Currently, about 100 jazz kissa and jazz bars are open in Tokyo. The number of such rooms in the region began to increase in the early 1960s and peaked in the late 1970s. At the peak, an estimated 200 jazz kissas were operating in Tokyo, but only about 20 remaining rooms have been in business since the 1960s and 1970s. - In Sheeps Clothing
I’ve been obsessed with the documentation of Jazz Kissa lately, thanks to the photography collection by Katsumasa Kusunose. Since my last trip to Japan documenting some of my favorite record stores, I stumbled across this series and never really got to fully embrace its culture whilst traveling in Tokyo (instead opting for record stores) but thanks to the amazing documentation in this series, I’ll definitely be on the hunt for some Jazz Kissa next. time I visit Tokyo. However, after reading these books, it turned out I did visit a couple, without really knowing it, such as Dug, in Shinjuku, pictured below.
If you’re looking to pick up some copies of the photo books (no text so don’t worry about translation!), try the Jazz City store, and a few have also landed stateside at In Sheeps Clothing, who have also hosted a great interview with the series founder.
Charmant
Dug
