Jazz Cilty LLC
Gateway to Jazz Kissa Vol. 1 - English version

Jazzu kissa, which translates to 'jazz café', are cozy, intimate coffee shops that offer visitors an opportunity to enjoy both good coffee and, more importantly, great jazz records. They can be found in cities across Japan, hidden in narrow side streets and quiet alleys. From the great legends to underground gems, they invite jazz lovers on an audio journey to explore all the best music that the genre has to offer—across the ages.

Tohoku is a region consisting of six prefectures located in the northeastern part of Honshu, Japan. The Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011 caused enormous damage to the area. The magnitude 9 earthquake was the largest in the history of observation around Japan, and the area along the Pacific coast called "Sanriku" was devastated by the tsunami, which swept the entire city. However, shortly after this tragedy, jazz kissas reopened in various parts of Tohoku. This special feature is the story of jazz kissas in Tohoku that has revived from this catastrophe.

Published for the first time in English, the first volume of GATEWAY TO JAZZ KISSA examines the evolution of six different jazz cafes in the Northeastern Japan region of Tohoku in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred in March 2011. Edited by Katsumasa Kusunose, the founder of #VINYL magazine and Jazz City, the publication is a ode to the fervent love of hi-fi jazz in Japan and the pleasure of living with vinyl records. It features not only superb writing, but a plethora of stunning photographs that perfectly capture the sublime wonders of the jazzu kissa .