Jazz kissa: Japanese listening bars inspire Australian venues

In Japan they’re called jazz kissa – bars and cafes fitted out with high-quality sound systems and libraries of hundreds of vinyl records. They became popular after World War II when many couldn’t afford luxury items, such as imported jazz albums or record players. Here, you could drink tea and coffee during the day – and sake, whisky and beer at night – while quietly listening to music selected by the owner.

When the phenomenon peaked in the ’70s, there were more than 250 of these places in Tokyo alone but, with an ageing population and gentrification, fewer than a hundred remain in the city today. You can still find them, from Meikyoku Kissa Lion in Shibuya, which plays classical music and is the city’s oldest listening cafe, to Dug, a basement jazz joint in Shinjuku that featured in H