Paper Moon (ぺーぱーむーん) is a 15 seat L-shaped counter bar opened and run by the friendly Yamamoto-san since 1982..and except for the cds scattered around the place the decor or furniture doesn’t seem to have changed since ’82. And that’s a good thing, I like my jazz bars to have soul and to feel lived in.
Yamamoto-san plays a wide range of music here, from free to Latin to local Japanese musicians. The beer was cold and you can bottle-keep if you want to be a regular. The window was open and the lights were kept fairly low, just a perfect spot for night-time drinking and jazz listening. Paper Moon is classic, one of my favorite places in town, and no table charge makes it just about perfect. Warning: not for people who are put off by a bit of dust.
Photos of Paper Moon over at Tokyo Jazz Joints.
Station: Ikebukuro-JR (many),Marunouchi, Yurakucho & Fukutoshin Lines
Exit: 1A
Distance from station: 1 minutes
Take exit 1A at Ikebukuro station, walk straight out and Paper Moon is less than a minute away on the right side. Keep a lookout for the sign (and be sure not to go round the corner to the “Paper Moon Cosplay” bar..fun joint but not that jazzy.