Marshmallow is a lovely new(ish) cafe located right in the heart of Chinatown, in Yokohama. It was opened 2+ years ago by Mr. & Mrs Joufu, long time Yokohama residents and previously owners of a men’s clothing shop, but also the purveyors of the Marshmallow Jazz record label in Japan. Marshmallow Records has over the last 40 years recorded numerous jazz musicians such as Chet Baker and Duke Jordan at sessions both in Japan and around the world. (Scroll down the main web page to see the full list of releases.)
Joufu-san closed his men’s clothing store in 2015 and opened the cafe on the second floor of a building on West Gate Street in Chinatown, just seconds away from where he was born 70 years ago. The cafe is long rectangular shape, with several dozen gorgeous jazz musician portraits and calendars covering almost all the wall space. There is a mixture of vinyl and CDs from his personal collection, including Marshmallow releases of course. However there are frequent afternoons set aside for customers to bring in their own records and put them on. There are also periodic afternoon or evening listening sessions devoted to one artist, hosted by various fan clubs.
Joufu-san speaks English and is happy to chat about his label and about the jazz scene around Japan so don’t hesitate to pop in for a coffee if you’re in Chinatown; Marshmallow is perfect spot for a 90-min or so rest stop during a Yokohama day out. Open from 1-8pm, closed Mondays & Tuesdays.
More pics of Marshmallow at Tokyo Jazz Joints.
On ‘West Gate Street’ in Chinatown, about equidistant between either JR Ishikawacho Station or Tokyu Toyoko Line Motomachi-Chukagai Station. Map is on the main web site page, just scroll down.