17-10 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-Ku 6.33 km
There’s a beautiful simplicity about JBS (Jazz,Blues,Soul). Owner Kobayashi-san has more th...
〒150-0002 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Shibuya, 1 Chome−5−6 B1F 6.37 km
INC Cocktails opened in late 2018 just a short walk from Shibuya Station. It’s a very large...
東京都渋谷区桜丘町 17-10 6.58 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...
〒150-0002 東京都渋谷区渋谷２丁目３−４ 6.64 km
03-3499-189003-3499-1890
Seabird is a lovely old cafe next to Aoyama Gakuin University, between Shibuya and Omotesando sta...
1-14 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku 6.94 km
03-3267-842303-3267-8423
UPDATE: Found out just yesterday that the lovely Matsuura-san passed away just about two years ag...
Casa Rosa 2F Seijo 6-16-5, Setagaya-ku 6.97 km
I’ve known Yoshioka-san, owner and sole staff at Cafe Beulmans for several years now, since...
Minami Karasuyama 5-17-13 3F, Setagaya-Ku 6.97 km
03-3309-146003-3309-1460
Ragtime is the ideal jazz cafe in many ways. It’s a small place up on the 3rd floor of a ru...
6-6-4, Sakae Bldg B1, Akasaka, Minato-ku 7.27 km
The B Flat in Akasaka is a great straight-ahead jazz club in an area without many other options f...
5-1-2 Akasaka Engel Bldg 2F, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 7.39 km
Volontaire moved to its current location in Akasaka a few years ago after more than three decades...
3-7-15 Akasaka, Minato-Ku 7.43 km
Hashi no Shita (橋 の下 means “Under The Bridge” in Japanese) is in Akasaka-Mitsuke...
Azeria Bldg 1F, 1-3-6 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 7.43 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...
Chiyo Bldg, B1, 5-9-22 Dai 2, Roppongi 7.53 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 7.53 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 ...
Kichijoji Honcho 1-31-3, Musashino-shi 7.6 km
0422-21-14210422-21-1421
Meg is a small cafe/club in Kichijoji, western Tokyo that is a vibrant part of the local scene...
東京都 港区 六本木 7-18-16 川久保ビル １Ｆ・４Ｆ 7.65 km
03-3401-626203-3401-6262
Bar Spice is a classic little Soul music bar overlooking Roppongi-Dori, right across from the Rop...
Tokyo, Mitaka, Inokashira, 3 Chome−32−16 7.74 km
090-9332-9070090-9332-9070
トムネコゴ (Tomunekogo) is a small, cozy and rustic cafe alongside the entrance to Inokashira-Koe...
2F, 2-13-4 Minami-Cho, Kichijoji, Musashino-Shi 7.77 km
0422-46-02250422-46-0225
Jazz, Funk, Blues, Soul..like they say here in Japan, all “Black Music” available. Al...
Musashino, Kichijoji Honcho, 1−11−31 7.79 km
SOMETIME Kichijoji (they use all caps..) opened in 1975 and still packs people in every night o...
Yoshino Bldg B101, NIshi-Ogikubo, Kita 7.82 km
03-3395-950703-3395-9507
Aketa No Mise (“The Open Store”) is out in west Tokyo, not far from Nishi-Ogikubo s...
Bunkyo-Ku, Hakusan 5-33-19 7.91 km
03-3811-893203-3811-8932
The Eigakan (映画館 “Movie Theater) is a jazz cafe for both jazz lovers and cinephiles. Own...
Hotel Wing International Meguro B1, 1-3-14, Meguro 7.97 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 7.97 km
Fat Mama is named after the great Herbie Hancock track from his album “Fat Albert Rotunda&#...
1-7-3 Honcho, Kichijoji 7.99 km
Funky is the upstairs “Bar” part of the Bar & Kitchen Funky. It’s a sleek...
1-11 Kanda-Jimbocho, Chiyoda 8.04 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 8.04 km
Cafe Ragtime has live music every Thursday and Friday nights, usually piano and sax or vocalist d...
2-24 Jimbocho Kanda, Chiyoda-Ku 8.04 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 8.04 km
03-3294-362103-3294-3621
All used records (and a few CDs) here with vocals & swing jazz being the specialty. Lots of o...
Tokyo-to, Meguro-Ku, Yutenji 1-22-6 8.12 km
Ohio is great, an intimate, friendly bar with a huge collection of soul music. Owner Kin-chan has...