TOKYO JAZZ JOINTS: Recent Episodes
Philip Arneill & James Catchpole
An Irishman and American walk into a bar...Two obsessed foreigners share the stories behind their pseudo-religious pilgrimage around the unique beauty of Japan's hidden world of jazz bars and coffee houses, documented on www.tokyojazzjoints.com.
Day 2, Hirosaki. Philip flies solo in northern climes with three joints, and perhaps one of the greatest of all time.
June 2026. A nineteen day epic journey commences as Philip returns to his adopted homeland and the quest for joints continues. On this episode, heated debate about needle-based crafts ensues before we take shelter in Yokohama.
Philip finally renders James speechless, as we reach the end of the 'Tokyo Jazz Joints Top Ten Countdown' and reveal our number ones, united in passion but not necessarily in choice. What a rollercoaster!Clip from Paul Hardcastle's 'The Wizard' (1986). No copyright infringement intended.
Two joints very far away from each other on the map, but very close in passion, dedication and sheer wonder. The countdown continues with our Number 3 picks!
Try turning it off and turn it on again... Two old skool Kyushu and Shikoku joints that just will. not. lie down. secure the Number 4 spot as our countdown continues!
Legends duking it out as we keep it in the jazz family with two unparalleled northern joints.
We continue our 'Ten Year Tokyo Jazz Joints Top of the Pops Top 10' countdown in style at opposite ends of the country and with the mandatory mention of the magically replenishing horse oil.
We begin our 'Ten Year Tokyo Jazz Joints Top of the Pops Top 10' countdown in style with two joints linked by an underdog.
Philip chats all things jazz kissa with Stephen McAuley in his 'JUJU' pop-up as part of the 2025 'Sound of Belfast' festival. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster on November 21st 2025.
TW: Intense ASMR-style chewing at the beginning of the episode A milestone that no one expected to see! Least of all us… We finally reach the 100th episode of the podcast, and where else to mark the occasion than the project’s spiritual home, Kamata’s inimitable Chokuritsu Enjin (Pithecanthropus Erectus).
A double tap on the new and improved Incus and the usual chasm of James’s pop culture knowledge, followed by a few old and familiar friends, as our May 2025 adventures come to an end.
Philip's map-reading skills desert him before an awkward intro at Eagle. We also discuss two incredible Okinawa joints as the project finally expands to the fifth of Japan's major islands.
In Episode 96, after a subterranean trip to Japan's bubble-economy yeatrs, we survive our very own Squid Game on the way to see an old friend – and all the mixed emotions that stirs up.
Good stories told badly as we take bickering to the level of an Olympic sport, and get deep into the true nature of crockery with the truly ying and yang of Kyoto jazz joints.
We are California dreamin’ on this episode until Philip’s ideal world is shattered by some devastating breaking news. Was it merely a mirage?
James continues to offend people with mixed metaphors and cultural pitfalls before we end up whiling the evening away in an absolute gem of a spot to cap a long first day back in Osaka.
Reunited in Kansai we hit the trail with a shaky start for nearly not quite three joints, well sort of three...
A marathon episode for a marathon day hunting kissa up north, where it's far from grim. Epic joints!
An evening of two halves that starts on a slow boat to...a hectic finish with one new joint and two very old friends. And accidental meetings with actual friends!
If you ever wondered what Sandra Bullock, Colonel Sanders, Mr T.Pott and Taylor Swift have in common, Chiba has the answer.
And just like that…deepest Chiba reveals some well-hidden treasures and Philip battles with mixed messages, having solved his camdram.
Philip defies the bookmaker's odds by avoiding the mother of all meltdowns in Yokohama, while James watches on, and invents a name for a kissa that no one will ever steal. Ever.
In addition to some bonus DIY content, three absolutely banging Tokyo joints to get us back on the trail for May 2025!
No passion fruit or lychee for you, but we close out 2024's shenanigans with three gorgeous joints – old and new – in Philip's old neighbourhood. Long live Shimokita!
Some cheap Prosecco and a little bad language to mark the TENTH anniversary of the project with an Instagram Live.
Despite zero documentation, we reminisce on two lovely Tokyo joints to almost round off 2024's adventures.Thank as ever to Brian for sound assistance.
A final couple of belters in Okayama and one of the weirder interactions we've ever had in a joint. And James defeats a fence.
As the end of our latest regional adventure beckons, we takea walk down the Avenue in Kurashiki and visit the charming Gojitoma, a jewel of a joint in the middle of nowhere.Thanks as ever to Brian for his patience and assistance with sound.
It's May 2024, and after an Onomichi underwater detour, we find ourselves in nighttime Hiroshima, where Mother Teresa and Charles Mingus meet in perfect harmony.
Taking professionalism to new heights, this week we are live (and barely audible) from the incredible Pithecanthropus Erectus, birthplace of the Tokyo Jazz Joints project, the joint featured on the slipcase cover of the Tokyo Jazz Joints photobook, and our spiritual home. Even we don't know what we talked about...
We ring in the new year with some new kids on the Tokyo jazz kissa block, and a fair bit of coughing.Thanks as ever to Brian for audio assistance.
All the Ks (and a 'P') as Philip wraps up the last day in Tohoku alone and finally (!) heads home to Tokyo as a special guest makes hi presence felt.
Planes, trains and taxis assist Philip's epic 1,500km odyssey to check out the incredible Elvin to see if James was overstating how incredible it really is. Thanks as ever to Brian for assistance with sound.
A mixed bag in Miyazaki with windswept Sonny Rollins photos to die for and a rather melancholic end to the visit, before Philip sets off on an epic one day journey north. Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.
The band breaks up to pursue solo careers, as James heads home with a man and and a squid, and Philip takes off across Kyushu in a search of four more highly-rated joints.Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.
We go bananas before a bowl of lemon (yes, lemon) ramen and making it at last to two deeply different old school joints in Nagasaki. Some top Japan travel hacks, and James finally reveals at last that he's a 'two t-shirt a day' man.Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for assistance with sound.
We take a fast boat ride across the bay as we head for Nagasaki and Philip mistakenly masquerades as Japan's greatest living photographer. Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound
James continues to alienate local tourist boards as we suffer further frustration in Saga, and finish the night with an utterly surreal stop in US Navy-town Sasebo. Not every day can be better than yesterday! Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for assistance with sound.
We finish our first full – and utterly epic – Kyushu day with 3 more joints, burnt records, posted kimonos, tiny whisky shots, some unexpected royal family action and our regular late night konbini run. Oh, and James offends an owner’s son.Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.
Still making our way around Kyushu, it's an emotional return for us both as the project comes full circle. Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.
Jam, a quick Jab and an inauguration into the Adams family in Fukuoka as a new Kyushu adventure ensues!Thanks as ever to Brian from Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound, and to Louie Lastic for the theme tune.
We are back! James & Philip have a catch-up of all things kissa before diving into new adventures.Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.
We are back with more stories, but before we get into our latest adventures in Kyushu and beyond, we have an extra special episode with some incredibly exciting news! Listen in to find out how you help all of James's stars align at once...Shout out as ever to Brian from Grooves Ahead for all his assistance.
We take a more free jazz approach to this episode as we waffle unashamedly for about half an hour and reflect on what's been a truly incredible year for the project. James continues to reframe the English language in his own image.Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his patience and assistance.
April's trip comes to an intimate end, not in that way, and we wrap up things with two stunning, and stunningly different places in the drinking lanes of the oddly tropical-feeling city of Kochi.Thank as ever to Brian for the sound mix and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
We are in Shikoku at last as James continues to expand his palate while Philip comes to grips with an unexpected response (and not James' this time...).Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.
A powdered-up James eats mountains of the shaved stuff as Philip tentatively dips his toe in the lesser-known jazz kissa art world in this last part of our three-day Kansai adventure. Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.
All editing prudence goes to the wall as we fall down a deep, deep Kansai-shaped hole in this feature-length episode which is the third of a four-parter...strap in! Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his assistance with sound.
Disagreement is the name of the game in this second instalment of a four-parter over three hectic days in Kansai.Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for sound assistance and to Louie Lastic for our music track.
Edible insects, jazz double entendres and some unreal Osaka joints in this first of a four-parter where we spend three hectic days in Kansai. Thanks to Brian of Grooves Ahead for sound assistance and to Louie Lastic for our music track.
After his daring diversion into curry a few weeks ago in Masako, James reverts to the old anti-jazz kissa food ways as we get back into town for a good old-fashioned Tokyo episode with three cracking Tokyo joints!This episode is dedicated to the inimitable Natori-san of Osaka's legendary Bird/56, who sadly passed away on August 7, 2023.Thanks as always to to Brian of Grooves Ahead for audio assistance and to Louie Lastic for our theme music.
James continues to offend in the last of a four-parter trip up north: this time it's just the whole of the European continent. Philip recaps on some book launch party highlights in Belfast while James murders French words. And we visit the epic Paragonian run by the inimitable Hiroshi!
James pisses off another regional tourist board as we hit the snowless spring streets of Aomori for another couple of contrasting but equally brilliant joints.Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead for sound assistance, and to Louie Lastic for our theme music.
In this second of four on a northern tour, we visit Morioka, officially the next best city after NYC apparently, for two great joints. And Philip has a serendipitous encounter with a certain Johnny...Thanks to Brian of Grooves Ahead for his help with all things sound.
It's the turn of James to live vicariously in this first episode of a four-part sojourn to colder climes with teachers, taxi and a treasure trove of joints. Oh yeah, and The Crusaders.
James chats to Philip about the mind-blowing experience he had seeing the Tokyo Jazz Joints photobook finally being born at the printers near Heidelberg in Germany! Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead, and to Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Two men weep uncontrollably as they meet in a Shibuya hotel and finally recommence what they love doing most. Five years later, post-pandemic, we reunite to hit three Tokyo joints that symbolise the old and the new, and somewhere with the best of both!Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead, and to Louie Lastic for our theme music.
A recap of the incredible support we have had with the book project, the next steps, and a couple of tantalising Tohoku pitstops. Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
James (probably) offends all of Finland, and we have a quick catch up before announcing our big news!Buy the book! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/philiparneill/tokyo-jazz-jointsThanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
We're back with some stories and updates and while James swans about Kyushu and Honshu visiting jazz joints, Philip lives vicariously through the stories from the other side of the world...Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
The second part of James' solo trip on the island with a trip down memory lane and a distant brush with a famous Fred.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Pork 'belly' politics, Sony Rollins on the beach and a mixture of the new and old as James heads south on a solo mission.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 44: Not the end by a long way, merely the end of the beginning. We first look back and then look forward to what is in store for Tokyo Jazz Joints in 2021 and beyond.
And Philip finally gets the last word.
Thanks as ever to Brian of Grooves Ahead, and to Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 43: Record cleaning dentists, curried gyoza, Guinness World Records and upright standing man (not James obviously). In the final part of our Tokyo Jazz Joints Awards we finally get to our our all-time favourite joint, not an easy task with so many to choose from. We have a go anyway just for the hell of it, peppered with the usual slick preparation and professionalism you have now come to expect.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Drum fill excerpt by Steve Lynam (on Drumeo) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXtFc522mRo
Episode 42: Dodgy snacks, retired teachers, sleeping in kitchens and more... Part 2 of our very own Tokyo Jazz Joints Awards, as we reminisce on the project so far, and choose some of our biggest regrets, and funniest and most baffling moments from the last 5 years. We’ll both get to our all-time favourite place in the next episode, but not before sharing just a few more laughs, stories and reflections again!
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 41: Tiny toilets, right wing politics, road rage, ice cream sundae dishes and more... We’re back with our very own Tokyo Jazz Joints Awards, as we reminisce on the project so far, and choose some of our weirdest, saddest, funniest and most irritating moments from the last 5 years. Eventually we’ll both get to our all-time favourite place, but not before sharing a few more laughs, stories and reflections first!
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
A bumper length episode today as our journey comes to a climactic end with a manic, phenomenal day of discovery, and we hit 7 joints around Kyushu. More importantly, James finally reveals the secret ingredient to his luscious locks: the reason that you’ve really been listening all this time….We hope you’ve enjoyed coming on this epic trip with us, and thanks for all the listens and downloads. Happy New Year from TJJ and 今年も宜しく!
Welcome to Part 7 of 5 Days in June! We finish off a day of ups and downs with four incredibly cool and individually unique places in the amazing and funky waterfront city of Fukuoka.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Part 6 of 5 Days in June brings us easily the most beautiful location of any jazz kissa ever, and the uncovering of a beautiful Fender Rhodes hidden in a B&B, before a slightly frustrating afternoon of shuttered shops and a desperate search for some food!
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Our journey continues as we make a tight deadline and arrive in Kumamoto to spend the evening in a trio of very different joints, before finishing up with some dinner and jazz to line our stomachs, before a bit of a blow out for one of us...
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
So here is Part 4 of 5 Days in June. We hope you like it. Apart from James’ fashion show, we hike up a volcano (kind of), visit the awesomely tasteless RIFF in Kagoshima, and get serenaded over dinner by men in loincloths. Oh, and go to the epic, epic Paragon as we wind our way north on Kyushu island. All photos of the joints are on tokyojazzjoints.com so make sure to listen as you look!
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
5 Days in June: Part 3 is upon us, and still in Sapporo, we take a double bite at the Bossa cherry, and sleep in glorified coffins before dissecting Philip’s extensive morning routine. After breakfast at the wonderful Groovy, and a quick one in Mingus Coffee, we race back to the airport to jump on a plane for the next leg of the journey at the other end of Japan.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
In Part 2 of 5 Days in June, we are still in Hakodate, where we uncover the incredible Leaf, before jumping on a slightly too long train ride to the biggest city in Hokkaido - a chance for James to catch up on some sleep of course - for an amazing evening in some utterly classic joints, some of which we knew about, some of which we didn’t.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Right. Here we go. We’re back and hope you’re ready to join us! 5 Days in June: Part 1 is live and we are kicking off in Haneda before hitting Hakodate to uncover the beautiful Sōen and the incredible Bop. 行きましょう〜 Oh, and James takes the first of many naps, probably.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Ep 32: This week we finish up with our final joints in Kansai and take the long way home back to where we started 32 episodes ago, via the faded seaside glamour of Atami and a wealthy Tokyo suburb.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 31: This week we hit a selection of joints that didn't quite fit neatly anywhere else and as ever, every one is a gem. We marvel at Philip's French, find out where the best place to store a bike helmet is, and finally put the great Bunca vs. Banka debate to bed once and for all.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 30: This week is the fourth and final part of our Tokyo Deep Cuts series, and in the spirit of leaving (some of)the best till last, we cruise the funkier streets of Kichijoji to take in Scratch and Sometime, before heading back via Shimokitazawa to call on Lady Jane. We head out to the suburbs to finish up in the incredibly enigmatic Genius, and hear about the owner’s legendary record collection.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 29: This week we bring you all low before ending on a high, as we focus on the original raison d'etre of the Tokyo Jazz Joints project by looking at some of the amazing joints we visited, but which are sadly no longer with us.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 28: This week we are back in the comforting arms of Mother Tokyo as we pick off another handful of epic and lesser known joints around the capital. We find out where to get some pricey minty peas, and why you should bring your own drinks to the irrepressible Intro in Takadanobaba.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 27: This week our international jazz joint journey of discovery continues as we bounce from North America to South and uncover the amazing Black Forest, hidden under a beautiful bookshop in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, and run by Jali and his partner Marcela. Jazz kissa culture really is irrepressible!
All photos of Black Forest courtesy of Magdalena Diehl.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 26: This week we are down in the old imperial capital to check out some of Kyoto's finest, where we encounter among other things an absolutely massive red fish and photos of Abdullah Ibrahim playing in a Japanese temple.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
A fictionalised version of our first visit to the incredible, inimitable Basie in Northern Japan, the jazz joint to end all joints.
Story written by Philip Arneill. Soundscape by Brian of Grooves Ahead. Basie photo ©Philip Arneill 2020.
+++++ Credits
Sound Effects: (freesound.org)scottyhigh20, cantikfrantik, sinatra314, bplayers, soapuel, khenshom, joanzz, vital-sounds, shcluppipuppie, timjpower, macdaddyno1, soniaespi
Music: (jamendo.com): AFTER WORK - Mack The Knife, Hugo "Droopy" Contini - Dexterity, Gray Mic Records - Swing With Me, Christian Petermann - Jazz Rendezvous
Episode 25: Sometimes less is more, and this is one of these times. This week we finally make it to our destination in this final instalment of a series of 3. Basie, the jazz joint to end all joints, speaks for itself.
This episode also includes a fictionalised version of our visit to Basie.
Story written by Philip Arneill. Soundscape by Brian of Grooves Ahead (groovesahead.com).
+++++
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Additional music credits under Creative Commons licence.
Sound Effects: (freesound.org)scottyhigh20, cantikfrantik, sinatra314, bplayers, soapuel, khenshom, joanzz, vital-sounds, shcluppipuppie, timjpower, macdaddyno1, soniaespi
Music: (jamendo.com) AFTER WORK - Mack The Knife, Hugo "Droopy" Contini - Dexterity, Gray Mic Records - Swing With Me, Christian Petermann - Jazz Rendezvous
Episode 24: James auditions for the Northern Japan Tourist Board and boasts about his step count this week as we continue to bicker like an old couple on our trip up north. In the second part of this trilogy we visit the deceptively named Abbey Road, a couple of other cracking joints in Yamagata, and uncover a mysterious Ron Carter business card, before being delivered by jazz joint taxi to the doorstep of the whole reason we started this northern journey in the first place…
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 23: Hear about the 'human cost' of the project...this is the first of a trilogy as we venture north to meet 'The Don' who presides over THE Mecca of Japanese jazz joints. We see a different side to Fukushima before hitting Sendai to experience Count, Kelly and Kabo, and finish up in the middle of nowhere in the back of a taxi (again) to uncover the incredible Ray Brown.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 22: This week we are in the Bay Area. Not Tokyo or Yokohama though, but Oakland... Check out our interview spanning 3 continents and time zones as we chat to Daniel Gahr & Shirin Raza about the birth of Bar Shiru, their awesome, Japanese-inspired jazz joint proudly flying the kissa culture flag on America's west coast. Check them out on barshiru.com
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 21: We’re back and as inarticulate as ever! This week we take another deep dive into Tokyo's myriad collection of lesser known joints as we hit the beautiful Ragtime, Adirondack, an Owl cafe in Ikebukuro (but not that type!) and the incomparable Corner Pocket with the second part of our ‘Tokyo Deep Cuts’ series. We even throw in a bonus buddhist bar at the end…yes, a buddhist bar. Enjoy.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 20: We've reached our halfway point for the podcast project! As proud Tokyoites we nevertheless cross to the dark side and visit the Kansai region, taking in four awesome joints in Kobe and Osaka. James gets a somewhat less than friendly welcome in exact same place where Philip gets the red carpet treatment and an impromptu gramophone demonstration. Discuss.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 19: This week we brave the burbs and commuter belt around Tokyo to check out four fab places. After Powell, Monks and Swan, where James gets free beer, we finish up in the awesome Umi (on our second attempt), once the heart of a thriving community centred round a postwar US Army base.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 18: Tachibana, since reissued by the fantastic BBE records, has been one of the holy grail albums for Japanese jazz collectors for many years. This week we are in a couple of fine joints in Gunma, before Philip’s extended interview with Tohru Aizawa, the driving force behind the music on this album.
As we work our way through a 10 course meal, hear about how he got started in music, his family’s feeling about jazz musicians in the 60s, his meeting with Bill Evans, how long it took, the origin of the name Tachibana, how many copies really exist and his bewilderment in an album he made in his distant youth, what might have been, drugs, why jazz took such a firm hold in Japan and his experience of living in America. It's a bumper episode!
Episode 17: We took a break from recording this week, so instead we have a fascinating discussion for you with two members of jazz record collecting royalty,Tony Higgins and Mike Peden. This episode was recorded early in lockdown in April 2020, across 3 countries via Zoom, and as a result the sound is not of our usual quality and comes complete with cicadas, glitches and other bonus sound effects. Enjoy!
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 16: A longer episode this week as we consider the conspicuous absence of women in Japanese jazz kissa culture, and celebrate the small but dedicated number of pioneering female owners who are running their own joints through either choice, circumstance or a combination of both. We also touch on the issue of problematic names and racist tropes in Japanese jazz culture.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 15: All joints are created unique, but some are more unique than others. This week is the second episode of two in which we're skipping around the country. This time we discuss four more fabulously weird and wonderful joints; from the beautiful Bokunen to an odd little joint called Misty, and from the mysterious KissaSakaiki to an unforgettable encounter deep in suburban Saitama.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 14: All joints are created unique, but some are more unique than others. This week we're skipping around the country to discuss five fabulously weird and wonderful joints; from antiques for sale to Zen enlightenment through coffee beans, and from student lunches to homemade liquor and Japanese cinema nerds.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 13: This week we return to the source, as we're back in Tokyo with some deeper cuts for the hardcore jazz joint aficionados. We head off the beaten track in the hipster 'hoods of Harajuku and Shibuya, as well hopping on the Yamanote line to the older drinking streets north of the Imperial Palace.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 12: Saving some of the best for last we finish up our focus on the port cities this week by visiting one of the most iconic jazz kissa, and explore both its official story and the legend... We also visit the 2 Johns, and another gem near Chinatown that may sadly be in its twilight days.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 11: We are back with a full episode this week, but we haven’t travelled too far as we continue to criss-cross a port city steeped in the history of cultural exchange and Occupation, exploring some of the deepest of Yokohama’s amazing selection of jazz joints.
Find out also how you can donate to social justice causes with our T-shirt giveaway, or by getting your hands on an original photographic print from the Tokyo Jazz Joints archive.
Thanks as always to Brian of groovesahead.com for audio assistance, and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
We are taking a break from normal transmission this week. After a tumultuous 7 days worldwide, we believe that there are more important conversations to be had than ours.
Jazz is often described as the 'true American art form', but jazz is black music. To help understand the racist oppression that persists in both America and around the world in various guises, it is as essential to understand the history of jazz, as it is to simply love its music or celebrate its culture. Jazz is a music of expression and freedom: we stand in solidarity with the anti-racist struggle around the world.
You can access a list of anti-racist educational resources at www.tokyojazzjoints.com/stand and we ask that you use the time you would have spent listening to this episode of the podcast to have a look at some of them instead.
We are all complicit, and we are all responsible for effecting change.
See you all next week for Episode 11.
Episode 10: This week we're by the sea as we travel from the US Navy-flavoured port of Yokosuka up to the ancient capital of Kamakura, before stopping off at a classic joint in the port city of Yokohama, where we'll be for the next two weeks. Join us to find out where the best lunch in town is allegedly served, why you shouldn't pee in public, and the best place to get a big old glass of Bitches Brew.
Thanks as always to Brian of Grooves Ahead for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 9: In the spirit of looking for the light, we focus this week on newer joints with a (hopefully) rosier future ahead of them as they adopt more modern ways of doing things and pull in newer types of customers. These joints provide a rare beacon of hope in a landscape that is vanishing at an increasingly rapid rate. Find out about what a rhinoceros has to do with jazz and the most Japanese jazz joint you’re likely to find outside Japan, as we invite our first ever guest on the podcast!
Thanks as always to Brian of Grooves Ahead for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 8: This week we are out in Chiba but not to take a flight from Narita. Starting in the other Brooklyn, we get some Candy before heading to Ancient Egypt, and finish up the evening peering through a Billie Holiday-inspired porthole. Not forgetting James’ majestic lime green shirt and our quick detour through the culinary delights of Palestine of course!
Thanks as always to Brian of Grooves Ahead for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 7: A slightly longer episode for you this week as Philip recounts nights of crawling around floors and cramming himself into dark corners to get the perfect angle. Once he remembers what the hell James is talking about, we have a brush with a potential Guinness world record holder, find out where Japanese Mad Men drink, why you should say no to a portrait if asked for one, and why Philip always takes his camera to the bathroom...hear all about some of the more challenging joints he encountered in photographing the project.
Thanks as always to Brian at Grooves Ahead for audio assistance and Louie Lastic for our theme music.
Episode 6: If you always wondered where Dean Martin, scuba diving, Japanese paratroopers and jazz intersect, it’s in this episode! Sadder stories this week as James gets speechless, and we celebrate two lost jazz joint gems. In our final instalment from Shinjuku we visit the indomitable Jazz Room Stick and recount our bittersweet discovery of Jazz Pepe, both of which sadly no longer exist. 'Otsukare-san' to both! Listen to experience them how they are best remembered.
Thanks as always to Brian at Grooves Ahead for audio help and Louie Lastic for the theme music.
Episode 5: We’re still in Shinjuku this week and have wandered around the corner to the iconic Old Blind Cat, followed by the confusing conundrum that is Samurai. Ever wondered what it’s like to have your firstborn blessed in a Japanese jazz bar overlooked by Coltrane and an army of cats? Then this is the episode you’ll want to hear!
Thanks as always to Brian at Grooves Ahead for audio help and Louie Lastic for the theme music.
Episode 4: In addition to some technical hitches, this week we visit the kaleidoscopic neighbourhood of Shinjuku, Tokyo's notorious, bustling red-light and entertainment district, and once Japan's capital of bohemian counter-culture in the 60s & 70s. We warm-up with Black Sun, move onto the Showa-chic of Narcissus, and finish up crammed elbow to elbow in the one and only Shiramuren in Golden Gai.
Thanks as always to Brian at Grooves Ahead for audio help and Louie Lastic for the theme music.
Episode 3: This week we celebrate significant project milestones by revisiting the 50th, 100th, 150th joints and the most recently photographed (160th): Bar Bird in Machida, Sendai's Kelly, the incredible Coltrane Coltrane in Kyushu & Rindo, deep in suburban Saitama. The awesome Rhinoceros in Berlin gets a shout too!
Follow the link below for shortcuts to photos of the joints we discussed: http://www.tokyojazzjoints.com/podcast
Episode 2: This week as we start the podcast proper, we're talking about what jazz music means to Japan, how jazz kissa came about, what to expect and what not to expect inside, and how best to navigate the sometimes daunting and tricky prospect of heading into one for a drink!
Episode 1: Our first tentative foray into joint (pun intended) podcasting to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Tokyo Jazz Joints project, which began on March 27th 2015.
Follow the link to hear us chat a little bit about how the project started, some of the highlights so far, and stories behind the photos. Check out YouTube too if you want a slideshow with some images from the project, and of the joints we discuss - should you get bored just listening to us. Win-win!
Feel free to reach out to us through the website on www.tokyojazzjoints.com or on social media (@tokyojazzjoints) and let us know if you’re interested in hearing more. There’s lots more to tell.
Get over to www.tokyojazzjoints.com to see the pictures in better definition.
Apologies in advance for any little glitches, and for the number of ‘like’ ‘you know’ ‘kind of’ and ‘sort of’s!
Philip (www.philiparneill.com) and James (www.tokyojazzsite.com)