Clubbing in Tokyo

A Treatise on the City’s Nightlife Scene

Well, everyone, I’m unfortunately grounded for the time being and not able to travel. As anyone who follows me on social media already knows, I was recently thrown from my bicycle while cycling in Okayama Prefecture and broke both my elbow and my shoulder. Yikes! While I am certainly on the mend already following reconstructive surgery, this presents a bit of a problem in regards to my weekly articles. Thankfully though, I have more than enough content trapped in my dense noggin to tide us over until I am fit for the road again. On that note, today we will be looking at a topic that is near and dear to my heart, clubbing in Japan. Most of you are likely unaware of my life before travel but for a good five years or so, I was DJing weekly at Tokyo’s top clubs. As such, I know all the ins and outs of the scene far better than most.

Anyway, to kick things off let’s begin by examining what sets the Tokyo nightlife scene apart from the rest of the world. Unlike some other major cities in Asia, clubbing in Tokyo has an extensive history. There are venues which have been in operation since the 90’s and some of the earliest stars in house and techno music came from Japan. Moreover, several big European trance acts broke into the DJ/performance scene via Tokyo. Over the decades, the city’s party scene has had its share of ups and…