Cool Train
Make a jazz-fueled escape from the Roppongi you thought you knew

Photo courtesy of Castillo

Just when we thought we’d been down every back alley and side street in High Touch Town, we found
a new one. This as-yet-unexplored neighborhood, located in a swath of the so-called “Art Triangle Roppongi,” drew us on a recent cold evening to a combined gallery and jazz club called Cool Train.

The basement-level joint opened in 2005 and is run by the sisters Eriko and Minako Taira. Eriko curates the art, which takes pride of place during daytime hours, and Minako books live acts that entertain once the sun goes down.

We showed up a few minutes into the first set of a piecemeal quintet of local musicians: Tokyo-based Aussie vocalist Donna Burke, her husband and guitarist Bill Benfield, pianist Shion Lee, bassist Alan Gleason and drummer Shingo Yamaguchi. Seating options in the intimate, brick-walled basement pub are limited to chairs at the handsome wooden bar or couches with low-lying tables.

Almost immediately after checking our jackets at the door, we felt warmed by the club’s coziness. A group of jovial elder Japanese businessmen had taken to the couches, so we opted for seats at the bar—hoping that the bartender would make better drinks if we were watching. But we had little to worry about; it was clear the resident mixologist meant business when his knife came out to perfectly shape the salt on the rim of our glass. The margarita in that glass was blissfully bitter and cut with the mingling tastes of tequila, Cointreau and salt.

We also ordered a cocktail of vodka, Amaretto, ginger ale and fresh lemon—a new favorite—as well as a hot drink of his choosing. The resulting potion was a blend of dark and light rums, orange juice, lime and fresh mint. Nothing too crazy, but the temperature and citrus notes well masked the alcoholic punch.

Drink prices were fairly standard, with each hovering within a few coins of ¥1,000. What was surprising, however, was the affordability of the food items. We enjoyed a large plate of grilled zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin and bell peppers dressed with a basil puree (¥1,000), an assortment of olives and homemade pickled vegetables (¥1,000), and buttery potatoes (¥900) that were boiled and fried to perfection.

When the band took a well-deserved break, instead of retiring to some backstage room, they joined friends in the audience, greeting them with hugs and smiles.

Cool Train is not the typical Tokyo jazz club. This is the hideout of those who enjoy the finer things but eschew the pretension that plagues similar establishments. Despite a name like Cool Train, this place is hot.

Ascending the stairs into the cold winter night, we smiled as a spot-on rendition of “You’ve Got a Friend” emanated from this hidden gem, to which we will certainly return.

B1 Harrington Garden, 7-7-4 Roppongi, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-3401-5077. Open Tue-Sun 6pm-midnight (first stage 7:30pm, second stage 10pm), closed Mon. Music charge: ¥1,000 (Tue-Wed), ¥2,000 (Thu-Sun). Nearest stn: Nogizaka or Roppongi. www.cooltrain.jp/en

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