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Japanese Goth clubs: DecabarZ Tokyo & Suspiria horror bar! Odigo travel blogging class, Wave Gotik Treffen 2015.

One of the most frequent questions I get is: “Where are the Goth clubs and parties in Tokyo?” Over the years, I’ve covered events and compiled all the best ones in my Japan Gothic nightlife guide.

However, there are always new places popping up. Let me take you into the recently-opened DecabarZ in Kabukicho, a Suspiria-themed horror bar, and more!

My friend Jen also shares her recommendations for Wave Gotik Treffen 2015, at the end of this post. (Sadly I won’t be there, but above is a memory from WGT a few years ago.)

dj sisen, cyber japanese hair

Japan’s alternative fashion crowd still gathers at Decadance Bar, which used to be located above Christon Cafe in Shinjuku. Now, owner Adrien le Danois has opened up his own place, not far away in the heart of Kabukicho.

How to get to the new DecabarZ? The address is 5F Shinko Building, 1-2-13 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Here’s a link to the map.

To get to Decabar z, go out Shinjuku Station east exit, and walk straight until you hit the main road Yasukuni Doori. Turn and walk down the street with the Mr Donut on the corner. Stay on the right side (across from Shinjuku Ward). It’s on the 5th floor of the Shinko Building.

decabar z, shinjuku goth party

You can’t miss the entrance — there’s a huge, neon-colored mural in the style of Dragonball-Z, which is where the new club takes its name from. All of the regular DJs and performers have their faces immortalized here: Chihiro, DJ Sisen, Maya, Selia.

gothic punk bar, club tokyo

On most weekends, DecabarZ has special themed events. We were there for the 1980s Visage tribute, hence Yukiro’s retro-Goth look.

ghostbusters costume, cosplay

The new Decabar Z is more spacious, and illuminated in cyber colors. Some people dress casual, while others go all-out. Cosplay, Victorian, Ghostbusters… you’ll see it all here.

ganguro girl makeup, hair

The staff is always rocking underground fashion. This lady wears ganguro makeup, the tanned and white-highlighted look popular in Shibuya in the 90s.

polka dot face makeup

I’m digging this bartender’s bowler hat with a polka dot veil, and military jacket with shoulder pads. (More amazing Goth fashion below – click to shop!)

american horror story tshirt

On the dance floor, a TV broadcast cartoon episodes of Jem and the Holograms. (Love the American Horror Story shirt.)

japanese djs, tokyo goths

DJ Ray Trak and Zin-Francois Angelique spun the best synth-80s tracks. We went wild for Real Life “Send Me An Angel“, Berlin “The Metro” and Europe “The Final Countdown.”

decabar z club, kabukicho

There was also a mix of post-punk, rock and other underground sounds from the past decades. When the DJs played the Ghostbusters theme, this cosplayer stood on a ledge and waved around his proton pack! 

dj chihiro, decabar mural

This bar is open most nights – so what are you waiting for? For upcoming DecabarZ theme nights, check out their Facebook event listings.

cambiare, suspiria theme bar shinjuku

Now, for more horror and darkness. On the recommendation of John Skeleton, we visited Cambiare — a Shinjuku drinking hole inspired by the Dario Argento B-horror film, Suspiria! 

Address: 1-1-7 2F Kabukicho, Shinjuku. This is located in Golden Gai, the cluster of tiny bars that line several streets. It may be hard to find, so look up to see the Cambiare sign in spooky writing.

suspiria bar, golden gai tokyo

The interior is full of references to the 70s cult film, such as the stained glass window where the girl falls through (below), and the evil-eyed cat. Even the wallpaper mimics the one in the movie (which has one of the coolest sets of all time).

suspiria stained glass window

We drank the homemade sangria and watched the slasher movie on the TV screen. The bartender has seen it over 100 times, and we chatted about the bloodiest scenes.

If you’re a fan of Dario Argento’s works, then a visit to this Suspiria themed bar is a must. (More info on the Cambiare Facebook.)

shinjuku goth mistress snack bar

Time to check out yet another Gothic hangout. Also in this same Kabukicho district is Mistress Maya’s new snack bar, Tsudoi (now Dalkima)For a “nomihoudai” all-you-can drink price, she’ll serve you sake and beer, and feed you her homestyle Japanese cooking.

Address: 3F Chipupura Plaza, 2-23-7 Kabukicho, Shinjuku

small local japanese bars

Tsudoi is the perfect place to get to know others in the Japanese underground scene. Maya speaks fluent English, and will introduce you to her colorful friends who are regulars at her bar. She’ll spin Goth and EBM music (she takes requests), and play movies like David Bowie’s Labyrinth in the back.

teaching travel writing workshop

I love discovering alternative spots like these, and sharing them with you on my La Carmina blog. Can you believe I’ve been doing this since 2007?

While I was in Japan, I shared what I learned in a travel blogging / writing workshop with Odigo. My team and I taught about 30 students how to start and grow a blog, get your name out, interact on social media, apply SEO and much more.

travel blogging course, lessons

I spoke for about three hours, and loved teaching students about every aspect of blogging. My site may only seem to be a collection of photos and words, but there’s a lot more than meets the eye. I spoke about backend matters like CSS, loading speeds, cloudfront, hosting providers, design and image-tagging – to name a few. (My top is by Black Milk.)

travel photography class, teachers

Filmmakers Eric and Melissa, who travel with me on most of my projects, also spoke expertly about camera equipment, settings, video production and other technical aspects. We also talked about travel TV hosting and production. Again, there’s a lot of work that goes into the videos and visuals you see here.

how to be travel blogger lessons, workshops

One of the students, Lori of the Spendy Pencil, wrote a review of our travel blog workshop that you can read here. She says “They were friendly, extremely organized, and direct about their experiences. I’ve been to a lot of different classes and this was the best presentation I’ve attended about blogging and social media.”

Thanks to Odigo – a Japan travel planning site – for inviting us to teach this special class. We’re so happy that our attendees found our course helpful, and want to keep offering it all around the world! Stay tuned for announcements, and how you can join our next travel blogging, video and photography lessons.

tokyo police cute mascots

Time to celebrate a successful day, with dinner in Roppongi. Can you believe these kawaii mascots… are for the Tokyo Police Station? Truly, everything is cute in Japan.

roppongi hills spider statue

We moseyed around the Roppongi Hills courtyard, inhabited by the giant “Mother” spider sculpture. I don’t usually hang out in this district, but there are some cool spots like the Mori Museum gift shop (selling toys by Nara, Murikami and Kusama) and Moomin theme cafe.

roppongi top japanese restaurant, fine dining

There are some incredible dining options near Roppongi station. We can’t stop raving about Hassan (八山 六本木), a shabu shabu and sushi restaurant. This fine-dining establishment first opened in 1979, but the interior was recently renovated with elegant Edo-meets-modern craftsmanship. 

(Address: B1F Denki Building, 6-1-20 Roppongi, Tokyo)

hassan shabu shabu restaurant

Hassan’s ambiance was the perfect complement to its authentic, lovingly presented cuisine. Although you can order a la carte, most diners choose one of the all-you-can-eat menus, which include Wagyu or Kobe beef shabu shabu, tempura, sushi, drinks and dessert. We dipped the thin cuts into the boiling hot pot, and they melted in our mouths.

personal sushi chef, japan

And what a treat: we had our own personal sushi chef, who set up station in our private dining room! He prepared sea bream, tuna, sea urchin, mackerel and other delicacies — paired with real wasabi and homemade sauces. I washed it down with the highest quality yuzu and umeshu (plum liquor with real pulp in it), and finished with green tea mochi and gelatin. 

I’ve eaten at a lot of phenomenal Japanese restaurants, but this ranks among the best experiences I’ve ever had. Hassan in Roppongi is a meal you’ll never forget.

tokyo travel instagram to follow

I’ve experienced so many marvels in Tokyo… it’s impossible to blog them all. However, you can see my daily inspirations on @lacarmina Instagram — such as a lucky cat tile mural in Shibuya, Sanrio cafe pancakes, a rainbow dreamcoat in Harajuku, and smiling Murakami flowers.

And now, I’ll turn it over to my friend Jen Hoffert. She goes to Wave Gotik Treffen (the world’s biggest Goth festival) every year in Leipzig, Germany. (Remember when I went with Yukiro and our Japanese friends?) The events start this Friday, so if you’re going, I hope you’ll enjoy her top recommendations for WGT 2015.

wave gotik treffen victorian picnic

Jen writes: It’s nearly Wave-Gotik-Treffen time again. In less than a week, over 20,000 goths, rivet-heads, lolitas and other dark souls will arrive, turning the streets of Leipzig Germany into a shimmering sea of black.

With over 150 bands playing in 30 venues over 4 days, WGT is recognized as the largest international music festival for wave and gothic music. It’s not just about the music. Treffen means “meeting” in German and that’s a vital part of this festival. In addition to all of the concerts, parties and official cultural offerings at Leipzig’s museums, opera and symphony hall, many visitors arrange their own meetings with friends in the city’s parks, cafes, and nightclubs.

One of the largest of those events is the “Victorian Picnic”, started in 2008 by Viona Ilgens. The first few years attracted a few hundred costumed visitors, but since 2010, the picnic has been held at a central city park and become an enormous event which draws in plenty of curious onlookers. Although the picnic is so well loved by so many, it will go on without Viona this year because she is organizing a Viona’s Victorian Village including a Victorian Market,  “Thé Dansant” and exclusive concerts in a more secluded location. Our good friend Courtney of Atropos Threads, a talented seamstress and jewelry maker, will be vending her wares there.

For those who would rather continue the picnic tradition there are several options, the newly re-christened Neo-Romantic Picnic at Clara Zetkin Park on Friday, the Steampunk Picnic at the Palmengarten or the Blaue Stunde picnic at Parkschloesschen on Saturday. “Die Blaue Stunde” also hosts one of the most intimate and incredible farewell parties on the last evening of WGT, the traditional “Romantischen Tanznacht”. Their site is only available in German, but the hosts and party-goers are an international mix and everyone is welcome.

wave gotik treffen goth style, clothing

Another offering of interest to visitors of the festival is the IMAGO Camera, a mobile large format camera currently located at the Spinnerei in Leipzig. Holger and I had a portrait made (see above left image). This is a unique opportunity to capture a one of kind image of your beautiful dark self. You can contact Susanne directly at s.kraus@imagocamera.com to book a session. (All other WGT photos in this post by Seventh Sin.)

combichrist, front 242 bands singer

WGT includes a broad range of music beyond “gothic” and “wave”. (Above: Mera Luna photos of Front 242 and Combichrist.) The big names playing this year span from EBM (Front242, DAF, Combichrist) to classic dark rock (Fields of the Nephilim) to neo-classic (Deine Lakaien) and neo-folk (Sol Invictus, King Dude).

Some of lesser known, but promising acts include Harm Joy, an EBM/synth-pop band fronted by our friend Dan Von Hoyel, The Essence (Holland’s answer to The Cure), Evi Vine (Post Rock, Ethereal), Orphx (cult Technoid-Industrial), Last Dominion Lost, a project from former members of the Industrial pioneers SPK, lauded as “guaranteed 101% glow stick free!” and a special ritual performance by Zeena Schreck.

gothic festival clothing, dolls kill, killstar

PS – What to wear to a Goth festival? Here are some devilish picks to get you started, including this sigil jacket, Ancient Egypt dress, and studded vegan leather jacket. Below are links to more places to shop.

Are you coming to Leipzig this week? Got questions about Wave Gotik Treffen? Let us know in the comments, and Jen hopes to see you there!

SHARE & COMMENT

46 Comments

  1. MelissaR
    Posted May 20, 2015 at 9:20 pm | Permalink

    Ahhh such amazing, fun, colorful and DELICIOUS memories!!!

  2. Kris
    Posted May 20, 2015 at 9:26 pm | Permalink

    Awesome! Thanks for the timely info on WGT as I’ll be flying to Leipzig tomorrow! heart emoticon

    And when next I’m in Tokyo I’ll hit up some of those suggestions as well (even if Osaka is my go-to spot in Japan. Taiki is the best!!). smile emoticon

  3. Barcelona
    Posted May 20, 2015 at 10:00 pm | Permalink

    Hassan omg looks so good the food..

  4. RoMin
    Posted May 20, 2015 at 10:00 pm | Permalink

    Pretty colors chicks

  5. Eajr
    Posted May 20, 2015 at 10:01 pm | Permalink

    Beautiful.

  6. Sahara
    Posted May 20, 2015 at 10:01 pm | Permalink

    Love the dress.

  7. Shareen
    Posted May 20, 2015 at 10:11 pm | Permalink

    Gosh I would like you to do more workshops! Come to California!!

  8. Kana
    Posted May 20, 2015 at 11:01 pm | Permalink

    Thanks!I will go to WGT, and you?

    • lacarmina
      Posted May 21, 2015 at 8:43 pm | Permalink

      Sadly I won’t be there this year, but I hope to see you in Europe or Japan very soon, miss you!

  9. Adrien
    Posted May 21, 2015 at 3:02 am | Permalink

    Don t go wave gotik treffen since 11 years !since arrived japan.
    But i go every day decabar .lol
    Thank you♪♪

  10. Takeshi
    Posted May 21, 2015 at 3:02 am | Permalink

    ビクトリアンピクニックではなくてビクトリアンビレッジ行きます???
    行くなら中央駅から一緒しませんかに?

    • lacarmina
      Posted May 21, 2015 at 8:43 pm | Permalink

      Maybe you can go to both! The Victorian Village sounds great if you only can do one, since it’s new and more exclusive / secluded. There’s info at the bottom of the post :)

  11. yukiro
    Posted May 21, 2015 at 5:15 am | Permalink

    wow, so much going on in one post! cant wait to see you soon <3

  12. Eimear ♥
    Posted May 21, 2015 at 1:49 pm | Permalink

    I will definitely try to hit DecabarZ next time…didn’t know it had a new venue.

    • lacarmina
      Posted May 21, 2015 at 8:42 pm | Permalink

      It’s even better than before! Where are you next? :)

  13. Xander
    Posted May 21, 2015 at 8:18 pm | Permalink

    Such amazing restaurant and club!!!

  14. Kelly Brito
    Posted May 21, 2015 at 10:35 pm | Permalink

    Absurdly in love with this post! The goth bars look fantastic. Dragonball Z and Jem and the Holograms brought back memories… Seriously awesome!!! ♥

  15. laura
    Posted May 22, 2015 at 2:25 am | Permalink

    brb having nightmares forever and ever and ever

  16. Sarah
    Posted May 22, 2015 at 5:54 pm | Permalink

    We do what about u this year?

  17. Jacqui
    Posted May 22, 2015 at 7:06 pm | Permalink

    Ur really scrumptious

  18. Nekoi
    Posted May 24, 2015 at 12:49 am | Permalink

    waiting for your updating Carmina! x

  19. Jodie
    Posted May 24, 2015 at 12:49 am | Permalink

    Gah! Now I really need to plan a Japan trip

  20. Crystal
    Posted May 24, 2015 at 12:50 am | Permalink

    Dj Sisen!!

  21. Nina
    Posted May 24, 2015 at 12:50 am | Permalink

    my kinda style u down girl?

  22. Miyamoto
    Posted May 24, 2015 at 12:50 am | Permalink

    found this album, and I’m pretty sure you can appreciate the music I know I do

  23. Ruth
    Posted May 25, 2015 at 12:26 am | Permalink

    I need go to Tokyo

  24. Zui
    Posted May 25, 2015 at 12:27 am | Permalink

    my favourite

  25. Arka
    Posted May 25, 2015 at 12:27 am | Permalink

    In the 90s there was Paranoia Cafe in Roppongi. 2nd floor of a side street building, huge eyeball sticking out of the building.

  26. Evangelia
    Posted May 25, 2015 at 12:27 am | Permalink

    So many things to see, so many places to go, so not enough money…. *deep sigh*

  27. Trina Morgan
    Posted May 25, 2015 at 5:17 pm | Permalink

    Wow looks like so much fun and so cololful

    • lacarmina
      Posted May 25, 2015 at 9:01 pm | Permalink

      Japan never ceases to amaze! There is a travel video coming up about all of this – I hope you will enjoy XD

  28. jamball
    Posted May 25, 2015 at 8:45 pm | Permalink

    Cool!!!!!

  29. Jeska Fay
    Posted July 7, 2015 at 9:43 am | Permalink

    My best friend Deadponies and I are going to Tokyo in November this year!This will be our second international trip!Im so happy I found you on the web!!! You are my GO-TO for lots of stuff we want to do!We will be looking for all the fun,gothy,neardy things to check out!!He will be reserching for his next book!Its a serise of goth books about young goths called “The Me and My Friend Maddie series” so we wanna do as much fun stuff as we can for “research” ;)
    Im so excited to plan this trip!We will be there for 10days!!!!! :D
    Also we REALLY want to go Goth clubbing! Do you happen to know anywhere or where I could find out any events or clubs going on this November?

    Luv you!Keep up all the good work!
    Ty ~JeskaFay
    IG:Ms_Stitches

  30. Kyotopunk
    Posted October 13, 2015 at 7:09 pm | Permalink

    Hello Carmina! Do you know if Maya’s place is still open? I’m going there in a few weeks and would love to hang out there :)

    “Mistress Maya’s new snack bar, Tsudoi (now Dalkima). For a “nomihoudai” all-you-can drink price, she’ll serve you sake and beer, and feed you her homestyle Japanese cooking.
    Address: 3F Chipupura Plaza, 2-23-7 Kabukicho, Shinjuku”

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