I don’t have a lot on here yet. Comment to help out with info!
My site always seems to be cursed so even though I had Japanese Characters on this page, somehow wordpress turned them into gibberish and though I found a way to restore them, its above my level of expertise and I am still unable to find a web developer to actually help me.
Japan is CRAZY.
There are buildings everywhere with dozens of small clubs and bar in them. Many times you have to take a tiny elevator filled with way too many people to get to them. There are also bigger clubs around too but for punk and rock its often small spots.
IMPORTANT!- If you are seeing a punk or live music show in Japan, check the times as most shows start before you would even think about getting ready for a show in other countries, usually 6 to 10 pm. This is because everyone has to catch a train before all the lines shut down at 12 am.
But a handful of areas do have activities that go late or all night even, but many musicians may not be able to tell you where to go to find a cool spot as most Japanese show goers will see the band, maybe eat some 24 hour or late night food like Ramen or Gyoza and then get home.
Its very much detective work to find shows in Japan. Few are on Facebook anymore after it was shut down for a couple of years so many use twitter or an app called Line.
Mos Burgers are everywhere and they are similiar to McD’s but with local tastes.
Bands to check out
Blonde New Half-Punk
Minnesota Voodoo Men-Rockabilly
Stompin Riff Raffs-Amazing Phenomenal Psychogaragabilly band
The Bait Ones “The Cramps of Kobe”
The El Caminos-Surf
Electric Eel Shock-Chaos
ExtraVirgin-2 Piece whacky duo. The audience is used to their shtick so sometimes you want to applaud and the regular crowd won’t because they are taking a long break during a song.
Tengokuchusha-Wild frontman with a mohawk and wild moves who sometimes plays a trumpet and their music goes between punk and more melodic.
TsuShiMaMiRe is a female Japanese speed punk trio.
Tokyo
MOST SHOWS IN TOKYO START AROUND 6 PM AND END BY 10:30 WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS.
There are buildings in Japan full of bars and clubs on multiple floors in spaces that are not much different than office or residential buildings. Most have very tiny elevators that at busy times can have many people crammed in them. They are a nightmare for the claustrophobic. Many of the live music spots are in basements or sub basements or sub sub sub basements which often have heavy dungeon like door.
The Shinjuku area of Tokyo as well as the Roppongi area are also red light districts and will have very aggressive non Japanese people who may try to grab you or touch you and try to get you to go into some bar or club or other illicit activities. DO NOT ENGAGE WITH THEM. If you are looking for such activities there are many online guides to these activities and how to go about it safely.
Tokyo is sort of like Los Angeles where there are a large number of neighborhoods and its hard to party hop from one section to another. However most of the relatively inexpensive hotels are in the Shinjuku area so this may affect your going out as you have two options, a very expensive cab, or staying out in another area like Shibuya until 5 am, which is often not terribly difficult as there are 24 hour stores and restaurants around.
A good blog about Tokyo. (edit-Seems inactive now)
Some shows listed at Tokyo Gig Guide.
Japanese Fast Food Blog. A list of fast food styles here.
Bars-
Someone from other areas of the world cannot comprehend what bars are in Japan. While you can certainly find some bars that hold a hundred people and people come and go all night, in Japan most bars are tiny, cramped, smokey, and sometimes there will be 50 in one building or street. Some don’t allow westerners, all have strange hours, some have a cover charge. Its very frustrating for me personally as I like to know exactly what is going on and I like a place to be big enough to choose my own adventure in a space.
Poor Cow-2 Chome-9-23 Kitazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo 155-0031, Japan-Rock and Roll bar
Tiki bar-
Live Music-
O-nest -Live music venue in Shibuya, Japan, Address: Japan, 150-0044 Tokyo, Maruyamacho, 2?3, O-WEST
Phone: +81 3-3462-4420
Club Heavy Sick- Japan, 151-0066 Tokyo, Shibuya, Nishihara, 2 Chome?27?4 B1
+81 3-3466-1445
Shimokitazawa THREE-155-0032 Tokyo, Setagaya City, Daizawa, 5 Chome?18?1 ???????? ????
UFO Club– 166-0003 Tokyo, Suginami City, ???Koenjiminami, 1 Chome?11?6 ????????
Museum-
SNOOPY MUSEUM TOKYO -Museum in Minato, Japan, ?106-0032 Tokyo, Minato, Roppongi, Daily 10AM–8PM +81 3-6328-1960
Clubs-
Namba Mele –http://namba-mele.com/
Sega’s Tokyo Joypolis-3 floor indoor theme park with arcades and rides in Tokyo’s Odaiba Bay area. See reviews here or over here.
Hiroshima, Japan
Live Music-Club Quattro -Live music venue in Hiroshima, Japan
Located in: PARCO, Address: Japan, 730-0035 Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima, Naka Ward, Hondori, 10?1, PARCO
Phone: +81 82-542-2280
Kobe, Japan
Live Music-
Helluva Lounge -Address: ?650-0011, 3 Chome-1-18 Shimoyamatedori, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Nagoya, Japan
Live Music-
HUCK FINN -Address: 5 Chome-19-7 Imaike, Chikusa Ward, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture 464-0850, Japan +81 52-733-8347 Rock club since 1981
Club Rock’n Roll-1 Chome-8-12 Shinsakae, Naka Ward, Nagoya, Aichi 460-0007
Okayama, Japan
Live Music-
Pepperland-Live music venue in Okayama, Japan
Address: Japan, 700-0011 Okayama Prefecture, Okayama,
Phone: +81 86-253-9758 Check the addy as wordpress didnt like Japanese characters.
Osaka, Japan
Osaka is the second largest City after Tokyo, but I like it way more. For one, the areas where things happen are much more compact, so you spend less time traveling and more time partying.
Osaka has a lot of tiny hotel rooms, not capsule hotels, but rooms which might have a full size bed, many luxuries, a tiny soaking tub, crazy amounts of disposable amenities but they are all close to the cool areas. APA hotels are like this and an ok option actually, but it may take you a day or two to adjust to the tiny space.
Hotels-
DOTONBORI HOTEL-2-3-25 Dotonbori Chuo-ku, Osaka 542, on the border of Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi. with crazy heads adorning the front. Close to many bars and vintage shops and the great venue Hokage. Hard to get a room though and very hard to get a full size bed, though if you are traveling with your friends or band you can get a room with 3 or 4 twin beds.
Live Music-Conpass -Address: 1 Chome-12-20 Higashishinsaibashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0083, Japan Phone: +81 6-6243-1666-Immediately next door to the Hotel Fresa and super close to Clapper and Club Stomp.
Hokage-542-0086 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Nishishinsaibashi, 2 Chome?9?36 B1F/B2F
Club Stomp-Best bar for garage/punk. Bands play in a little nook without a proper stage-542-0083 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Higashishinsaibashi, 1 Chome?13?32 TAKARA BLD
Namba Bears-556-0011 Osaka, Naniwa Ward, Nanbanaka, 3 Chome?14?5 ??????? B1-Very old, very rustic spot similar to a diy spot in other cities. Excellent sound system, DIY lights so not too easy to get good photos. Squat toilet in the restroom. Bar is not always open but the door person sometimes has a cooler selling beer for super cheap
Live Bar FANDANGO-590-0985 Osaka, Sakai, Sakai Ward, Ebisujimacho, 5 Chome??
Mele-556-0016 Osaka, Naniwa Ward, Motomachi, 1 Chome?2?2 Inoue Namba Building B1F-a great club with lots of nooks and crannies to have bands sell merchandise and a very good dj booth and stage set up. Its in a basement
NOONCAFE-3 -3-8 Nakazakinishi, Kita Ward, Osaka, 530-0015-Rare ground level space with high ceilings and a tall stage under a overpass. They had a big one day Mod Festival Osaka Mods Mayday here and can have indie or punk or jazz here and sometimes just dj nights til ten.
Attractions-
Shinsaibashi Big Step-542-0086 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Nishishinsaibashi, 1 Chome?6?14
This building is amazing as it has many vintage clothing stores, The Silver Ball Pinball arcade, a giant room with vending machines selling mystery balls, a venue Big Cat, movie theater, an indoor skate park and there are two wild spiral escalators
Tower of the Sun-Closed Wednesdays-Park from an old worlds fair with a cool tower, monorail and an anthropology museum nearby-1-1 Senribanpakukoen, Suita, Osaka 565-0826 in Expo 70 Park
Record Stores-
Time Bomb
Forever record Namba- 2 Chome-4-7 Nanbanaka, Naniwa Ward, Osaka, 556-0011
Yokohama, Japan
Tiki Bar-Tiki Tiki Yokohama, B1 Soutetsu Iwasaki-gakuen, Bldg. 2-17-1 Tsuruyacho
Yokohama, Japan
