Misty is a small cafe located in the heart of Asagaya’s old style “shotengai” (shopping street). It’s both a lunch-time cafe and afternoon jazz coffee spot; the food menu is very extensive and the gourmet coffee from around the world is delicious.
The problem is unfortunately the music..despite having a beautiful collection of vintage jazz albums on the wall, including classics as well as more obscure avante-garde albums, the CD playing last time I went in was a wretched smooth jazz compilation. Even worse came after when they put on one of those “Rod Stewart Tries To Sing the Jazz Standards” CDs from a few years ago..unlistenable crap (and I love old Rod Stewart!) They also do something I find very annoying, playing a separate concert DVD on the TV screen with the sound turned off. Have never understood why places do this..
This situation may have been only for the more casual Saturday afternoon customers. It was crowded and I coudn’t get to speak with the owner or staff the way I usually do. If you’re in Asagaya I still recommend Misty for the coffee alone..just hope they keep the smooth jazz off. I will try and stop by again soon on a weekday to inquire about the musical selections.
Station: JR Asagaya – Chuo/Sobu Line
Exit: South
Distance from station: 6-9
Tam’s Bar is a tiny basement bar that seats no more than ten people at a time. As the sign brightly states, it opened in 1984 and features Jazz and Soul. I was a bit surprised to walk in and not see the usual one-thousand or so albums packed into a shelf behind the bar, instead there were just a couple dozen CDs and an MP3 player. The charming and chatty owner Oikawa-san informed me that she used to have a big vinyl collection but due to space issues, she converted to CDs several years back. This was not so encouraging but when the next random tune came up and I heard the first notes of ‘In A Silent Way’ by Miles Davis, my faith was restored.
Tam’s seems like a very ‘regular’s only/mostly’ joint but Oikawa-san was so friendly and welcoming that I won’t hesitate to drop by again when in the neighborhood. ¥1000 sit-down charge plus the usual beer and whiskey prices. Oikawa-san didn’t have any business cards left when I visited and said she ‘gave up halfway’ making a homepage. I’ll get the phone number and complete address during my next visit!
Kissa Seikatsu (喫茶生活 “Cafe Lifestyle”) is a gem of a place a few mins walk from Higashi-Koenji station on the Marunouchi Subway Line. It’s very tiny with less than 10 seats at the counter and two small tables. A lot of floor space is taken up by the huge bags of coffee beans from Ethiopia, Brazil, Indonesia and other spots round the world. Opened in 1998, owner Toda-san is a bit of a coffee specialist and has on offer a bewildering number of blends.
There are a lot of nice album covers on the wall, a rack of magazines, books and board-games for customers to use at will, and the place is non-snoking so it smells gorgeous from all the coffee beans. Kissa Seikatsu is a great joint for some quiet reading or thinking time, just don’t expect much conversation from Toda-san. His direct quote to me was a polite but firm “I don’t really communicate with the customers. Just make the coffee and put on records.” And he does that with no days off as the place is open from 10am to midnight every day of the year.
Nadja is a great little cafe in Koenji that stands out for its tasty lunch menu, especially the Malaysian style curry. Was busy the time I dropped by so need a return visit to chat with the owner and get the real lowdown, but Nadja is a great stop for lunch and coffee before a heavy music night in Koenji. Beginner jazz fans especially welcome!

Rooster is a great little live-house that features jazz, blues, funk, New Orleans..basically all the best stuff. They have a 2nd small space on the north side of the station too, for jam sessions and extra gigs.