Slowboat — Local services in Sapporo

The sax combo was good- solid provincial jazz- but we felt the 3000 yen per person cover charge was frankly extortionate. We arrived after 10 (it was all over by half 11pm) and had two small beers- and then got presented with a check for 7000 yen! We felt ripped off frankly, especially after an excellent experience the week before in Tokyo where the cover charge was 500 yen and the rotating musicians were of a significantly higher quality (we’re both musicians and felt ourselves fair judges). So be warned! Either get there early and get your cover charge worth or go to a bigger city where you can hear better music for less! To end on a positive, the musicians were clearly passionate and the...

The bar was a jazz bar with live performance. There was an entry fee of ¥4000 (as of September 2024), that can be paid by card. The atmosphere was amazing and the owner, Yasuko, was super nice. There were also some cd’s available of the past performers. If you want to contribute to the legacy of Ryo Fukui, there are vinyls, cds and T-shirts to buy.

A note for anyone who is asthmatic or would like to avoid being around smoke; there will be people smoking in there so keep that in mind. There are also non-alcoholic drinks available.

I recommend anyone who is interested in jazz or live music to visit this bar. Let’s...

Slowboat is the ultimate bar when it comes to the jazz vibe.

The entire vibe of the place is legit on point, and it just gives your life such a great pause and escape when you step into its universe.

Adding on the jazz performances that takes places by local artist that just hits all the right spots, you will not want to go home any time soon for sure.

The drinks are all legit (I ordered at least x8 sake the entire night) and the crew was attentive and friendly.

If I am a resident of Sapporo, I am definitely making this my regular hangout, that's how much I love this place.

Slowboat wa saikou...