It’s been reported that a live house called “TOKIO KYOTO,” with a capacity of roughly 700 to 800, is set to open in January 2027 on a lot adjacent to Kyoto’s Heian Shrine. The operators reportedly built the concept around “Japanese-ness.” When the news hit 5ch’s Hello! Project board, discussion ranged across several angles: concern about how the facility’s name and location might affect the area’s scenery, how it would coexist with existing venues like Rohm Theatre Kyoto, and how it differs from the up-to-9,000-capacity “Kyoto Arena (tentative name)” being planned on the former site of the Muko-machi Velodrome. A defining feature of the thread was that welcoming voices and voices calling it a poor fit for the traditional townscape showed up side by side.
and everyone else could just use this place — seems like a good fit, no?
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/0fe8ce5f86651440fcf9802a8ef7ad1b998b5734
So is it Tokyo or Kyoto, make up your mind (lol)
Scale unknown
They've got that pride thing going
Isn't that more like Kenji Sawada?
KYOTO DO ESSE
Construction is underway on the multi-purpose Kyoto Arena (tentative name), with a capacity of up to roughly 9,000, on the grounds of the Kyoto Muko-machi Velodrome in Muko City, Kyoto Prefecture. Facility overview — Planned opening: October 2028. Scale: 5 stories above ground, approx. 30m tall (total floor area approx. 29,774㎡). Capacity: approx. 8,925 seats for sports use, approx. 9,328 seats for concerts. Main uses: new home arena for pro basketball B.League team the Kyoto Hannaryz, various sporting events, concerts and other events. Surrounding development: alongside the main and sub arenas, commercial and dining facilities plus an outdoor plaza are planned. Including the renewed Muko-machi Velodrome, a full renewal opening is being targeted for fiscal 2029.
I really hope they pull it off
Eba and Mifu should be in their prime by then
I'm so sick of out-of-towners pushing this 'tradition plus innovation' line
I just don't know what to say… honestly
I've got nothing
They've already stirred up needless backlash from Kyoto locals before even opening — it'll either fold fast or get forced into a rename
It'll ruin the scenery
Worse than the CUTUP space at Tower Records
You'll only get a decent view up to the second row
Kyoto locals hate noise, so it's hard to get permits for big halls here
still, what a weirdly complicated spot to build in
Though that one's more for classical chamber music
Wonder if there's real demand for this one
Feels like exactly the kind of place where you shouldn't be running a live house
Not exactly a fun city
Haven't been to Kyoto in like 20 years
Feels like it's changed even more than Shibuya has
800 capacity is too small, right?
Who's actually going to go to this thing
And what's with the theme being "Japanese-ness"
If that's the case, name the place in Japanese
What's with 'TOKIO KYOTO,' are they stupid
Who exactly are they winking at
Who is this even for
I traveled out for an early Juice=Juice release event at a place called Shin-Puh-Kan
It's a quirky spot, kind of like a shrunk-down version of LaZona or LaQua
That was probably the last time I went to Kyoto
Around 2014 I think
Background and Key Points of the Discussion
Heian Shrine is often talked about as though it’s a symbol of the “thousand-year-old capital,” but it’s actually a relatively new structure, built in 1895 (Meiji 28) to commemorate the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of the Heian capital — a point some commenters raised themselves. The newly reported “TOKIO KYOTO” is a commercial live house set to open on the adjacent site in January 2027, with a capacity of roughly 700 to 800, and its official concept is built around “Japanese-ness.” On the thread, the central points of debate were unease about a commercial facility moving into a traditionally scenic district, and concern that an English-mixed facility name might clash with local sentiment. At the same time, some Hello! Project fans welcomed the idea simply because it gives Kansai-area shows a new venue, so opinions were split. One thing readers might easily confuse is that this facility is a separate project from the up-to-9,000-capacity “Kyoto Arena (tentative name),” currently under construction on the former site of the Muko-machi Velodrome and slated to open in 2028 or later — commenters in the thread also expressed hope that the two venues, given their different scales, would end up serving different purposes.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “An 800-capacity live house to open next to Kyoto’s Heian Shrine in January 2027.”
