‘Tokyo Jazz Joints’ captures the vanishing world of Japanese jazz kissa culture

Man at turntable, image from tokyo jazz joints book from kehrer verlag.

In their love affair with Japan, Irish photographer Philip Arneill and American broadcaster James Catchpole set out to explore the dying subculture of Japanese jazz kissa – jazz bars and coffee shops that serve as a refuge from the frenetic pace of contemporary urban living. Their journey resulted in Tokyo Jazz Joints, a podcast, a photographic chronicle, and now a coffee table book. What began in 2015, initially focusing on Tokyo locations, later expanded to encompass the entirety of Japan.

‘Tokyo Jazz Joints’, a dive into Japan’s jazz kissa culture