A tour of three famous Tokyo jazz venues, both old and new, where Don Don, president of Blue Note Records, spent his time.

President Don! How do you like jazz in Tokyo?

Of the three establishments carefully selected by our editorial team, we first headed to TOH, a listening bar that plays Japanese jazz records on a vintage sound system.

"Wow! Those are Ojas speakers! I heard that the designer, Devon Turnbull, also installed the equipment, so the acoustics are guaranteed. I listened to Kuniyasu Yoshio 4's Thermal (1982), and I felt that the melodies, which are similar to Japanese folk songs, and the use of percussion instruments were original and went beyond simply imitating American jazz. All of the albums released by Suzuki Isao, Imada Masaru, and others on Three Blind Mice are fantastic. I would love to license a release of one of these for the Tone Poet Series, which reissues Blue Note recordings."

Still excited, we headed to the vintage record store, Hal's Record.

"It's shocking to find a store with such high-quality vintage records. They have European works and other things I've never seen before. I found "Monk in Tokyo," which was released only in Japan in 1963, for a cheap price and bought it straight away. Americans are rough with records, so I wish they'd learn from Hal's Records."

Finally, we went to JazzSpot Intro, which has produced many musicians through its daily sessions.

"The performance space and the audience seats are flat, and there's a full house just six inches in front of the saxophone - that's something you wouldn't see in America (laughs). The underground heat made me think of the beatnik scene of the 1950s. Musicians' creativity is nurtured through improvisation. If I were a teenager, I would definitely have hung out there. The bassist, trumpeter, and harmonica player in the session I listened to today were amazing, and drummer Kaito Nakamura's performance was also fantastic."

What were your impressions of experiencing jazz in Tokyo?

"The stores themselves are smaller than those in the US. But they are well-maintained, and people put a lot of effort into the way they play music and the way they arrange records. With the exception of TOH, the buildings look old, but they're well-maintained and clean. Buildings in LA that are over 30 years old are even more run-down, and only used by drug dealers (laughs). The musicians' playing skills are impeccable, and I thought their manners were great too. I'm sure they'll gain courage if they play at a place like JazzSpot Intro. It was a very rewarding experience to be able to experience such a scene.

There's another reason I came to Tokyo this time. I got hooked on YouTube's "Kabukicho Live Channel" and thought, "I want to see Kabukicho! I want to be on it too," so I came here. America is the worst right now, so I almost want to move to Tokyo (laughs)."