Paco

Paco jazz club, located near Kojimachi and Hanzomon stations in Tokyo, Japan (website, map).

LiLi Vocal, pianist Takuya Ozaki, and guitarist Hiroyoshi Horie sharing a laugh during their jazz set.

Paco is a tiny jazz bar in the central Hanzomon/Yotsuya area that features excellent food and comfortable jazz performances. Upon entering, one feels literally surrounded by jazz, encountering walls covered with jazz CDs and record covers. In this small room, the performers (often a singer plus a guitarist or pianist) will sit or stand right in front of the seated customers for two or three performance sets starting at 7:30, 8:30, and 9:30 PM. The audience area holds about 12 customers at most; at certain times for popular performers, reservations are recommended, although the gracious bar master will try to squeeze in anyone who arrives on crowded nights.