Kohaku jazz club, located near Shibuya station in Tokyo, Japan (website, map).
The newish and attractive jazz bar Kohaku (opened in 2019) is hidden away on the sixth floor of a nondescript building near the center of bustling Shibuya, a district known for its youthful vibe and vibrant attractions.
The name Kokahu (琥珀, amber), aka Jazz Bar Amber, may bring to mind an atmospheric warmth with gold and glowing colors. Or it may summon the image of hardened resin suspending an ancient organism, unchanged and captured in time.
None of that applies to the bar Kohaku of course. Except perhaps the design of Kohaku, with its custom-lettered flowing logo design to the stylish furnishings in the room. It all works together to convey an artistic warmth that spreads through the room where you are surrounded by hanging paper umbrellas and golden art-graffiti walls.
Tenuously continuing the amber metaphor, the bar itself could be said to be suspended within the busy and youthful Shibuya district, a hidden jazz gem within the surrounding neighborhood. Like the nearby streets, and perhaps also influenced by the bar’s late hours, the place can be packed on certain nights. Reservations can be easily made through an email address found on the club’s website.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Jazz of Japan to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.