Retro Japan: Kobe's Club Gessekai, from glamorous cabaret to vintage performance venue
KOBE -- Push open the brass-handled door and step inside to find an expanse of marble flooring stretching out before you. This is Club Gessekai, locat
Kobe's Club Gessekai, situated on Ikuta Higashimon shopping street in the city's Sannomiya entertainment district, offers a glimpse into the past. Established as a cabaret in 1969, the club once dazzled audiences with nightly jazz and dance performances. The establishment retains the ambiance of the Showa era (1926-1989), featuring semicircular seating encircling the stage and dance floor.
Initially housed in a two-story wood structure, Club Gessekai was later relocated into its current building in 1980. The new structure comprised one basement level and five floors above ground. An immense chandelier, approximately 3 meters tall and 4.5 meters wide, graces the open space above the cabaret floor. The building, largely untouched since the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, maintains much of its original charm from when it was rebuilt in 1980.
In 2002, the club bid farewell to its cabaret days, transitioning into a venue for live performances and a popular filming location for television dramas and movies.
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