At the Hot House jazz club in Takadanobaba, you not only rub elbows with great jazz musicians and intense fans, you also rub shoulders, knees, ankles and hips. To get to the toilet, someone has to stand up (me as it turned out); to get in the door, the pianist has to move his bench; and to get a drink on the far side of the club, you have to wait for the drummer to take a break so he can hand the glass over from the kitchen to his right.
It's surely the smallest jazz club in the world.
It's good to get to the club a little early, even with a reservation, as the eight-person back bench (which is basically the seating) fills up as quickly and tightly as a rush-hour express. Arriving a little late, I was seated on a stool with my back to the toilet door. The drum set took up the center of the club, while the bass player crammed in sideways with his back to the photo-covered wall. The elbow of the sax player, Seiji Tada, kept hitting my shoulder. I hoped I wasn't making him miss any notes.