i really like dance music and especially techno. I have heard of the Liquid Rooms in Tokyo and that they have closed (confirmation would be good). i would just like to know what the dance scene is like in Japan...?
i know of a few Techno DJ's like Ken Ishii and know that Jeff Mills is pretty big in Japan but....
Not 100% sure but it seemed their was a fairly healthy techno and dance music scene in Japan.
At least one BIG dance music event (Wire I think its called) and many clubs around Shibuya like the Ruby room that are more dedicated to your style of music.
Yeah, there's a huge scene in Tokyo. It's a bit confusing though. Most clubs have different parties on different nights. What you need to do is find an organizer and/or DJ you like, and figure out where their next party is. You can also check the schedule of the place.
Liquid Room isn't a club though... it's really a concert hall for DJs (and sometimes bands). It's big, and expensive. Usually 4000-6000 entry fee. Here's some other clubs... some have been around for ages, others haven't.
Maniac Love This is the cat's meow, and is pretty hardcore. VERY small, claustrophobic, and smokey. Yet, the after hours party (5Am to 10AM Sunday, and now Saturdays I hear) is the place to be. The Saturday Night party is pretty harsh techno/minimal so if you're into that "glittery" techno, wait until about 5AM to show up. My personal favorite of the Japanese DJ's is Shinkawa. He plays at one after hours party a month. Monobe and Yo-C are also very good, and very cool people as well. Monobe is into games, so we usually have something to BS about at clubs. Crossover is a CIA Japan party that he DJs at. It's one of the old school parties I went to, and was where my wife and I had our first "date" so to speak. It and the Maniac Afterhours are the only two parties that are still around from "the old days" but Crossover has switched locations half a dozen times it seems.
CIA Japan is run by a guy that throws quite a few parties. Despite the fact that the owner is American, there's no English on the website. :/
Womb is a pretty damn big place. I'm not so big on it, but it's okay. The visitors leave a bit to be desired. Events vary, but they have an informative website.
Air is another club, much smaller than Womb but quite a bit bigger than something like Maniac Love. My friend organized Joey Beltram's tour, and he played here. It was nuts packed, but a great party. I like this place, although the name of it is a bit misleading. :/
Ageha is a MASSIVE club out in Shin Kiba. You have to take a bus, or a 6000 or so yen cab ride to get there. Stupid idea to put it out so far, but oh, well. They have some good shows.
Mainline Music is a booking agent a very close friend of mine runs. It started out when he lived in Japan, booking foreign DJs in Japan. He does the same thing now, but from the UK. He's bound to have a schedule up. He only brings well-known DJs. The good side, is I get to meet them all... that's how I got the translating gig below.
HUGE. I actually translated for him in Kyoto ages ago. Got to see a free show.
Yellow in Nishi Azabu is another but couldn't dig up there website. It's the first real club I was exposed to... ages ago, on my study abroad.
There's another club in Roppongi (huge) that I wont' mention b/c I think it's garbage. Sometimes okay music, but strippers and salarymen are the main clientele. No thanks.
That should keep you going. Some things you should note. Times have changed. Expect a body search on the way in (varies in degrees) and expect to be ejected if you're found in a toilet with someone, regardless of what you're doing. Some places, like "that place" in Roppongi have Guardian Angels standing outside. Even a city like Tokyo has some people that can't find anything better to do than pretend to do the police's job.
i didnt think i was going to get a reply and i am amazed that there is someone like you to talk about techno...!!!!!! WICKED
you are one lucky b*d by the sound of things.
i will check through all these websites now..!
techno is a big love of mine and i really want to keep it up when i come over to Japan, this is the reason for my request for information now, as i am still researching the country.
Yeah -- Takkyuu Ishino (while extremely LOUD) is a very good DJ. He doesn't really count though as he sells records around the world. He is Tokyo homegrown though. His shows are expensive, and packed. He's got a I saw him at the Liquid Room about two years ago. I had to wait in line to get in b/c it was 1 out 1 in. You know for Japan, that's packed! There's a Live CD of him that you'd never be able to find if you didn't know the exact name of it.
Club Scene in Japan is different than the US for the most part (I think). If you go to cheesy clubs to get laid... yeah, that's the same. But for the people that go clubbing to hear a good DJ, Tokyo is a great city. There's almost always a DJ from the UK playing somewhere.
GaijinPunch is pretty much on the mark about the clubs. My favorite is Air for the music, but if you want space to dance, I'd try Ageha. The bus ride from Shibuya isn't that bad, but be sure to get a ticket for the return trip as soon as they drop you off at the club. You do NOT want to miss that last bus.
wicked, thanks for all the information guys, like i said, I'm not planning on being in Japan until September, I'm just researching at the moment to see whats what out there.
Club Scene in Japan is different than the US for the most part (I think). If you go to cheesy clubs to get laid... yeah, that's the same. But for the people that go clubbing to hear a good DJ, Tokyo is a great city. There's almost always a DJ from the UK playing somewhere.
thats a good thing then. we have some dire places that call themselves "clubs" in the uk which are just rubbish; for "townies" that just want to get utterly destroyed on pills and/or coke and act like a total fool
i never go to these clubs.!
i love techno and and stay (relatively) drug-free
i like to dance and listen to good music. there is a strong techno scene in the Uk and it isn't looked down on as being ridiculous, unlike the hard house scene/ cyber scene (no offence, but you guys look stupid...! ☝ )
any way,
heres hoping i have a wicked time when i come over to Japan
im not gonna be actively seeking down drugs, don't get me wrong. There's no way i would jepordise my time in Japan for something as stupid as drugs...!!!!
I will go to Japan in august and I will visit many places like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka.
I would like to experience the Japanese nightlife.
That's why I want to go to night clubs and bars. How old do you have to be to enter a night club or bar in Japan?
I'm 19 years old, but many people think I'm over 20.
Do you think I can participate in the night scene of Japan?
What are the possibilities?
Oh yes, does anyone know good places in Fukuoka to go out?
When asked for I.D. in Japan + legal age for drinking/smoking
Ok, say I go to the store for beer or a club/pub/or bar, and they ask me for identification, what will I have to show them? And the age is 25 right?
EDIT: Also do the Police regularly stop tourists and ask for passports etc? I am just trying to get an idea of what I am gonna have to bring to Japan/carry with me around everywhere.
I am returning to Japan in a month for a few years and am interested to know more about the electronic music scene in Japan. Any recommendations?
I like all types of music, and I also produce my own stuff. I am wondering if there is any market for me in Japan, however small. I produce mainly breakbeat based tracks but would like to do some stuff with vocals in the future.
if you fancy having a listen to anything I have done, you can find stuff here
I'm sure this has been asked many times around the forum but..... what are some good japanese techno and/or electronica groups? im looking for groups that i guess would be comparable to the "chemical brothers" in style, but any suggestions would be great!
"Is 'Gold' in Shibaura still open?"
Serious question? i found a site using "ﾂ渋窶價GOLD" but me don't think i allowed to link to it...
'Gold' was there when I was in Tokyo, which was about 7 years ago. I thought it would be still popular if 'yellow' was open because they drew a similar crowd.
I moved there in 1998, and went out all the time... never heard of it, so I'm going to assume it was gone. Goldfinger has come and gone a few times, which is just a party... one that men can't get into (damnit).
Im in to clubbing to, we got some great clubs in amsterdam.
but what im wondering about is that, this thread is about Tokyo area... what about kansai area, and especialy kobe...
its pretty hard to find nightclubs in kobe on the website... at least in english.. anybody know more about kobe nightlive, especialy clubbing
Kobe is so close to Osaka that I think you'll have a lot more luck searching on Osaka websites. I did a translating gig in Kyoto once, as stated above. The guys in there said most of the clubs were in Osaka, not Kyoto or Kobe. Kind of like the relatinoship between Yokohama and Tokyo. There are clubs in Yokohama, but the only thing groundbreaking are events in Yokohama stadium (like Wire).
Check also www.cyberjapan.tv, theyｴve got this list of clubs both in Tokyo and Osaka area.
And Dutch Baka:
If you get to Japan, buy the KaziKazi-magazine, or find a free piece of ClubJuice for yourself. These mags have listed events in Kansai area clubs (Club Juice also Tokyo).Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, etc.
..And they also have some stories and nice pics from events etc.
I found these from Kobe (sorry, the address is in kanji so I don't understand..):
-Club JamDung
-Union Bay (according to the programme mainly hardhouse, reggae events)
-Beber (trance, hardhouse)
-Pi:z (techno, trance, house, drum'n'bass)
-Troop Cafe (drum'n'bass, house, hardhouse)
..haven't been to those though, so i have no idea what they're like.. if you visit them, please say your comments about them
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
wow....!
