Figure 1: Emiko Voice’s Carta Trio with Koichi Sato (piano) and Keita Okada (drums) at Sweet Rain in October 2018 Sweet Rain offers a great room for great jazz, a small but comfortable space with enough room for jazz trios and small combos. The space is neat, cozy, and clean. The atmosphere offers the relaxing feeling of a familiar hideaway where the stimulation of exciting jazz brushes off the daily grind like sweet rain washing out the dirty grime. ...

Figure 1: Live jazz at Kanmachi 63 with Hitomi Nishiyama (piano), Kazumi Ikenaga (drums), and Yasuhiko “Hachi” Sato (bass) in May 2019 Clean, simple, and comfortable, Kanmachi 63 (上町63) in Kannai, Yokohama is an authentic jazz lover’s hangout. It’s especially a great choice for those times when there’s a desire to concentrate on live and unbounded jazz music with minimal distractions. ...

With a pleasantly minimalist sensibility focused on creating a simple space for live jazz, Tokyo jazz room Apple Jump is easy to love. This small club is another favorite place to catch live performances from small combos featuring vocalists, violins, horn players, flutists, vibraphonists, straight-ahead piano trios, and more. Genres can also vary based on the night’s schedule. Located in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Apple Jump was a newer entry (about fifteen years ago) to the Tokyo jazz bar scene. It’s a small star in the wide galaxy of jazz bars in Tokyo, a humble joint that has continued to make an excellent impression through a calendar of steady and satisfying events. ...

Figure 1: Jazzspot J jazz live on New Year’s Eve 2006 With low-slung couch seats and candle-lit tables, the dimly-lit Jazzspot J (aka JazzSpot J, Jazz Spot J, or just J) felt like the grandfather of jazz bars in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It’s an image that conveys an older-but-comfortable insider’s hangout, and fits this well-known bar’s over-40-year history and authentic ambience. ...

Figure 1: Mariko Kajiwara and Shinji Hashimoto at Gate One in 2010 Tokyo’s Gate One is a classic neighborhood jazz bar, a local favorite for jazz fans and musicians around the Takadanobaba area. This basement live spot was started by husband-and-wife pair Shinji Hashimoto and Mariko Kajiwara with assistant manager Mai twenty-five years ago. Most fortunately, Gate One is still filled with their spirit of genuine jazz appreciation and communal love of live music. ...

Figure 1: A session at Somethin’ in 2019 As far as friendly jam sessions and classes welcoming true beginners, there’s one place that stands out. With its friendly, low-stress atmosphere, Somethin’ is a blessing for those who want to learn more and are ready to try playing jazz with others. Somethin’ Jazz Cafe in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, welcomes all amateur musicians who are interested in playing jazz, perhaps especially players with little to no jazz or group experience who may feel nervous about overcoming the initial hurdle of jumping right into regular jazz jams. ...

Figure 1: Salt Peanuts Salt Peanuts is a Tokyo jazz fan’s paradise, loved by Tokyo insiders for years and formerly less well-known but now experiencing a boom with appreciation and visits from new customers. Figure 2: May Inoue (guitar), Shunya Wakai (bass), Masayo Koketsu (sax), and Yuto Maseki (drums) at Salt Peanuts in 2012 ...

Figure 1: Welcome to Blue Note Tokyo With an ideal, near-peerless name that lines up with the legendary Blue Note Records jazz label, the Blue Note jazz club brand almost needs no introduction. Most jazz fans are familiar with this spot, and its New York location is regarded as one of the most famous and prestigious jazz clubs in the world. ...

Figure 1: Ryoji Orihara (electric fretless bass) Group with Akemi Ohta (flute), Yuya Wakai (piano), and Manabu Hashimoto (drums) at Koen Dori Classics in 2014 Koen-Dori Classics has the air of being a subdued yet musically expansive performance art space with an adjustable layout. Distinct from many other Tokyo clubs, this nice spot features a wide variety of acts, and one can imagine coming here to enjoy anything from improvisational jazz to classical concerts and even plays or performance pieces. ...

Figure 1: Rie Taguchi’s Birthday Live with Mai Suzuki and Mayumi Miyata at Satin Doll in 2013 Satin Doll is a legendary jazz bar in Tokyo with a long history of pairing delectable French cuisine with high-quality jazz events. The case is made right upon entering and viewing their foyer window, which reads “JAZZ ET CUISINE FRANÇAISE, SATIN DOLL, SINCE 1974”. ...