Some friends from Waseda (where I'm studying) that came to my college last year took me out to a club last night (or this morning, rather- we met up at midnight at Shibuya station). We got in at a discount because someone knew someone, and from the way it was described to me, it sounded interesting- hip-hop and cruising for girls- but not exactly my cup of tea.
The club atmosphere fit my expectations for an hour or two- people were drunk and on the prowl- but the club was putting on a "Cinderella Night," which as far as I can tell involved spotlighting up-and-coming japanese singers and hip-hop artists. The songs were on the cliched, poppy side, and none of the lyrics (English or Japanese) particularly moved me, but the singers were great, had a ton of energy, and the crowd loved them; like most live music, if the performers and audience are into it, it's a good time no matter what the content.
Anyway, as the night went on and the interludes between performances got longer, stuff got interesting. At first, the dj spun hip-hop, but as more people moved onto the dance floor (especially us silly americans), stuff got house-y, and the place started hopping. Between dancing with my friends, watching the artists, and marveling at the spectacle of a Japanese hip-hop joint, it was pretty amazing.
What blew my mind, though, was the last hour- I'm not sure where this dj dug this stuff up, but he spun "No Scrubs," early Daft Punk, Notorious BIG, about 10 minutes of Village People-sounding pop-funk, and other retro hits I never would have expected to be known in Japan, let alone a rap-focused club. We ended up cruising out at about 5:15 am, having danced for about 4 hours straight.
I'm not sure whether the magic was my friends, the crowd, the particular club, or the particular event, so I'm afraid I don't have any suggestions on where to go to have a good time in Tokyo, but I get the feeling that this place is a pretty well-reputed hip-hop club, if you're ever in Japan and looking for that. The name, I believe, is "dramaqueen."
I figured it wouldn't be the best plan to bring my big camera into the club, so unfortunately, this single cell phone shot is all I have. It really doesn't capture the event at all.
To apologize, here's the view from my room, a beautiful sun breaking through the clouds at 6:42 AM. I'm going to bed.
