Springtime Brings New Life to the City: Live Music and Disco Dancing

While the nights still scream the dead of winter, the afternoons are slowly beginning to shake off the long, overdue frost. Spring feels like it’s just around the corner in Kochi.

The weekend of March 6-7 has the perfect answer to the contrasting days and nights of early Spring–watch plenty of live outdoor music Saturday afternoon, disco dance the cold right out of the night air at Dahlia, followed by more outdoor music Sunday afternoon.

La La La Music Festival 2011

This outdoor music festival (ラ・ラ・ラ春まつり) is generally held in the fall, but this year they are also having an event in the spring in association with the Tosa Okyaku events (土佐のおきゃく2011).

The main stage will be in Central Park, with satellite stages in Obiyamachi Park and at Ohashidori.  There will be an opening ceremony followed by a wide variety of local bands–a true mish-mash of sounds.   On Saturday evening, a professional group called Urufuru Keisuke and blues/jazz performer,  Rikuo, will headline the event.

I’ve listed the times down below, but there is not really an artist list as far as I can tell.  Your best bet is to head down to Central Park where you can get some classic festival food from a yatai, and see what’s going on at the main stage.  If nothing there suits you, then walk down the cobble stone street to Obiyamachi Park,  or further down to Ohashidori to see what’s going on there.  I would then head back to Central Park for the main events in the evening.

After dancing the night away at the event below, be sure to head back to the park to check out the second day of festivities.

This festival is a lot of fun and a great way to support local artists!

Details

Sat. March 5 Central Park
11:00 – 16:30 ラ・ラ・ラ春まつり
18:00~19:00 Guest Performances ゲストステージ【ウルフルケイスケ&リクオ】

3月6日
Central Park 11:00 – 19:00
Obiyamachi Park、Ohashidori 11:00~17:00

Saturday Night Fever at Dahlia

Dahlia is a fairly new club venue located across from the popular destination determiner, Louis Vuitton.  It is a huge space that seems to accentuate more of an East Asian club style (at least for me–black lights at the bar creating glowing drinks, etc.).  More importantly, there is an enormous dance floor.  It was made in a building that used to be a department store, so there are even left over dressing rooms for those more ‘serious’ conversations.

After you’ve been outside enjoying the sunlight, this should be a good event to hit up once that sunlight fades beyond the horizon.  Saturday Night Fever should offer a perfect get away from the cold night air and reality as cheesy 70′s, 80′s, and 90′s tunes fill the air.  Forget how cool you think you are!  Go dance the night away and imagine you are living a different time! Don’t think there’s a dress code, but could be fun to theme dress…

Dahlia is open most nights, and usually doesn’t have a cover.  Some of the DJ’s I’ve heard there have been really solid–usually on the trancy side of things.

Details for Saturday Night Fever

March 5 ,2011
20:00 – 2:00
DAHLIA
Soul, Funk, Euro, High Energy, Songs nostalgic of the 70′s-90′s, plus a Show Time (not sure what this is)
1,500円 pre-sale、2,000円 on the day
TEL090-4780-5507


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Tosa Cha Tea House: A real cup of local tea in Obiyamachi.

Tosa cha cafe is a newly opened tea house in Obiyamachi. Yes. You heard that right: opening in Obiyamachi. And it’s not a pachinko parlor or hair salon! Hark at these glad tidings – Obiyamachi is not dead as many feared. there is still life! It’s something you really want to support, which is made really easy in this case, because the building is stylish, the atmoshere is bubbling, the food is healthy, cheap and good, and the tea is sumptuous!

Praise indeed, you say. Well, check it out for yourself. Go at lunchtime for the day’s set menu, and the ‘osusume’ tea of the day, chosen by the resident tea somelier! If it’s a sunny day, relax in the courtyard and let the pros tell you how to really brew a proper cup of green tea, and then enjoy the way that each pouring of the same tea has slightly different flavor and strength.

Or, go in the evening to the second floor, and have some izakaya fare and a small cup of local sake while overlooking Obiyamachi Koen.

It made me very happy to discover that there are people who haven’t given up on our little arcade, and even happier when it was actually really good!

The details

土佐茶カフェ (Tosa cha Cafe)
Open 11am – 10pm
Holiday: wednesday
Tel: 088-855-7753
Website


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A Great Night Out in February

Kochi’s friendliest, deepest, house-y-est DJs are having a feel-good party for you, the good people of Kochi!  The music will be deep house, with some breaks thrown in for good measure. It promises to be a sweet night out for only 1,000 yen.

To have a listen to the kind of music that will be played, check out DJ Miyazaki’s music page.

Date:  Feb 26.

Time:  from 9pm

Price: 1000 yen

Location Name:  Otamajaxy

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Sanctuary: Quality cocktails and homeparty atmosphere — in 100% native English.

Starting a night out with dinner and drinks at Hirome Marketplace has become a staple activity in the Kochi City nightlife scene, and now there’s one more reason to include a stop at Hirome in your plans for the evening.

Just outside the northeastern exit of Hirome, on the deck facing Sunday Market Street, is an understated counter bar called Sanctuary. It’s been around since 2002 under the ownership and management of Mr. Kondo, who also runs K’s Café inside Hirome (which serves great Thai Curry btw).

But what’s recently made Sanctuary noteworthy is that last October Mr. Kondo passed management over to Adam Chamness, a former Kochi JET from America, making it the only bar in Kochi prefecture run by a 100% native English speaker.

Enter Adam to tell us about himself and Sanctuary.

First thing’s first: Quality Cocktails

An artist at heart, I’m always testing out new recipes of my own, and scouring contemporary mixology literature for the latest hit cocktails from around the world.  A couple suggestions: an authentic ‘Long Island Iced Tea’, and my original ‘Martian Sunset’ or ‘Smoke’.

Feeling spontaneous, or just don’t know what to order?  Just yell out ‘omakase!’ (up to you!) and I’ll make a customized cocktail to match your tastes.

Drink prices start at 400 for nonalcoholic drinks, 500 for beer, wine, or basic spirits, and 600-800 for cocktails or premium liquor. No sitting fee.

Bonus: any food served inside at K’s Café can be ordered from Sanctuary and the staff will bring it out to you. No walking required! Last order 10pm.


Flexible, Intimate Atmosphere

In contrast to Hirome’s booming open space, the counter at Sanctuary seats up to 8 people, and in warm months there are two tables on the side that seat 3 apiece. There’s a very ‘home party’ feel to the place, and like a home party, Sanctuary’s tone can change entirely depending on the crowd. What was quiet, intimate conversations murmured through down-tempo jazz at 9pm may become raucous and rambling with trance beats churning behind crazed laughter at midnight.

I consider hosting to be an art form, and do my best to match the space to the mood of those in it. All music is piped in from my iPod, and I welcome people bringing their own music collections for sharing as well!

Themed nights are also planned for the future. Currently, every Thursday night I indulge my gaming geek alter ego with a few rounds of Go with whoever’s around. If you also play Go, or think you’d like to learn how to play, feel free to stop in for a game.

Psst: Don’t worry about the cold outside. Sanctuary is entirely enclosed in Winter, and always a toasty 20C/70F degrees.


Information Hotspot

If you’ve just finished up inside Hirome and are looking for the next place, Sanctuary is a great place to stop for suggestions. I have been fairly well connected in the club and bar scene since 2005 and tend to be in the know regarding dance events, etc.  Furthermore, from now on I’ll be conducting ‘research’ for the Kochi Beat nightlife section, so maybe you can get it from at Sanctuary directly before it’s printed here!

Shop Information
Sanctuary Bar
Northside Deck of Hirome
6pm-1am Thursday to Saturday
2pm-9pm Sunday
Tel: 090-2822-4581


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Winter Jazz: Warming up Kochi on January 30th

The first big musical event in 2011 is the jazz in winter festival. This has been running for six years now and it’s the perfect way to spend a cold and frosty Sunday night.

Various pubs and cafes and concert halls around town will be hosting host a bunch of different bands; some local, some guests. All the information you need is on this website.

The best bet is to buy your 2,500 yen ticket at Tsutaya.  This will get you into all venues, so you can go where the wafting sax and plinking piano take you!  The ticket also includes a free glass of something smooth to enjoy with the jazz.  Nice.

A guide to a few of the venues…

1. Bee Station
This is where the great windbeat recorded their masterpiece!  This live house is very clean, very new and, although somewhat lacking in atmosphere, has a great PA system.  The sound of jazz here will probably be better than any other venue.  Plus there is plenty of space unlike some of the other joints

Find it down the Harimaya shoutengai. (The wooden one opposite Obiyamachi)

info

2. Fancy Labo (?) Ring
Despite the strange name, this event space has a lot going for it – size, atmosphere, and well stocked bar and really friendly staff.  Cross the road east from Louis Vitton and you’ll see it on your right (4th floor)

info

3. Pub Lounge TOWN
When not being used as a venue, this little place is a brilliant choice for a bit of alternative karaoke, especially if you are musical. They have a piano, drums and percussion all available for you to use as you sing along to your fave Beatles track… but anyway, back to the Jazz festa.  Here is one of our recommended bands, the Eiji-trio playing at town.  They will be appearing somwhere this year too, and are well worth a listen! Check out this video.

You’ll find the venue just north of obiyamachi.

Info

See all you smooth hip jazzy types, nodding your heads appreciatively at the bar in one of these locations.


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Naughty Food and Early Booze:  Three places to break New Year’s resolutions

The Kochibeat wants to help you have a realistic start to 2011, so we kick off the January gastronomy guide with three little tempters…

1.  Tosamon

This cafe in central park doesn’t have a very naughty menu, and you can be good and have a nice cuppa tea in the center of town at anytime.  But unlike other central cafes, this place will give you the option of a glass of wine, beer or a variety of cocktails.  It is very conveniently located, just opposite Daimaru at the bottom of the footbridge.  it is connected to a really nice gift shop and there are usually a spare couple of tables.   It could provide an excellent alternative to Hirome ichiba as a central meeting place.  The staff are also super friendly, and the service excellent.

Opening times 9am – 10 pm (11pm on Saturday nights)
website

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2. Habotan

Now we are getting naughtier.  This very traditional izakaya located just across from central park on the south side of the densha-dori is a den of booze and unhealthy, strangely delicious food.  It opens at 1pm and is full of old Japanese men by 1:05pm.  the reason?  cheap sake and good food!  An afternoon beer, some yakitori and maybe some raw horse (Yup, i tried it – not bad!!)  seems to be the poison of choice for the locals.  The atmosphere is fantastic in a very Kochi-sense, and it is tempting to stay there for a lot longer than intended.  The staff are all old craggy women, who will squeeze you in to any of the randomly laid out seats that they can find.  The further you go back into the Izakaya, the more afraid you are of a fire breaking out!  It really is a rabbit warren at the back, so for anyone a little nervous, just prop yourself at the bar.

The menu is located on scraps of paper plastered to the wall.  Good luck with ordering!  Or just ask a lovely waitress (or kindly neighboring gentleman) for the osusume (recommendation) and hope you don’t get the sparrow on a stick. (Yup, I tried that too, it is not good.)

Opening times 1pm – 11pm
Telephone: 088-872-1330
website

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3. Yasube

This is ultimate after-work snack for city dwellers: officially the most sought after gyoza in Kochi.  It really is fantastic.  There are three places to get your hands on this delight; one opposite bowl jumbo, another in the depths of hirome.

Our particular fave though, is a makeshift izakaya in harimaya – cho.

The menu is super simple:  GYOZA, lovely, lovely garlic filled, super fried gyoza.  and beer.
And guess what?  Between five and seven they have a happy hour!  half price beer! I know, a happy hour in Kochi, how naughy is that!?

Opening times:  5pm – 12am
website

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Happy new year everyone!


Please comment and let us know if you check any of these places out, or have anything to add to our naughty list!

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