Kyoto Live Houses

• Kyoto Mojo     Mojo has had a complete makeover, and the bar area and stage areas are completely separate. Kudos to Mojo that the stage area is now non-smoking, although the ventilation seems a bit iffy.
  The bar has Heineken or happoshu. There are two toilets, both nice, one ladies and one unisex. Capacity is 300 but that would be stretching the limit of comfort. 60cm stage, bright lighting. No re-entry.
  The website has a lot of English on it and a nice, clear schedule page and the map, in Japanese, is nice and clear too. In English - take any exit from Hankyu Karasuma station that leads to Shijodori and head west. I take exit 24 and turn right. I had no trouble finding it but here's a picture anyway for amusement value. I didn't actually realise that I had been standing over the road from Mojo during the Gion Festival until looking through the photos afterwards.




Kyoto Mojo. It's in the basement below that little red and white sign near the bottom.



• Taku Taku     One of the best places around. Lots of wood and handpainted posters for really cool musical acts so the atmosphere oozes history. It's a bit bigger than most places too and has room for a few tables and chairs, if you're into such things. They're history if it's a bigger show, though. The website isn't very gaijin friendly, being entirely in Japanese, but the map is accurate, if somewhat kanji-ridden, Since the map is completely in Japanese here's a bit of help in English. Take Hankyu Karasuma/Kawaramachi (Karasuma is closer) exit 12 (this isn't a typo, their map recommends exit 11 then turn left) and turn right then turn right again at the corner, after the Circle K and before the Doutor cafe, then head south. Be careful of the little dogleg in the street you're following, just keep heading south past it. The only other landmark I can recall, for obvious reasons, is a teashop called 'Tits' that you pass on your right. The problem wasn't really the map but the subtlety of Taku Taku's signage, as you can see from the photo below. There's a parking area outside which is unusual for that part of town.
  One great thing about the Taku Taku site, if you can get past the lack of English, is that they seem to share knowledge as soon as they have it so their schedule is one of the most up-to-date in the biz.
  Taku Taku's drink ticket price varies with the show. If it's a normal show, as well as having the tables and chairs out, the drink ticket is 600yen and you can get the 500ml bottles of beer with it. If it's a sold-out, or nearly sold-out, show the ticket is 500yen and you pick from a more limited range of drinks as you go in.
  The usual fare is Malts, Kirin lager or Heineken. The bottles of Kirin and Malts come with those thimble-sized glasses so beloved of izakaya everywhere. Decline it and drink out of the bottle. They won't mind.




Taku Taku, coming from Shijodori. The sign is no more impressive at night. Turn right through the gate. Can't miss it.



• Kyoto Muse     Muse is an OK place with a pretty relaxed atmosphere. Medium sized and well set out with the stage about 80cm high. They seem to have different beer every time I go there...currently it's Asahi Super Dry, Orion, or Bass. They'll let you have the Bass with your drink ticket even though it's usually an extra 100yen. Sweet!
  Snacks rather than food. Re-entry is allowed so you can roam in search of alternative grub. Two traditional style ladies toilets on the floor above the hall.
  Muse, on Shijo Street, is easy to find. Turn left out of exit 13 from Hankyu Karasuma station (or Kawaramachi if you fancy going the long way) and you're pretty much there. The web site has a fair bit of English and is easier to negotiate than most.




Kyoto Muse. When it's open you can see stairs to the left going up to the 3rd floor.



• Club Metro is cool as. I don't know how much of it can be credited to Metro itself but I've seen some of my all time favourite gigs there so I really like the place. The website has lots of English and the directions couldn't be clearer. Take exit 2 from Keihan Jingu-Marutamachi station and Metro is halfway up the stairs. Fucked if I could find it from ground level the second time I went there though! I had to go down into the station then back out up exit 2. Spaz. Exit 2 is actually pretty easy to find from street level and it's right next to a "Lawson 100" conbini which is handy because Metro allows re-entry.
  There's a choice of beers including Asahi and Malts. The staff are very pleasant. Two ladies toilets and one gents that you can get away with using, at a pinch. The lights are power-saving and motion activated so you may end up having to wave your arms in the air halfway through a pee or get left in the dark.
  One word of warning, depending on who's on the desk the the lighting varies between groovy and insanely annoying. They have super-bright strobe lights at the back and sides which point straight out at the audience. I was getting after-images from them and supremely pissed off until I thought to put my sunnies on. So if you don't mind looking like you think you should be up on stage there's a reasonable solution. It was also supremely lucky for me because I caught the neck of a guitar across the face and if I'd been wearing my normal specs they probably would have been broken. Helen has aho aho power.
  



• Jittoku     Nice place. Like Taku Taku it's in an old building that's been converted to a live house although Jittoku is a bit smaller and seems to emphasize the food a little more. The food is good too, especially the sandwiches that are made with wholemeal bread baked inhouse. Sapporo lager and Guiness. The decor is even better than Taku Taku with everything made out of chunky wood, including the stage which is well elevated. They pack the tables in really tight, though, so it's a bit hard to move around. I went there for an acoustic show and it was great for that but I see from their schedule that they do rock there too. The schedule is all in Japanese, as is the access map. Jittoku is on Omiyadori which runs north from Nijo Castle. The best way to get there is to take exit 2 from Marutamachi station on the subway. Turn right, walk to the big crossroads then turn right again onto Marutamachidori, which is signposted. It's a fair distance along, maybe 10 minutes and then you'll get to a small post office. There's a narrow street just after it, with a small electrical goods shop on the other side. This is Omiyadori. Turn right down it and keep going until you see Jittoku. On your right. Right.




Jittoku




• World     World, like Metro, is more a club than a livehouse, and it's reflected in the staging and lighting. The lighting is actually pretty cool, for the most part, assuming that you're a fan of mirror balls. Which I am. Not quite such a fan of their fetish with strobe lights but there are always sunnies. The stage is only elevated about 50-60cms so visibility from the dance floor is a bit limited but there are other vantage points. The decor is really cool. Vaulted ceilings, elaborate pendant light fittings, stuccoed walls and nooks and crannies all over the show. It's also a bit boro-boro but the mood lighting helps to play that down. World has two staging areas, the main one downstairs and a smaller one upstairs. Smoking isn't allowed on the actual dance floor of the main stage but is allowed everywhere else.
  No re-entry and no food. Super Dry draft and in cans. Plenty of lockers but they're a bit small. Three women's toilets.
  World is easy to find. It's just to the north of exit 1 from Hankyu Kawaramachi station, on the street just west of the canal. Mysteriously the map on the site (which is Google maps, who should know better) labels it as exit 5.




World




• nano     The stage at nano is only about 30cm high but visibility is still ok because the place is so small. The staff are pleasant and re-entry is allowed, you just have to ask. Sapporo beer on tap, food available and one, nice toilet. Smoking is allowed and it gets a bit smoky. It's also one of those places where the bands have to approach and leave the stage through the crowd, which adds to the fun.
  To get there take exit 2 from Karasumaoike station and walk straight ahead (i.e. west) along Oike. Take your first right then the first left and keep going until you see this place on your left.




nano




• UrBANGUILD     Urbanguild (no, I'm not going to keep up their wanky lettering style) isn't actually a livehouse at all, it's a "multidisciplinary art space!!!!" on the east side of Kiyamachidori between Sanjo and Shijo. The map on the website is accurate and in English but eschews landmarks and I ended up having to frantically phone a friend who had better directions. As the photo shows it's a bit to the north of "Qoo", whatever "Qoo" is. And it's also a few doors south of Sam and Dave's. These landmarks, and this photo, may prove useful because if an award for "Shittiest Signage For An Entertainment Venue That Isn't Actually Secret/Illegal" is ever given out then Urbanguild is a shoo-in. It's on the third floor and the elevator is just inside the entranceway that Em is standing in making a phonecall...
  The good news is that Urbanguild is worth finding. It has a cozy boho atmosphere and pleasant bar staff. The decor is incredibly boro-boro but in a cool, sepia, wabi-sabi sort of a way. Your drink ticket gets real beer - Kirin Heartland or Stout, draft or in bottles. Plenty of seating. Tables. Food. The menu looked pretty extensive, actually. Three clean, modern toilets. Stage about 30cm high and a bit of floor for dancing should the occasion arise. Urbanguild does accommodate bands, although I get the impression that you're more likely to see experimental stuff here than good old rock'n'roll, and the sound system is up to it. Not too smoky.




UrBANGUILD




• Socrates     Socrates is a cool place. The staff are nice, they allow re-entry, they serve real beer (Kirin Ichiban on tap) and on the night I went they were even handing out free chunks of yakitori. The decor is great. It's psychedelic. Looks like a 1970's teenager's bedroom, all black and fluoro and that kind of lighting that shows up all the white fluff on your black t-shirt. And they were playing Hendrix when I walked in which really completed the picture.
  Small, OK sound and lighting, 10cm stage, smoky, and with one, traditional style, toilet.
  The website is OK and has a lot of English. The map is in English and very clear, although I got mixed up and thought Socrates opened onto a side street and it's actually on Kawaramachi Street. And note that "Demachi Sta." is Demachiyanagi Station.




Socrates. It's in the basement.