tokyo’s retro jazz kissa scene

In every big and even not so big city, it seems you can now find a bar with some wannabe hipster spinning vinyl records. My sources tell me that this phenomenon is all to do with a desire for physical ownership of records and tangibility in a digital world. So I guess the fact that Spotify can provide you with in excess of 100 million songs at your fingertips isn’t enough to satisfy the needs of vinyl enthusiasts who want to feel their music and watch a DJ put on a performance while the music pumps through the speakers.

No hipsters to be found here, just serious jazz fans. Part of the vinyl collection at Narcissus kissa in Tokyo

The vinyl phenomenon that has become so much part of hipster culture in recent years has been alive and well in Japan since at least the end of World War Two. It seems that the invading or liberating Americans, depending upon your point of view, brought with them not only nuclear weapons, but jazz music, vinyl records and turntables. 

The world famous Shibuya crossing. If you know where to look there’s some famous kissa in the vicinity

I guess after your country has almost been wiped off the face of the earth by the ‘fat man’ and ‘little boy’, it kind of makes sense to set up convivial neighbourhood jazz joints to help you forget about the madness of nuclear warfare. Jazz kissa, as the Japanese call them, serve up a great mix of jazz on vinyl, whiskey and nicotine.

Perhaps, what is most remarkable, given what the Americans had unleashed on Japan, is that the preferred choice of music in these places was, and still is, American jazz. I’m no expert on jazz music or jazz culture for that matter, but I believe that American jazz not only infiltrated Japan in its recorded form, but the Japanese jazz live music scene was strongly influenced by American sounds. Why let an atomic bomb get in the way of a little cultural appropriation?

If you know where to look in Tokyo and numerous other Japanese cities, you’ll find some of these kissa and the best ones are still pretty much as they were when they were established, complete with stale and not so stale tobacco smoke. 

This is Dug, one of the most famous of the Tokyo jazz kissa and, until June 2026, it could be found a five minute walk from the Shibuya crossing. Dug was seriously smokey!

I’ve checked out a few in Tokyo and this blog, gives you a brief rundown of two of the places I really dig and what you’ll find inside. 

As much as I would like to make an official pronouncement about ‘the single best kissa in Tokyo’, I’ve decided to declare a joint winner between Narcissus and Volontaire. 

Having said that, Narcissus gets serious kudos for its location. Tokyo is so clean and orderly, you kind of get the feeling that it’s not meant to have an ‘adult entertainment’ area. Narcissus sits right in the middle of Kabukicho, a red light area which comes complete with strip joints and the mandatory annoying spruikers. Trying to find Narcissus is a challenge in itself. Its exact address is 2F YO Bldg.,1-13-6 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku and if you succeed in getting the location at first attempt, you’ve done well. Once you find the address, you have to navigate a set of stairs into a non descript and slightly run down building. In pretty much any other big city in the world, you’d be watching over your shoulder, but this being Tokyo, you can be certain you’re safe. 

As much as I was tempted, I didn’t dare take a pic of the owner of Narcissus working at the bar. She’s 80 something years old, but oozes Kabukicho attitude.

The current iteration of Narcissus was set up on this site in 1978 but the space already had a long history as a bar where artistic types gathered before the arrival of the kissa. I believe that the current kissa owner’s father established the original bar. The daughter, who now runs the show, is apparently over 80 and is something of a jazz aficionado with a taste for more avant garde sounds. Like lots of jazz kissa, you need to keep the chat to a minimum and have a strong tolerance for tobacco smoke. The menu seems to be limited to coffee, tea and a good selection of booze. 

Jazz kissa are not just about retro music. The owners pride themselves on serious audio gear that wouldn’t look out of place in a 1970s Hollywood film.

The fitout is uber cool. It has a kind of retro colonial Africa feel, in the best possible way. It’s spare, minimalist and stylish, with a well worn look aided by the decades of tobacco smoke that have no doubt wafted through this joint.

When you’re inside Narcissus it feels like you’re sitting in a bar in French colonial Africa circa 1925. Venture outside and it’s a world of dodgy knock shops and even dodgier spruikers.

Address
2F YO Bldg.,1-13-6 Kabukicho,Shinjuku-ku

Access
Seibu Shinjuku Line [Seibu Shinjuku Station] 3 minutes walk
Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line [Shinjuku Station] 4 minutes walk
JR Chuo Line, etc. [Shinjuku Station] 6 minutes walk
Toei Subway Oedo Line [Shinjuku West Exit Station] 7 minutes walk

Opening hours 
Mon - Sat 6:00PM - 10:30PM
Sun Closed

Retro speakers, vinyl records and a rarely sighted window make for a great combination in Volontaire. What a place to sit back and watch the world go past

My other favourite Tokyo jazz kissa is Volontaire. If Narcissus is a little aged, lived in and smokey, Volontaire is modern, light filled and it seems that if you like a dart while listening to your jazz you’ll have to find another venue. Apparently Volontaire originally opened in Harajuku in 1977, before moving to its present location in 2011. Volontaire is located in Akasaka, which is kind of the polar opposite of Kabukicho. It’s one of those sanitised areas of Tokyo that seem like an AI creation. Quite a few internet critics think the fitout of Volontaire to be a bit vanilla. Personally I really liked it. It looks a touch Scando with its all timber fitout. It’s super comfortable and you could easily dig in here for an afternoon or an evening. They provide a few sandwiches on the menu along with the usual tea, chai and coffee and a good range of booze. On the day I was there, the guy at the bar brewed the perfect chai, mind you he was in no rush, but the final product was memorable. 

Most self appointed aesthetes give Volontaire the thumbs down. However this self appointed aesthete enjoyed its bright Scandi feel. There’s even some natural light in Volontaire, a rare thing in Tokyo jazz kissa. Even better they don’t allow smoking. What’s not to like!

Like most of the jazz kissa, Volontaire is all about an aesthetic music experience. If you come in here with your mates and want to share a travel story with everyone in your vicinity, it won’t go down well. This is a place for escaping the busyness of Tokyo, taking in some smooth music and enjoying a beverage or two, quietly!  

Address
5 Chome-1-2 Akasaka, Minato City, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan (Located on the 2nd floor of the Angel Building) 

Access
A 3-minute walk from Akasaka Station (Chiyoda Line) 
A 5-minute walk from Akasaka-Mitsuke Station (Chiyoda Line) 

Opening hours
Mon - Sat 12pm - 12am
Sun closed

The cafe operates from 12pm to 6pm
The bar operates from 6pm to 12pm
I think this means that there’s some food and hot drinks during the day and in the evening, it just serves booze and jazz on vinyl. 

Three other faves
DUG - sadly Dug is no more, having closed at the end of June 2026.
B1,3-15-2 Shinjuku,Shinjuku-ku - Founded in 1967
SCRATCPOSY
2F MarcoPoroBldg,1-8-14 Honcho,Kichijoji,Musashino-shi - Founded in 1976
POSY
5-6-14 Daizawa,Setagaya-ku - Founded in 1973

More information on heaps of Japanese jazz kissa can be found here
Tokyo Jazz Kissa: 15 Jazz Bars founded in the 1960s and 1970s | In Sheeps Clothing
One kissa is all it takes: Tokyo’s finest jazz haunts – in pictures | Photography | The Guardian

This book contains some beautiful photographs and lots of information to help you navigate the scene
Tokyo Jazz Joints