Welcome to CoZmo, a cafe and bar on the edge of Shibuya where it abuts Aoyama. And meet Ronna Wagenheim, its creator, proprietor, head chef and host. With the assistance of only one hand on deck, the charming Junella Hidaka, Ronna opens her hip retreat every night to escapees from the madness down the hill in Shibuya proper.

After graduating with a degree in Fine Arts from Miami University in Ohio, Ronna moved to Boulder, Colorado, where the alternative coffee-shop culture was jumping.

"I arrived in Japan wearing a pair of denim overalls!" Ronna exclaims, sounding a bit surprised at herself.

That much explains the art and coffee orientation at CoZmo. And Ronna's many trips to India and her study of yoga explains the presence of several tasty curries -- including vegetarian options -- on the menu at CoZmo. It also explains her taste for Middle Eastern and alternative forms of dance and music, both of which are featured live at CoZmo.

The final ingredient that adds flair to what's on offer at CoZmo is an extensive list of tasty cocktail martinis. These are a personal favorite of Ronna, who used to frequent G-Martini's in Roppongi back in its heyday.

But how does a fine arts grad from Ohio end up in Tokyo running her own show? First up was Dad, who, through business connections, secured Ronna a job as a graphic designer. That brought her to Japan in 1994 and kept her here for the first five years. For the next five, she drifted in and out of Japan, doing odd jobs to support her travels in Asia. But she was already making moves to return stateside to study for her yoga teacher's certificate when she stumbled upon both the idea and the space for CoZmo.

After a reconnaissance mission to San Francisco, where she had been looking at loft spaces to rent, Ronna returned to Tokyo and one day dropped by to see her boyfriend at work. They popped out for coffee at a cafe around the corner from his office. It was empty and apparently struggling for business. Ronna was excited about the big plate-glass windows overlooking the street, which instantly reminded her of the lofts she had just seen in San Francisco.

"I loved the space," says Ronna. "I knew I could do a lot with it."

After some negotiations with the then-owners, the space became Ronna's, lock, stock and fully functioning kitchen. The previous tenants left everything she needed to start cooking. She recruited a friend to build the bar counter, which was fashioned from a huge table that the previous tenants left behind. She then painted the walls and collected the bits and pieces needed to furnish the space -- some new and some used -- and CoZmo's Cafe and Bar was born.

That was 18 months ago. Since then, Ronna has steadily built a regular roster of alternative live music and dance events. Alegra was the first to join with her "gypsy queen exotic dance" performances, which have been featured once a month for the last year. The Open Mic Nights on Thursday each week have also become popular with an assortment of creative folk -- including singers, poets and rappers.

CoZmo's base of regular customers has also grown steadily, including all the usual suspects from the foreign party circuit and internationally minded locals. The mix currently stands at about 50:50. Especially popular is the Mad Hatter's Martini Mixer, for which everyone must wear a hat (if you fail to arrive wearing one, you can either pay 1,000 yen or be given a hat, so if you're at all vain, it's best to take your own). For this event, the martini cocktail on offer is changed every 30 minutes throughout the night.

The music featured at CoZmo covers everything from hip-hop to jazz to the full range of niche Asian genres. But one of Ronna's favorite events is the recently launched Tribal Fusion Night, which was inspired by an article she read -- ahem -- in The Japan Times. She realized that belly dance and other forms of Asian dance shouldn't be taken out of context, so Tribal Fusion brings the dance together with live music and tunes from DJ Makyo.

This month, CoZmo will launch a series of free live events featuring Japanese musicians. These will begin with performances by Salvia on Nov. 25, followed by Keiichi Michihiro on Nov. 27 and finishing with Syotaro on Nov. 30.

"CoZmo brings good food, music, people and art together," concludes Ronna. "I can't imagine doing anything else . . . "