Jazz Walk from "Jazz Cafe Chigusa" to "Jazz Museum Chigusa"
The city of Yokohama is an indispensable part of any discussion of Japanese jazz.
Many jazz festivals are held here, including the Yokohama Jazz Promenade, Asahi Jazz Festival, and Yokohama Honmoku Jazz Festival, and the Noge, Isezakicho, and Kannai area is home to a concentration of jazz spots where you can enjoy live jazz performances. It is rare to find an area in the world with so many jazz-related stores.
In this series, we will introduce some of the many jazz spots in the prefecture for those who have never been to a jazz cafe or live house. If you are in the area, feel free to stop by and experience the history and sound of Japanese jazz.
In this first installment, we will focus on "jazz cafes," which recently appeared in a morning drama series. The term "jazz cafe" is a uniquely Japanese culture, referring to coffee shops where you can enjoy jazz records and occasional live performances. While they are often thought of as places with a high threshold, what about "cafes where you can casually listen to jazz?"
When talking about jazz cafes, one place that is essential to mention is Jazz Cafe Chigusa in Noge, Yokohama .
Founded in 1933, Jazz Cafe Chigusa was opened by Mamoru Yoshida, who was just 20 years old at the time, in the early Showa period. It closed in 2007, but with the cooperation of many Chigusa lovers, it reopened in Noge in 2012 and became known as "Japan's oldest jazz cafe."
The interior of the bar is a space that seems to have been confined to decades, with over 6,000 records stored on shelves at the back of the bar and a 50-year-old multi-amp system. Listening to jazz records on Chigusa's audio system offers a luxurious experience that cannot be experienced at other bars.
Jazz Cafe Chigusa will be temporarily closed in April 2022 to be reborn as Jazz Museum CHIGUSA, and will operate as a temporary store at Minato Mirai's Green Spot until next year. Jazz Museum CHIGUSA is scheduled to open in 2023, the 90th anniversary of the cafe's founding, and will function as both a live music venue and a museum, carrying on the vision of founder Yoshida.
The temporary store currently in operation recreates the acoustics of "Chigusa," and visitors can enjoy the approximately 6,000 records in its collection, as well as exhibits on the history of "Chigusa." Workshops and other events are also planned for the weekend. Even those unfamiliar with jazz can casually enjoy the space with a self-service coffee in hand, so please take this opportunity to visit.
The exhibition will run until February 28, 2023, and admission is free.
In addition, the Jazz Museum CHIGUSA has launched the Jazz Museum CHIGUSA Fund, which is seeking donations for rebuilding and historical jazz materials. There are also special benefits, so if you're interested, please visit their website .
Jazz Museum CHIGUSA (scheduled to open in March 2023)
[ACCESS]
2-94 Noge-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama TEL: 045-315-2006
JR Negishi Line/Yokohama Municipal Subway
3 minutes walk from Sakuragicho Station
8 minutes walk from Hinodecho Station on the Keikyu Line
Jazz Museum CHIGUSA temporary store
