On A Slow Boat To…
On A Slow Boat To…
Jazz of Japan #328 • Sep 25, 2025 • Brian McCrory
“On A Slow Boat To China”, (“(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China”) is a popular song from the 1940s that was covered by many pop and jazz artists. Benny Goodman had a classic top-ten single, and Woody Allen used versions of the song to great effect in his films.
Many jazz spots in Japan take their names from familiar songs, jazz standards, and album titles, and this custom becomes a sort of a secret code that jazz fans can use to recognize places that draw them in. This can also be a reliable way to know where a shop’s mind and heart are directed.
On A Slow Boat To… (aka SLWBT2) is a small cafe offering coffee and jazz in the Jimbocho district of Tokyo. While the name of this cafe references the well-known song and its descendant old-timey catch-phrase, the cafe’s introduction also cites an early short story by Harumi Murakami with the same title. Like the song’s meaning of taking a lengthy journey, the shop explains that their setting aims to be a place where time slips away, yet where there is plenty of time to relax and listen to music. The trailing off nature with its ellipses … indicates that the destination, unplanned or unfinished, can be up to you, and you can take your time getting there.
This shop operates during the day as a coffee shop and offers occasional workshops, events, and live performances on certain nights. The owners take care to offer hand-drip coffee from a selection of their hand-roasted coffee beans. Lunch options include keema curry, pasta, and similar dishes, and sweets include scones, rare cheesecake, and carrot cake.
While customers enjoy their coffee or meals, jazz BGM (background music) fills up the room. Big wooden speakers are set at the inner wall and set for great sound, faithfully reproducing with mellow, rich, and warm sounds of music played through LPs and CDs. Once I noticed some customers (regulars, or friends of the owners?) bringing in their just-purchased CDs from the nearby Disk Union shop to request a spin on Slow Boat’s system as they enjoyed their coffee and conversation.
The hot coffee here uses a nel drip technique, a hand-drip style that uses a flannel cloth filter to improve the taste. It’s all handmade: hand-roasted, hand-selected beans, and hand-drip pour-over coffee. The owner takes coffee seriously, and it tastes seriously good. For food, the keema curry is also popular. It’s a house specialty made with up to 17 spices and no water, just daikon radish and tomato. It looks, smells, and tastes delicious, a is a perfect partner to some strong coffee.
The atmosphere at On A Slow Boat To… is very friendly, just like a modest and honest family-run business should be. Every detail, from the menu, music, and decor, has been carefully considered by the owners. Customers can immediately notice that it is a nice comfortable place overall where you can relax with good music and good people.
Live performances at On A Slow Boat To… are irregular but savored, and advance reservations fill up quickly. At these events, customers pay first upon entry, receive a printed menu slip to pick orders from, and take a seat at a table or counter. As live events here are popular, and space is limited (there are only 16-20 seats available), fully sold out nights are common. It’s best to make a reservation ahead of time. Alternatively, stop by On A Slow Boat To… during normal business hours a stop on your way to the nearby jazz club Naru near Ochanomizu station, a classic and must-do stop for live jazz in Tokyo.
On A Slow Boat To…jazz cafe, located near Jimbocho and Ochanomizu Stations in Tokyo, Japan
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