Basement

Basement

Pithecanthropus erectus (commonly known as "Pithecan")

March 1982 - July 1984

Japan's first non-disco club (live house, restaurant, gallery)

This was the first club in Japan that was not a disco. It was created by music producers Shigekazu Kuwabara and Toshio Nakanishi with the aim of combining music, art and fashion, and disseminating it from Tokyo to the world. Shigekazu Kuwabara took part in the radio music program "Snakeman Show'' together with Katsuya Kobayashi and Masato Ibu. He was active in music and many other fields, and was a leading figure in Japanese street culture. In addition to live performances by MELON, a newly formed group by members of Plastics (Toshio Nakanishi, Hajime Tachibana, and Chika Sato) who performed at 80 locations in the United States, Pithecan also hosted events such as art exhibitions and beauty contests. It was planned to be a cultural space where the coolest people in the world gathered. Another feature was that you could eat proper Japanese food until late at night.

Although it was open for less than two years, foreign celebrities visited almost every day, and Keith Haring and Basquiat left their autographs. The publication anniversary party for Nam June Paik, the father of video art, was a big event, with Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi and his wife attending. In Kyoko Okazaki's "Tokyo Girls Bravo'', it appears as the most fashionable place in Japan and a dream destination for the teenage protagonist.

Just before the bubble burst, Tokyo was basically at the cutting edge of the world.

Club D

From October 1984 – (unknown)
1st floor: members only club, 2nd floor: disco space and restaurant & bar

Admission fee: 3,000 yen (3,500 yen on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays). Each day had a different theme: Sunday (House), Monday (Rock), Tuesday (Dance Music), Wednesday (Disco Classics), and Thursday (Funky). The venue could be rented for parties, for up to 400 people. There were even bats flying around.

The British rock band New Order apparently performed at Club D when they had their first concert in Japan at the Welfare Pension Hall.

Fonda de la Madrugada

From September 1993

After going down a corridor with graffiti on the walls, you'll find yourself inside a cave-like interior that makes you feel like you've wandered into a foreign country. The interior of Fonda de la Madruga is decorated entirely with items imported from Mexico, giving it a Mexican feel.
You can experience the world of the Disney movie "Coco".

It is used as a filming location for dramas. Among the numerous TV programs it has appeared in are Fuji TV's "Shotgun Wedding: Monday 9" (starring Yutaka Takenouchi and Ryoko Hirosue, 2001) and Nippon Television's "Only Born First" (starring Sho Sakurai and Yu Aoi, 2017).

※References
Book
"Tokyo Girls Bravo Volumes 1 and 2", Kyoko Okazaki, Takarajimasha, 1993
Magazine
"Club Introduction: Pithecanthropus Erectus" An-an, Magazine House, September 16, 1983
"MOD EAST OLYMPIC" Tokyojin, Issue 206, Toshi Publishing, 2004
Web
TOKYO80s Real Story『The POLICE Serial Column』[2023.6.2]