A phenomenon formerly unique to Japan, which in recent years has been emulated in cities around the world, is the jazz café (known as jazz kissa in Japan), where salary-men can find respite from their hectic lives, loosen their ties, and enjoy hi-fi jazz over coffee or a drink.1 Jazz kissaten are typically charming, smaller shops, traditionally furnished and paneled in beautiful wood, which serve superb artisan coffee in artful ceramic cups.
Such respect for artistry, craftsmanship, and attention to detail—the Japanese word is shokunin—is reflected in many aspects of Japanese life. This is where you find double handrails to accommodate people of different heights, intricate, ornately designed manhole covers, and bento lunch boxes with hand-carved vegetable figurines. While upholding strict conformity to societal norms, the Japanese highly value creative individualism. This shokunin mindset underlies their reverence for artisanal expression—and their love for jazz.
Japanese audio, much like jazz kissaten, reflects the shokunin mindset: craftsmanship pursued with both pride and humility. Consequently, tube amplifiers from established Japanese brands—AirTight, Kondo, Leben, Luxman, Shindo, Yamamoto—have been held in high esteem for decades. Manufacturers less well-known in the West—Audio Tekne, Spec, Triode Labs, and Takatsuki/Alex Sound—are just as well-respected. Japanese cartridges, too—from brands such as Audio Technica, Denon, Hana/Etsuro Urushi, Ikeda Labs, Koetsu, Miyabi Labs, Nagaoka, Shelter Audio, and Sumiko—are widely revered.
Tube technology, who wrote the 1990 book
