my last visit to japan was in june, typically the heart of the rainy season in tokyo. the weather should have been in the upper teens, with cloudy skies and sudden bursts of rain. but this june was different — just like everything seems to be these days. (as i write, it feels like the whole world is out of balance: south america is ablaze, the west coast of the usa is burning, and central europe is practically underwater.)
in tokyo, the temperature soared into the low to mid-thirties, with humidity that clung to your skin and soaked your shirt. i wandered through roppongi, an area i usually enjoy, with its mix of restaurants and questionable nightlife, coupled with rampant high-end consumerist outlets, but the heat was relentless. i was on my way to the national art centre tokyo when i stumbled upon this place.
i am, and probably always will be, a sucker for neon.
i had thought most of the jazzkissa (a blend of jazz and the japanese kisaten, meaning ‘coffee lounge’) were all but disappeared. but it turns out there’s been a significant revival over recent years — some of the old-school spots are still thriving, with audiophile-grade hi-fi systems, dark, library like atmosphere, and a few newer venues embracing a similar vibe, but with a more eclectic variety of listening, stuff like yacht rock or hip-hop.