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According to a survey by JNTO, many tourists say Tokyo lacks interesting night-time activities and needs more nightclubs and music-related events. What do you think Tokyo should be doing to make its night-time economy more vibrant?

16 Comments

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30 years ago Tokyo nightlife was years ahead of it's time. There were plenty of nightclubs in Roppongi, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ginza.

What has happened to Que Tsubaki House, Regency? Are they still there?

kabukicho has never, in my opinion, been a nice place. I can never understand what tourists see in the place.

For nightlife nowadays, probably Taipei is better, and cheaper.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Advertise in English.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

With all rude Chinese tourists smothering the tourist spots in the daytime why would any city want them at night too?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yeah, why not... turn Tokyo into yet another capital city where people only go to get pissed and have a party.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Personally after a great meal out on the town I would rather head back, get a nice shower, chill over a cool drink and watch some good tv so I am refreshed for the next day....but TV here is terrible.

Plus so many venues allow smoking and that is very bad for my asthma and I do not want to stink like tobacco.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

"Tokyo lacks interesting night-time activities"? Has this person ever been to Tokyo?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Yeah, I doubt the underground club events want tourists. I also strongly doubt the JNTO tourist people have the slightest clue about those scenes and how they work.

What I think JNTO has is some silly vision of Tokyo somehow becoming like New Orleans during Mardi Gras. JNTO will have no idea how much it costs to hire a live house and the economics of whether it pays a restaurant/bar to put on musicians who are good enough to not scare away their regular clientele. Who are these musicians? Who's going to pay them? Do tourists want to hear what they play? You can already hear someone knock out a Japanese cover version of Daydream Believer every day of the week at any of the karaoke bars that already exist.

That said, if the Japanese government wants to fund huge free weekly concerts by Soil and Pimp or Osaka Monaurail to liven the place up, I will happily go along!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

I reckon people who actually want to go to specialty events, gay club or techno or salsa or something will find out what is happening.

The problem is the "I'd like to be entertained" people. Ask them if if they'd like to be entertained and of course they are going to say yes. Tell them they have to travel 30 minutes, pay 2500 yen each at the door, and that a taxi back at 3am will cost another 3000 yen for four and all of a sudden they won't want to go to a nightclub after all. Clubs in London, Berlin, New York etc. are not free either, remember.

I'd certainly be up for more freedom on the streets, but that is not the direction Japan is going in. Look at the restrictions on Halloween. Twenty years ago, Omotesando was pedestrianized on Sundays and had all kinds of buskers and performers with barely a policeman in sight. It's sad that it does not happen any more.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Better event listings.  Less exclusively Japanese advertising and door policy.  More streetlife.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Tokyo should look to New York City. Real nightlife.

For example?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Tokyo should look to New York City. Real nightlife.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Be kind of cool if they had night markets or open air theatre here, like in Taipei. I could easily go for that.

Haven't been to a nightclub in Tokyo for many years, but am sure some would benefit.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

The irony is that Tokyo has some of the best nightlife in the world. The problem is that tourists don't know how to find it, because it's mostly behind closed doors and promoted in Japanese. A happening club event in the 4th floor of a building is not going to be found by most tourists.

What Tokyo doesn't have is nightlife that tourists can easily access. In other countries, there are street-front bars and cafes everywhere, street performers, open air festivals and events at night, large night markets, etc.

What to do about it? Tell the police to back off and allow a little freedom in the streets. As it is, they regulate everything on the streets to death, so little happens there. If there is demand, people will fill it if the police stop harassing them.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

This begs the absolutely obvious question, are the "nightclubs and music-related events" on already absolutely rammed with tourists? Going to them takes much more effort than ticking a box on a survey saying "I want more events".

Tokyo's night-time economy could be made more vibrant by running the trains later. The downside is that some poor buggers would just end up staying longer at the office.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

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