Japans finest..
This time last year i was lucky enough to visit Japan on a 8 day run across the country with my best mate taking in all the sashimi shopping and techno clubs it had to offer. I arrived at Hiroshima international after a 10 day stint on the phin in Thailand, looking a little worse for wear and very sick indeed. I had bought wit me a bag full of cheap clothes and antique opium pipes (im an avant collector) and very poor communication skills. When aked what my purpose in japan was i replied “Holiday” to a very curious customs official.. Ho ri day?? he replied. On ispection of my bag i was found to be in possession of 7 opium pipes and 45 10mg valium, not that i needed them for the trip but comming off the black tar can be a very drawn out experience..
to cut a long story short, i got through and had one of the most eye opening experience of my life, osaka, Tokyo, shinsaibaishi, americamura, shibuya, minato ku, Yoyogi Park and of course the fashionably insane Harijuku. Secret underground techno clubs litter the spaghetti streets of downtown Tokyo while well hidden places like the micro office and colors studio a haven for artists and producers have to be seen to be believed.. oh yeah and the whale soup isnt a bad dish either..
Japan is the world’s largest market for music, with by far the greatest and most eclectic variety available in all genres, and Tokyo is its epicentre. Shibuya is generally recognized to have the most vinyl record stores per square foot on the entire planet, and Technique is the best techno shop of the bunch.
Maniac Love was a tiny club that hosted the most legendary after-hours parties of the Tokyo scene, where the party didn’t really start until 6 or 7 in the morning. Located in the basement of a semi-residential street, it was probably the only club in the world that featured staff prowling the surrounding area to intercept approaching clubbers to ask them to keep quiet so as not to disturb the neighbours. Unfortunately, it shut its doors at the end of 2005, which marked the passing of the best-loved hard techno joint in the city.
Space Lab Yellow is currently far and away the hottest club in the city for house and minimal techno, consistently featuring the best DJs and producers the world has to offer. The oldest and most revered club is regarded by most as the best underground venue in Tokyo, due in no small part to the sound system, which is identical to the system that pumped out the beats in New York’s legendary Paradise Garage. Closed off and on by the cops in its infant rebellious years, only the true heads party there, since there’s no sign, just a yellow neon square. Yellow also has the distinction of being Mitsuaki’s favourite club..
