Japan Music Journey: Tokyo 07 - Aoyama & Nishiazabu

In this episode of The Kimi Kato Show – Japan Music Journey, Kimi Kato explores two of Tokyo’s most sophisticated and culturally layered neighborhoods: Aoyama and Nishiazabu.  From the samurai origins of the Aoyama name under Tokugawa Ieyasu, to the transformation of the district into Tokyo’s center of international fashion, architecture, music, and creative culture, this episode traces the hidden history behind one of the city’s most elegant areas. Kimi takes listeners through Aoyama Cemetery, Omotesando’s world-famous architecture, the rise of Japanese designer fashion, and the internationalization of Minato Ward after World War II. The episode also dives into the fall of the samurai class during the Meiji Restoration, the Satsuma Rebellion, and the historical inspirations behind The Last Samurai, connecting Japan’s modernization directly to the neighborhoods listeners walk through today. Crossing into Nishiazabu, Kimi explores Tokyo’s hidden nightlife culture — the signless restaurants, late-night creative circles, and private social networks that shaped Japan’s entertainment world through the 1980s and 90s. The story of legendary restaurant Chianti, the rise of City Pop, Blue Note Tokyo, and the rediscovery of Miki Matsubara’s “Mayonaka no Door〜Stay With Me” reveal how this corner of Tokyo became one of the spiritual homes of modern Japanese music. Featuring music from Suchmos, Official HIGE DANdism, King Gnu, Fujii Kaze, Yuming, Matsubara Miki, and Yellow Magic Orchestra, this episode blends history, architecture, jazz, fashion, nightlife, and City Pop into a portrait of Tokyo at its most refined, creative, and quietly magnetic. Host: Kimi Kato Producer: Kimi Kato Executive Producer: Jeremiah D. Higgins Powered by: Project Asteri | Pantheon Media | Radio Candy Media Inquiries: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices