Tokyo might just be the best place in the world to listen to music. The city is teeming with small, music-focused cafés, clubs and bars, tucked away in basements, back-alleys and high-rise buildings. A venue exists for just about every niche of music—from house, disco and techno to jazz and classical. Those small venues form part of a long-standing ecosystem in Japan's capital that also includes some of the world's best record shops, festivals and large clubs, all of which attract friendly, knowledgeable and open-minded music heads.