7 editor picks in Tokyo.
7 live music in Tokyo our editors have drunk at, sorted by score. All Tokyo nightlife.
Blue Note Tokyo in Aoyama is the 300-seat sister room of the New York club, open since 1988. Two sets a night of international jazz, soul, and R&B.
TipTwo seatings nightly, table service with a music charge plus food and drink minimum. Book the early set for sound, late set for atmosphere.
Cotton Club in Tokyo's Marunouchi is Blue Note Japan's 180-seat sister room, open since 2005. Chosen jazz, soul, and singer-songwriter bookings beside Tokyo.
TipTwo sets nightly, music charge plus food and drink minimum. Reservations open about two months out via the Blue Note Japan site.
Billboard Live Tokyo in Tokyo Midtown is the 4th-floor terrace dinner-show room. Three-tier seating, big-name pop, jazz, and rock tours from Japan and abroad.
TipService area tables face the stage but cost more; casual cocktail seats further back are cheaper. Two sets nightly, reservations via the official site.
Shinjuku Pit Inn is the basement jazz room running since 1965, the canonical Tokyo room for serious modern and free jazz. Two sets daily on a tight 100-seat.
TipMatinee at 14:30 is the bargain; evening set 19:30 is the marquee. Cash on the door, no reservations, no food.
Liquidroom in Tokyo's Ebisu is the 1,000-capacity live house that moved from Shinjuku in 2004. International indie, electronic, and alternative tours.
TipStanding room only on the main floor; arrive 30 minutes early for the front rail. Time Out Cafe and Liquid Loft lounge on site for pre-show food.
Shinjuku Loft in Tokyo's Kabukicho is the basement live house anchoring the Loft Project network. Indie rock, punk, and noise tours, a 25-plus-year Tokyo.
TipStanding room basement, doors usually 18:00 or 19:00 on weeknights. Bar at the back stays open through the set, cashless accepted.
Minami-Aoyama Mandala in Tokyo is the basement live room under the MR Building off Aoyama-dori. Jazz, folk, acoustic, and singer-songwriter sets in a low-ceilinged listening room.
TipSeated tables, and most shows charge one drink on top of admission. Walk from Gaienmae exit 1A toward Shibuya, turn left at the Aoyama 3-chome crossing.
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