Synopsis
Whether you’re visiting Japan, living there, armchair traveling, or just love jazz, this guide points you toward the best of Japan’s vibrant jazz scene. With reviews of over 40+ clubs and 200+ musicians, this indispensable guide lets you know where to go, who to hear, and where to shop, jam, and hang out.
With essays on Japan’s unique jazz history, culture, and community, A Guide to Jazz in Japan helps you explore and understand one of the largest and most vibrant jazz scenes in the world. From hip backstreet clubs to talented musicians, the practical information and informed suggestions help make your trip—or your life—in Japan interesting, fun, informed—and a whole lot jazzier.
Author Bio
Award-winning novelist, essayist, and journalist Michael Pronko has nearly thirty years of experience writing about jazz for Tokyo Q, The Japan Times, JJazz.net, and Jazznin. He contributed the chapter on Japanese jazz to The Routledge Companion to Jazz Studies (2021) and has writing is included in The Jazz Omnibus (2024) of the Jazz Journalists Association. He now runs the Jazz in Japan website. He’s also the author of the Tokyo-based Detective Hiroshi mystery series and The Tokyo Moments series about life in Japan.
