Live Spot RAG

Live Spot RAG has been presenting live music in Kyoto since 1981, which makes it one of the longest-running venues in the city. It is run by RAG I.M, a Kyoto company, and it sits in the Kiyamachi-Sanjo area, the busy nightlife district beside the Takase River and close to the Kamo River.

The venue describes itself as a stage open to all genres, and its programme bears that out. Jazz is a mainstay, alongside pop, fusion, AOR, acoustic sets, rock, Brazilian music, tango, country and blues, big band and cabaret shows and funk. The setting is designed so that the stage and the audience feel like one space, which suits small bands and solo artists alike.

Shows are ticketed, and the schedule on the official website lists each event with its door and start times, typically with doors opening in the early evening and the music starting an hour or so later, for example doors at 18:30 and a start at 19:30. Check the calendar in advance, ideally a few days before you plan to go, as programmes change nightly and some popular shows sell out. Expect to order drinks during the evening; the details of charges and any drink requirement are given with each event or can be confirmed through the venue's enquiry form.

RAG suits music lovers, couples and anyone looking for an alternative to a bar crawl, and it is a good way to see the local music scene that most visitors to Kyoto never encounter. Because performers and genres change from night to night, it rewards picking a show that matches your taste rather than simply turning up. If you are new to the venue, a jazz or acoustic night is an easy introduction, and the surrounding streets have plenty of bars for a drink afterwards.

Kiyamachi-Sanjo is a short walk from Keihan Sanjo Station and Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station on the Tozai subway line, and about ten minutes from Hankyu Kyoto-kawaramachi. Pontocho, with its riverside restaurants and bars, runs parallel just to the east, and the Kamo River banks are a popular place for an evening stroll after a show.