{"id":337273,"date":"2026-10-29T15:03:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T15:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoustics.com\/articles\/jazz-kissa-basie-japan-jbl-listening-room\/"},"modified":"2026-10-30T02:59:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T02:59:06","slug":"jazz-kissa-basie-japan-jbl-listening-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoustics.com\/articles\/jazz-kissa-basie-japan-jbl-listening-room\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Japan’s Legendary Jazz Kissa Basie: Exit to Vintage Street"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you have spent any time travelling in or researching a trip to Japan, you\u2019ve undoubtedly experienced or read about the country\u2019s incredible friendliness, hospitality, and customer service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After 13 years as a resident in the \u201990s and early 2000s, and multiple visits back since moving to Canada in 2008, I\u2019ve encountered welcomes and sincere open-heartedness on numerous occasions. Sometimes, though, Japan outdoes itself. A recent visit to Basie in Ichinoseki is just the latest standout example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pilgrimage to Jazz Kissa Basie in Ichinoseki<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Two years ago my friend Miles and I did a one-week tour of Tohoku<\/a> visiting some of the better-known Jazz Kissa along the way as we worked our way north from Tokyo to Hakodate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Visiting Octet in Yamagata, one of many splendid kissa from the Tohoku Tour of 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our one regret was that Basie in Ichinoseki, one of Japan\u2019s most famous kissas, was temporarily closed at the time as the owner battled health issues. We vowed that if Basie opened again we would make it there for full closure on the Tohoku kissa circle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shoji “Swifty” Sugawara on the cover of the April 2026 Japanese National Geographic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In April, the hoped-for reopening did finally occur, albeit with hours limited to weekends only (Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.). The reopening coincided with a feature article on Jazz Kissa and mastering the art of deep listening<\/a> in National Geographic<\/em> (the March 2026 international edition and April 2026 Japan edition), with Basie owner Shoji \u201cSwifty\u201d Sugawara prominently featured, including on the cover of the Japanese edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tohoku
Go north from Tokyo via Fukushima and Sendai (both visited in 2024) to reach Ichinoseki.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With a Tokyo visit planned for the second half of October, I contacted Miles to see if we could coordinate a meet-up (him flying in from Sydney), and he was able to schedule some business meetings that would allow for a weekend of shenanigans and that promised Basie pilgrimage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shinkansen to Ichinoseki. The only way to fly!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Several weeks later, the day arrived, and off we went. An 8:45 a.m. shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo, arriving in Ichinoseki at 11:23 a.m. A 7:14 a.m. train for me to get across town to Tokyo Station from Yokohama in time to meet up, buy tickets, and catch said shinkansen (making my journey 4+ hours door-to-door). Arrival in Ichinoseki timed for us to reach Basie early, just in case there was a line-up (which we\u2019d heard sometimes happens). No solid plan for the experience itself, but maybe two or three hours of listening time, and then the return trip to Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things would turn out quite differently than planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basie is only a short walk from Ichinoseki Station, and we were there by 11:45. We were first. 75 minutes to wait until opening. Not a problem; we\u2019d get the best seats in the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Basie. The shutter’s up so somebody’s home!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The security shutter on the front door was half open, so we knew staff were about and preparations for the day were underway inside. After about 10 minutes, a friendly lady came out to sweep the front path. \u201cYou know we only open at 1:00, right?\u201d she said. \u201cYes,\u201d we said. \u201cWe came early just in case there was a queue.\u201d \u201cAh, there\u2019s no queue now, but we usually fill up partway through the afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kind lady asked us where we were from and where we\u2019d come from that day. Canada, Australia, and Tokyo. She seemed impressed that two foreigners had come this far to visit, and went inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meeting Shoji \u201cSwifty\u201d Sugawara<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A few minutes later, the shutter was opened up all the way from the inside, and out strolled Swifty, the owner. I recognized him immediately from the National Geographic article and cover (I had my Japanese copy with me in my backpack for him to sign). \u201cPlease come in!\u201d he said in Japanese, gesturing us inside. \u201cPlease come and sit at my table\u2026\u201d he said, ushering us further to a round table at which he appeared to have been working minutes before. It wasn\u2019t even noon yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our host, Swifty Sugawara. Legend!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not surprisingly, Swifty turned out to be an absolute gem. Quick to laugh and to crack a joke. Smart as a tack. Anyone who can put together a kissa like Basie (including custom-building the speakers) is bound to have a good head on his shoulders. He asked us to write our names on a piece of paper for him (neither of us had brought business cards), and on reading them\u2014Miles and Eric\u2014he erupted in guffaws of laughter. \u201cMiles Davis and Eric Dolphy! Sugoi!\u201d (Sugoi = amazing). The next two records he played were by none other than Miles Davis and Eric Dolphy (I\u2019m not a huge Dolphy fan, but have to say he sounded amazing, and I may even seek out the record played\u2014In Europe, Vol. 1<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now spinning: Eric Dolphy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By about 12:45, Basie was packed and stayed that way for the first couple of hours before the crowd thinned slightly. Some patrons were obviously regulars, while others were pilgrims like ourselves. Many came over to greet Swifty\u2014the regulars for a quick, friendly hello, and pilgrims to bow, give a name card, and offer thanks and amazement for a wonderful experience. Through the day, he collected a good pile of cards, including the Miles and Eric paper from earlier in the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Experiencing the sweet spot in the listening area, with bar in the background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Basie is large-ish for a jazz kissa, with 22 seats in the listening area and around 12 in the side space in front of the bar and audio booth, where we sat for most of the afternoon. Sound is incredible, even from the side area outside the sweet spot where Miles and I sat most of the afternoon; we only extricated ourselves into the listening space for a side of Frank Sinatra Live at the Sands<\/em> at around 4:30, where the full quality of the system was revealed. The detail, punch, and power were truly astounding, and it felt like Frank was truly in the room with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_4580\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Six Hours of Jazz, Vinyl, and Japanese Hospitality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Through the afternoon, we listened, chatted, ate, and drank. Swifty got up every 20 minutes or so to change the record. On arrival, I ordered a whisky highball and Miles a beer (it takes a big occasion for me to drink before noon, but this was that; Miles too). For the rest of the afternoon, neither of us ordered a drink\u2014as one emptied, another miraculously appeared, served by one of two of the cutest, kindest, most friendly women you\u2019ll ever meet (including the one who greeted us at the start). Drinks, cream puffs, popcorn, mixed nuts, sliced pears, chocolate, and other items arrived and were refilled like clockwork. Aside from changing records, they did all the legwork of making the place tick while Swifty held court and surveyed his realm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tasty treats all day long.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The walls behind the bar and half of the opposite wall feature shelf after shelf of custom record storage. We asked how many records he had, and Swifty didn\u2019t have a definitive number. Another guest at the table offered a tonnage estimate; not sure where that came from, but we calculated it out to around 10,000 discs, which seemed about right. Miles asked whether Swifty still buys new music, to which he quipped, \u201cSometimes, but I\u2019d really rather be selling than buying.\u201d At 84, that\u2019s a reasonable answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Side seating area and bar (photo by Miles).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I wish I\u2019d gotten the 10,000-disc fellow\u2019s name, but I\u2019m going to call him Okayama-san for now (if he reads this, I hope he\u2019ll give me a name to edit into the narrative). We chatted for a bit, and it turns out this was his fifth or sixth trip to Basie since it reopened six months ago. He leaves Okayama on Shikoku Island on a Friday after work, drives over 1,000 km overnight, spends Saturday and Sunday afternoons soaking up the Basie atmosphere, and drives home again overnight, arriving in time to attend the office Monday morning. Kinda put my four-hours-each-way trip to shame!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our view for most of the afternoon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Planning a Visit to Jazz Kissa Basie<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone is as hardcore as Okayama-san, nor do they want to do seven hours on a train for four hours in Basie. For anyone wanting to visit and make a weekend of it, Ichinoseki is the second-largest city in Iwate, with approximately 112,000 people. The economy is largely agricultural, but there are some points of interest, which include the Geibikei River Gorge, Ichinoseki Onsenkyo (hot spring village), and the Iwate Kura beer microbrewery and Sekinoichi sake brewery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A “meta” moment with Hoshino-san (in custom t-shirt) and Swifty.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Part way through the afternoon we were joined by a long time patron and friend of Swifty\u2019s who we discovered was director\/photographer\/restauranteur Tetsuya Hoshino, maker of Jazz Caf\u00e9 Basie: The Ballad of Swifty<\/a> (Japanese: \u30b8\u30e3\u30ba\u55ab\u8336\u30d9\u30a4\u30b7\u30fc Swifty\u306e\u8b5a\u8a69), a documentary completed in 2019 and featured at several film festivals since then. There has been no wide release to date, but I\u2019m hopeful I can see it one day. Hoshino-san, also super friendly, hinted that something could perhaps be arranged if I ever come to his restaurant, Popina Garance<\/a> in Minami-Azabu in Tokyo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something to try and schedule when I\u2019m in Japan again at the end of the year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_4559\"
Basie sign, and portrait of Swifty from younger years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you’re wondering about the names Swifty and Basie, wonder no more. Sugawara-san was a drummer in younger days (hence the drum set placed permanently in front of the speakers in the listening area). In one of his meetings with Count Basie, who he quite obviously idolized and still does (enough to name his space for him), Basie said something like, “My current drummer’s nickname is Speedy and we can’t have two of them, so I’ll call you Swifty.” The name stuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_4557\"
Drums signed by Jimmy Cobb. Lots of other drummer memorabilia around the venue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A little later in the day, Swifty showed me a picture of his home system (this after Miles and I had shared pictures of our humble setups). Two speakers that looked to be JBL Olympus, separated by a big wooden cabinet. \u201cApart from the speakers, everything is the same as here in the store,\u201d he told me. \u201cWhen I find something I like, I don\u2019t need anything else.\u201d At that, he pulled out a leather pen roll case containing four Montblanc fountain pens, all identical to the one out on the table. I\u2019m somewhat similar, with three Sansui amps, two Denon turntables, and two pairs of ADS and three pairs of KLH speakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Audiolove always jokes that when I find a shirt, shoes, or pants I like, I\u2019ll buy multiples in different colours. \u201cThe only thing I want variety in is women and records,\u201d Swifty joked as that topic closed. Or perhaps not a joke\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_4564\"
So many jazz knickknacks and memorabilia all around the place.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was only on the train home later, as I looked through pictures of the day, that I noticed he had at least 31 NOS (new-old-stock) Shure V15 Type III cartridges stacked in the nooks and crannies between pieces of equipment in his audio booth. Also spare amplifiers, SME tonearms, speakers and other equipment on various shelves around the space. This guy really does play favourites!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spare microphones, tonearms and speaker drivers stocked away on shelves at the back.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Inside Basie\u2019s Legendary Custom JBL Sound System<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Basie opened in 1970, in a building owned by Swifty\u2019s parents. The venue features an all-JBL amplification and speaker system, with speakers built, tweaked, moved, customized and refined by Swifty himself, including the construction of what many refer to as refrigerator-sized (and I consider commercial-retail-freezer-sized) speaker cabinets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Linn Sondek LP12 in action, with spare undergoing repairs in foreground?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The system is designed to produce concert-level volumes while maintaining coherence and instrumental separation. The now seemingly out-of-commission Live at Basie Project listed the equipment as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n