For detailed information on each event, please check the posts on the TSDS website (click on the TSDS logo) or the TSDS Calendar. In particular, TSDS frequently updates information for the upcoming one to two weeks. Details for events like jazz festivals may only be finalized about a week before the event. Therefore, please note that events scheduled several months in advance are not yet confirmed, and their details may change.
Every Wednesday at 7 PM at Studio Necola. We’re gonna enjoy dancing lindyhop and blues to DJ’ed swing music with Necola’s super PA sound system. Booking is required. Please check out TSDS Swing Calendar for the details.
However, recently we’ve been dancing at Lindy at the Jam Session in Kagurazaka on the first Wednesday of the month, so please be sure to check the TSDS Calendar.
Date: June 15, 2025 Time: 15:00 – 17:00 Venue: Second floor at Waseda University Okuma Garden House Cafeteria Google Maps
A vibrant jazz festival celebrating Lindy Hop will be held in Tokyo on the Waseda University campus, a prestigious private university in Japan renowned for its academic excellence. On this day, the New Orleans Jazz Festival will showcase the talents of the Waseda University New Orleans Jazz Club, a distinguished student jazz club founded in 1957. The club has a storied history of nurturing exceptional professional musicians who have significantly shaped Japan’s jazz scene.
The festival kicks off with a performance by the current student band from the Waseda University New Orleans Jazz Club. Starting around 3 PM, a renowned Japanese jazz band, composed of professional musicians who graduated from the university, will take the stage. Among the notable alumni is Yoichi Kimura, a founding member of the club born in 1938. Kimura later joined the Purdue Campus Salty Dogs while studying at Purdue University’s graduate school in the U.S., where he was photographed with Louis Armstrong on campus in 1965. A legendary figure in Japanese jazz, Kimura remains active in his late 80s. His son, Oji Kimura, is a talented drummer who frequently performs at Tokyo Swing Dance Society (TSDS) events.
The festival’s highlight is the closing performance by Natsuko Furukawa and Her Soul Food Cafe, one of Japan’s top New Orleans jazz, blues, swing, soul, and boogie-woogie bands. Led by Furukawa, this band is a favorite among swing dancers worldwide, captivating audiences with their irresistibly danceable rhythms.
Join us for dancing from around 3 PM! Reservations are required and coordinated by TSDS. Please sign up via the URL below. The fee is 6,000 yen per person, payable in cash on the day of the event (credit cards are not accepted). Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to swing to some of Japan’s finest jazz!
Makiko Tamura is a young Japanese jazz clarinetist revered not only by discerning jazz listeners but also by many top professional musicians. This spring, she embarked on an astonishing 45-day, 12-city world tour, jamming with musicians worldwide and returning to Japan in early May. I caught her performance recently, and her tone is even more exquisite, swinging endlessly with an intensity dialed up tenfold—a complete upgrade. What a thrill it would be to swing dance to this sound right in front of her!
Backing her are the Necola All Stars: Hajime Kobayashi on piano, Oji Kimura on drums, and Nobu Yano on double bass. International swing dancers unanimously praise their prowess as a swing band. Japan’s swing jazz boasts a rich history and talent pool that other Asian countries might struggle to match in 50 or 100 years. Among Japan’s finest, these musicians are the cream of the crop. While other swing dance events exist, only Necola Premium Hop offers the chance to dance to authentic jazz in Necola’s top-tier acoustic venue. Don’t miss this premium dance event, exclusive to Tokyo, a world-class jazz city!
Event: Necola Premium Hop Date: Saturday, June 28th, 2025 Doors Open: 12:30 PM Show and Dance Start: 1:00 PM Ends Around: 5:00 PM Venue:Necola in Tokyo
Advance reservation required: HERE Languages: We speak English and Japanese.
Price (tax included) ・With advance reservation: 6,000 Yen ・Without reservation: 10,000 Yen
Please pay in cash at the venue. Credit cards are not accepted. Wine, bread, cheese, and snacks will be available and included.
On the final day of Golden Week, May 6th, Tokyo is in for something special. Swiss boogie-woogie and blues piano sensation Silvan Zingg will be performing at Necola. Silvan has shared the stage with musical legends such as B.B. King, Chuck Berry, George Benson, and Quincy Jones, who once said of him, “Your piano playing is monstrous!”
Silvan with B.B.King
Facing off against Silvan is Japan’s own boogie-woogie maestro, Hajime Kobayashi. This incredible collaboration between the top boogie-woogie pianists of Japan and Switzerland is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Accompanying them are two premium musicians: Oji Kimura on drums and Nobuyuki Yano on bass. The evening will be packed with boogie-woogie, swing, and blues galore.
Let’s wrap up Golden Week with a dance to remember!
Event: Necola Premium Hop Date: Tuesday, May 6th (National Holiday) Doors Open: 12:30 PM Show and Dance Start: 1:00 PM Ends Around: 5:00 PM Venue:Necola in Tokyo
Advance reservation required: HERE Languages: We speak English and Japanese.
Price (tax included) ・With advance reservation: 7,000 Yen ・Without reservation: 10,000 Yen
Please pay in cash at the venue. Credit cards are not accepted. Wine, bread, cheese, and snacks will be available and included.
The fact that top jazz musicians from Switzerland and Japan are gathering at Necola is already incredible… And & and (lol!), on this special day, some amazing Japanese professional musicians are scheduled to drop by Studio Necola just for fun. We’re pushing the studio to its limits—will it survive?! (lol)
Natsuko Furukawa (古川奈都子): A pianist and vocalist specializing in New Orleans jazz, blues, boogie-woogie, and swing, representing Japan. She’s said to be even more famous in New Orleans than in Japan—a true legend!
The Grit Groovers: Two young Japanese musicians born in 1998, carrying the next generation of Japan’s jazz scene. Boogie-woogie piano by Keigo Takase (高瀬啓伍) and drums by Koichi (チェケラッチョ こういち).
YouTube playlist below. 1: Boogie-Woogie featuring four super pianists 2: Blues 3: Swing: All Of Me 4: Sweet Georgia Brown 5: Shiny Stockings, tribute to Hiroshi Itaya and more videos will be added to the playlist later.
This is a traditional jazz session held at MASH Records, a music studio in Kagurazaka, Tokyo, organized by clarinetist Makiko Tamura and saxophonist Satoshi Ito. Both are professional jazz musicians, but most other participants are amateur musicians in training. Lindy hop dancers are warmly welcome to join and dance!
Please note that this is not a typical concert for an audience but a session for aspiring jazz musicians—a practice gathering. The cost is 2,000 yen per person, and no reservations are required. The dance floor is relatively small, accommodating only a few couples at a time. However, the organizers are very welcoming to dancers.
Notably, Makiko Tamura is one of Japan’s finest professional clarinetists, but here she primarily supports the amateur musicians and may also use the session to practice the piano. That said, you’ll likely get to enjoy at least one piece featuring her exceptional clarinet performance.
The session starts at 7:30 PM and ends around 10:00 PM. Since there’s no Necola Wednesday Night Hop at Studio Necola that day, some of us will head to MASH Records to dance. See you at MASH Records!
Since TSDS is not the organizer of this session, please refrain from directing additional questions about this event to TSDS. We are merely participants, and all the information we have is provided here.
Time schedule: waiting for more information. Bands: Wondering Buskers
Google maps: In front of ATM of SMBC bank Misc.: This event is free and takes place on the street. The performing bands are highly skilled, so I think we can enjoy Lindy Hop.
The schedule for the 2025 Ikebukuro Living Loop, a free outdoor event, is as follows. Highly skilled professional swing bands will perform on the streets in Ikebukuro, so let’s all go dance the Lindy Hop together. The event will also feature food and drink stalls set up along the streets. The bands’ performance times will likely be announced just before each scheduled date. Especially on November 1, 2, and 3, you can dance for three consecutive days, and with various jazz festivals happening on other weekends that month, November is set to be Tokyo’s most exciting swing month for lindyhoppers!
June 7 (Saturday): There won’t be any jazz band performing this day.
Fumiko Suzuki stands at the pinnacle of Japanese swing jazz vocalists. She has packed Tokyo’s prestigious Suntory Hall to capacity for her concerts and has performed alongside Nobuo Hara and His Sharps and Flats, a legendary Japanese swing big band. Like Ella Fitzgerald, Fumiko enjoys an exceptionally long career. This time, she will make a special appearance with Necola.
Dancing the Lindy Hop to her live voice? A rare chance you can’t miss!
Necola Premium Swingin’ Hop Sunday March 16th, 2025 The doors will open at 5 PM. The first set of the show will start at 5:30 PM. The dance will end at 9:30 PM. Venue: Necola in Tokyo
Band: Hirofumi Asaba and His Necola Swing All-Stars featuring Fumiko Suzuki Hirofumi Asaba on jazz guitar Nobuyuki Yano on double bass Makoto Ueno on tener saxophone Yuka Deguchi on jazz vocals Fumiko Suzuki on jazz vocals
To celebrate those who are coming of age this year, TSDS is offering a special coupon that provides a significant discount on class lessons. Why not take this opportunity to start Lindy Hop?
This offer is available to those turning 20 years old this year, but if you attend with a friend, they will also be eligible for the discount. A group can include up to four people, including the individual turning 20. This offer applies to all classes held in January 2025. Please check the schedule on the calendar. The usual fee of 3,500 yen will be reduced to 2,000 yen.
Those turning 20 must bring an ID that verifies their age, such as a driver’s license or student ID, on the day of the class.
Advance reservations are required by the day before. Please book here. Be sure to mention in your message that you would like to use this special coupon.
