On A Slow Boat To…
On A Slow Boat To… jazz cafe, located near Jimbocho and Ochanomizu Stations in Tokyo, Japan
“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.
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