A jazz festival in the shadow of the Sky Tree on the streets of Sumida next weekend sees a couple of hundred acts play across 30 stages.

If you don’t fancy Summer Sonic, and you like a bit of Jazz, you are in for a treat. The Sumida Street Jazz festival, now in its third year, is free, and gives a great excuse to head to downtown Tokyo and soak up the vibes. There are so many cool jazz-clubs in Tokyo but for some people the music isn’t as ‘accessible’ as other genres: now is your chance to get a taste.

The main action centres around Kinshi Park which is near Kinshicho station, but just wandering around near the Sky Tree you will find plenty of ear-candy. Grace Mahya headlines Saturday with legendary Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino, who is based in New York, topping the bill Sunday.

Most of the stages will have music from 11 a.m. through to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 8 p.m. on Sunday. For a map, and more information, have a look at the official website, here.

When: Saturday and Sunday August 18 and 19.


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