Where the concierge points people first
- Body&Soul — A small, serious club in Aoyama that has been at the center of the Tokyo scene for decades. Mostly Japanese players, sat close enough to see the fingering, and an audience that listens rather than talks. (35.6600, 139.7152)
- ブルーノート東京 — Blue Note Tokyo in Minami-Aoyama is where the big international names play when they come through. Expect two shows a night, a music charge that reflects the billing, and a proper dinner-club room. (35.6612, 139.7162)
- Cotton Club — Run by the same company as Blue Note Tokyo, in Marunouchi near Tokyo Station. Slightly more polished and a touch more vocal and soul on the calendar, which makes it the easy choice after a day in the business district. (35.6788, 139.7650)
- Jazz Spot Intro — A basement in Takadanobaba best known for its jam sessions, where players of every level sit in and the Saturday session runs very late. Go if you want the city's working musicians rather than a headliner. (35.7128, 139.7062)
- Dug Jazz Cafe & Bar — A Shinjuku basement that has served jazz and drinks since the 1960s and turns up in Murakami's Norwegian Wood. Records, not bands, so it works any night and needs no planning. (35.6929, 139.7035)
- いーぐる — Eagle, in Yotsuya, is a classic jazz kissa, a room built around a big sound system and a deep record collection. Treat it as a listening room first and a bar second. (35.6865, 139.7285)
The rest of the jazz bars in Tokyo — every one we hold
- A-TRAIN (35.6289, 139.6849)
- Bar & Music Live ZINC Asakusa (35.7108, 139.7963)
- Bar Matt (35.6499, 139.7120)
- BLUE FLAME (35.6465, 139.7248)
- body and soul (35.6637, 139.6989)
- Body and Soul Club (35.6639, 139.6989)
- Cafe Cotton Club (35.7122, 139.7071)
- club t Music and Bar Launge (35.6620, 139.7336)
- early bird 錦糸町店 (35.6979, 139.8123)
- East (35.6415, 139.6944)
- Gate One (35.7119, 139.7086)
- HOT HOUSE (35.7123, 139.6974)
- J-Flow (35.6972, 139.8052)
- Jazz & Bar Kiri (35.6731, 139.7618)
- Jazz and Bar Em's (35.6716, 139.7617)
- Jazz and Black Music Soul Trane (35.7133, 139.7998)
- Jazz Bar & Live Ko-Ko (35.6593, 139.6972)
- Jazz Bar Kohaku (35.6608, 139.6994)
- jazz Bar mars (35.7128, 139.7907)
- Jazz Cafe London (35.6636, 139.7325)
- Jazz House Alfie (35.6623, 139.7306)
- Jazz Inn L-5 (35.7290, 139.7160)
- Jazz Live Club Someday Tokyo Asakusa (35.7075, 139.7913)
- Jazz Live Club Someday Tokyo Asakusa (35.7176, 139.8210)
- Jazz Olympus (35.6955, 139.7627)
- Jazz Spot J (35.6917, 139.7124)
- Jazz spot Step (35.6937, 139.7702)
- Jazz Spot Thelonious (35.7066, 139.6850)
- Jazz Union (35.6690, 139.7072)
- Jazz&Bar Concert (35.6987, 139.7580)
- Jazz&Soul Bar The Deep (35.6712, 139.7608)
- Jazzbar Em’s (35.6717, 139.7644)
- jazzbar fill in (35.6913, 139.7189)
- Key Stone Club Tokyo (35.6653, 139.7281)
- Live jazz bar DONFAN (35.7289, 139.7316)
- Otis Bar, Coffee and Jazz (35.6993, 139.8143)
- Pearl Bar (35.6931, 139.7027)
- Piano Bar Bully's (35.6904, 139.7224)
- Piano Bar IZUMI (35.6622, 139.7348)
- Player's Bar R (35.7228, 139.7627)
- Riverside Club (35.6501, 139.6910)
- Scotch & Jazz Ami's Bar (35.6684, 139.7604)
- Someday (35.6912, 139.7104)
- Sound Gallery Slope (35.6275, 139.7143)
- Tableaux Lounge (35.6494, 139.7023)
- Tomijazz (35.6557, 139.7344)
- Virtuoso Akasaka (35.6720, 139.7385)
- おむすびJazz/Snack 神楽坂 (35.6741, 139.7378)
- お尚とパトラ (35.6896, 139.7218)
- さかやバー (35.6759, 139.7367)
- サムライ (35.6897, 139.7023)
- ジャズラウンジ マデュロ (35.6599, 139.7285)
- シャミオール (Chatmiauler) (35.6666, 139.7596)
- シャンソニエ かえる達 (35.6714, 139.7595)
- ジャンボリーヤンボリー (35.6317, 139.6913)
- セロニアス (35.7089, 139.6874)
- ダイヤモンドクラブ (35.6887, 139.7217)
- なあーじゅ (35.6862, 139.8064)
- ファーストステージ (35.6622, 139.7354)
- ブラックサン (35.6949, 139.7031)
- ブルーアイズ (35.6728, 139.7703)
- ホオキパ (35.6609, 139.7370)
- リストランテ ヴィーナス (35.6703, 139.7605)
- レザール (35.6530, 139.7048)
- 三軒茶屋 Come Together (35.6461, 139.6702)
- 上野アリエス (35.7088, 139.7720)
- 天使のコンチェルト (35.6694, 139.7621)
- 小さな台所 プチローズ (35.7279, 139.8204)
- 御茶ノ水ライブハウス「ＮＡＲＵ (35.7007, 139.7772)
- 日本ステューデントジャズ教育協会 (35.6392, 139.7399)
- 早稲田大学ニューオルリンズジャズクラブ (35.7056, 139.7176)
- 東京倶楽部目黒店 (35.6361, 139.7147)
- 泉 (35.6623, 139.7349)
- 渋谷 JZ BRAT (35.6618, 139.6996)
- 生演奏アーリーバード錦糸町 (35.6979, 139.8125)
- 赤坂ケイ (35.6711, 139.7354)
- 銀座cygnus (35.6686, 139.7603)
- 銀座シグナス (35.6684, 139.7604)
- 魔人屋 (35.6617, 139.6725)
A jazz kissa and a live house are not the same night out
Tokyo jazz splits into two worlds. A jazz kissa (jazz café) plays records on an expensive system, often with a house rule of quiet listening, and usually asks only that you order a drink. A live house or club charges a music charge per person on top of drinks, and at some places a minimum order too; the figure varies with who is playing and is normally printed on the venue's monthly schedule. Sets tend to start early by European standards, so an evening show can be finished before many bars fill up.
Questions people ask
What are the best jazz bars in Tokyo?
For live music, Body&Soul in Aoyama, Blue Note Tokyo and Cotton Club for bigger names, and Jazz Spot Intro in Takadanobaba for jam sessions. For records in a listening room, Dug in Shinjuku and Eagle in Yotsuya.
Is there a cover charge at Tokyo jazz bars?
Live venues charge a per-person music charge plus drinks, and the amount changes with the act, so check the schedule first. Record-only jazz kissa normally just expect you to order.
How many jazz bars are there in Tokyo?
Num's directory maps 85 jazz and blues venues in Tokyo, from famous clubs to tiny neighborhood bars.
Ask Num which jazz bars in Tokyo have a live set tonight
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