Live Music Venues
Blue Note Tokyo
Reservation required — sold out for our dates
Still worth checking day-of cancellations if you want a shot, but don’t plan around it.
Cotton Club — Marunouchi ⭐ Best Alternative to Blue Note
Top-tier seated jazz and live music venue in the Marunouchi building. Similar caliber to Blue Note — international and Japanese acts, proper sound, table service. No advance reservation required for many shows; check lineup day-of at cottonclubjapan.co.jp.
- Address: Tokyo Building TOKIA 2F, 2-7-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku
- Hours: Show-dependent — check schedule online
- Cost: ¥4,000–8,000/person depending on act (includes table charge; drinks extra)
- Transit from house: Ōmorimachi → Keikyu/Asakusa Line → Higashi-Ginza → short walk (~25 min)
- Vibe: Seated dinner/drink show; dressy casual; best mid-week when less crowded
Billboard Live Tokyo — Roppongi Hills
Live music venue at the top of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower complex. Strong lineup of international and J-pop acts; good sightlines; restaurant-style seating.
- Address: Roppongi Hills Hillside B2F, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku
- Cost: ¥5,500–9,000+ depending on act
- Transit from house: Ōmorimachi → Keikyu/Asakusa Line → Daimon → Oedo Line → Roppongi (~35 min)
- Pairs perfectly with: Edomae Sushi Hattori on Apr 17 — same neighborhood; check if anything’s on that evening after dinner (out by 8:30 PM)
HUB British Pub — Asakusa
Live jazz (swing/dixieland) every night — no reservation, casual, cover up to ¥2,500. Best pick for a spontaneous jazz night.
- Address: 1F, 1-12-2 Asakusa, Taito-ku
- Transit from house: Ōmorimachi → Keikyu → Asakusa Line direct → Asakusa (~32 min, no transfer)
Casual Listening Bars
Spincoaster Music Bar ✅ Visited Apr 14 (Jeff + Matt)
Hi-res audio and vinyl listening bar — premium Technics SL-1200GAE-K turntable, high-end speakers. Intimate, conversation-friendly. No reservation needed.
Locations:
- Shinjuku — Doyocho 2-26-2, Shibuya Ward | 7:00 PM–2:00 AM | ~32 min from house
- Kagurazaka — Tsukutomachi 4-1, Shinjuku Ward | 6:00 PM–12:00 AM | ~30 min from house
- Ebisu — Minami-Ebisu 3-3-1, Shibuya Ward | 7:00 PM–2:00 AM | ~25 min from house
Go to: Ebisu or Shinjuku depending on where the day ends. Kagurazaka if already in that corridor.
Gen Yamamoto — Cocktail Experience
Minato City (near Roppongi). Friend-recommended as the best cocktail experience in Tokyo. Omakase cocktail bar — 4- or 6-course menus from seasonal Japanese ingredients. 8 seats only.
- Reservation: Required — book ahead via their website
- Cost: ¥7,000–12,000/person
- Vibe: Quiet, ceremonial — excellent for 2; doable for 4 if booking whole counter
- Pairs well with: Sushi Hattori on Apr 17 (same Roppongi/Minato area)
Music Stores
- Recofan — used vinyl and CDs
- Disk Union — specialist used and new records by genre
- Tower Records Shibuya — 9-floor flagship; largest music store in Japan
Strategy
- Blue Note: sold out — Cotton Club or Billboard Live as replacements
- Keep most nights spontaneous — Spincoaster, HUB Asakusa, or just a walk
- Avoid stacking late nights back-to-back