Another older Shinjuku gem is Jazz Pub Michaux, a bar whose white-bearded, kimono-and-Mongolian-cap-wearing 76-year-old owner has 4, 500 records of hard-bop and soul-jazz, including a large collection of rare vinyl by artists like Baby Face Willette and Groove Holmes.

BBC: Tokyo��s jazz kissa survive

Simone's collection wisely leaves her signature numbers ("I Loves You Porgy, " "My Baby Just Cares for Me") unmolested, and gives the rest of the tracks the chill-out treatment.

NPR: Nina Simone Gets 'Remixed and Reimagined'