Nardis jazz club, located near Kashiwa station in Kashiwa, Japan (website, map).
Nardis is an excellent jazz spot in Kashiwa in the northwestern part of Chiba Prefecture. Kashiwa is a bit far flung from the core Tokyo neighborhoods and stations but is still considered part of the greater Tokyo area. While this live spot is a bit far compared to other centrally-located options, it is definitely worth the approximately hour-long train trip from Tokyo’s main hubs, and many jazz fans from the Tokyo area gladly make the journey to catch their favorite acts live here.
Also a favorite local spot in Kashiwa for jazz and drinks, Nardis has the inherited feeling of a neighborhood bar where regulars occasionally hang out. The bar was originally a jazz kissa café at a location very close to where it is today. In that respect, besides the sharing of conversations and alcohol in a jazz setting, having coffee here is not an unusual order.
With a live performance almost every night, the core schedule at Nardis features a variety of favorite local Japanese jazz musicians. Special events featuring foreign musicians and groups are also a regular feature at Nardis, including recently a fair number of musicians from Europe. ECM-style players from Scandinavian countries are particularly popular here, with ultramodern nongenre music, free jazz, and unusual combos sometimes included. Popular Japanese musicians and house favorites have recurring shows here at regular one- or multiple-month intervals, some continuing for periods of years with gracious support from the bar owner and enthusiastic customer base.
The bar master Komine-san’s impeccable taste and years of experience mean that customers are virtually guaranteed to be treated to excellent live music, great service, and choice background music during the breaks. His friendliness, English fluency, and long history of events with local foreign musicians and jazz club operations in Tokyo (including a decade of experience at Naru years ago!) also mean that he is full of interesting stories.
In terms of the club’s layout, Nardis’s box-like arrangement has the piano and small stage area located snug up against the entry area, hugging an interior corner of an inside wall. Next to the performance area are some tables and chairs extended to the back of the room. Around the bend of the inside corner, a few seats and tables have limited views, but this area is commonly used for the musicians during breaks. The bar counter and bar sets have the most unique views, with the layout being such that certain seats at the bar look right over the back of the drummer and face the pianist for an elevated and unique line of sight to the performers.
Despite the distance to Nardis, the convenient train system makes it easy (or possible, at least) to get back home before the last train, depending on where you are headed. In case the end of the set turns into extended after-show drinks and conversation, taxis are always available, and, for the adventurous, there is always the free-spirited option of killing time somewhere in Kashiwa until the first train runs in the morning.
Congratulations are also due to Nardis and Komine-san, as Nardis, having originally opened in 1994, is celebrating its 31st anniversary this year. Here’s to many more!
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