Akihabara is not only for idols and maids! You can enjoy full-scale shows! AKIBA CULTURES GEKIJO" [Shun Gori's Akiba Exploration

With summer approaching, it's time for a more intense season for exploring Akiba. The direct sunlight and the heat radiating from the ground make us feel like fish on a grill, or rather a gorilla, but for the 20th installment of "Shun Gori's Akiba Exploration," we visited AKIBA Cultures Theater, a rare full-scale theater in Akihabara.

AKIBA CULTURES THEATER is located on the first basement floor of the AKIBA CULTURES ZONE building, a three-minute walk from the south exit of JR Akihabara Station's Electric Town.　The building also houses "At Home Cafe," one of Akihabara's representative maid cafes, and "Rashinban Akihabara Store," which sells figures and character goods, making it a deep spot that seems to condense the city of Akihabara into a single place.

The theater is one of the largest theaters in the Akihabara area, with a capacity of 300 people, where idol and voice actor live performances, anime screenings, vocalo-related events, and a show stage produced by the theater are held daily.

This time, I had the opportunity to see a show called "Bistro C'mon" (Bistro Camon) from such a show stage.

Upon entering the theater, I saw portraits of the show's performers with QR codes for their profiles.

Bistro C'mon" is a show stage where dance and comedy plays take place in a bistro. The show is performed by the manager of the bistro, who talks to the audience, and during the play, a dance-style questionnaire is given to the audience. The content of the play changes in real time according to the results of the audience's choices.

Since the content of the play changes each time, it is likely that the audience will want to see the play that was not selected.

Bistro C'mon" just had its first performance in June 2023, and not only was it a highly accomplished play, but the dancing of all the performers was so authentic that even Shunggori, who is not familiar with either plays or dancing, was fascinated by it.

I was later told by the theater's director,

He told me that due to the recent plague, dancers and entertainers who have had their opportunities to perform in public drastically reduced have gathered together as performers.
Some of the members are old men who are now in their 40's and 50's. They are professional dancers and entertainers who have gone beyond their generation. So, you can enjoy a full-fledged show in which professional entertainers of all generations are fully engaged in entertaining their audiences.

Of course, there are many highlights, not only the perfection of the plays and dances, but also their sweet masks, facial expressions, and the passion with which they tackle the shows.　Even the author, a male, was drawn to the show, so it is not surprising that there are many female fans, but there are male fans as well.

The stage itself lasts about 45 minutes to an hour, but it is over in a flash. But when I finally finished the show, I was surprised to find myself saying, "It's already over.

When I went out to the lobby after the show, I found that the hospitality of the complete bistro chosen in the play had been set up so that I could take a commemorative photo.

This would be a good souvenir of the play as it changes each time based on the play's questionnaire.

Bistro C'mon is currently running a "free theater ticket giveaway campaign" on its official Twitter page! Please follow & RT this Twitter!

By following & RTing this tweet, we will give away free Bistro theater tickets to a pair of lucky winners. #Bistarian #BCM_now #

- Bistro C'mon (@Bistro_Cmon) July 31, 2023

So, for the 20th edition of Shun Gori's exploration of Akiba, we had the pleasure of visiting the AKIBA Culture's Theater to see the Bistro C'mon show.

Bistro C'mon" offers "authentic dance, drama, and audience participation," a show never before seen in Akihabara, which has swallowed all kinds of culture and fads and is constantly evolving together with otaku.　And "AKIBA Cultures Theater," which has been putting on shows almost every day in Akihabara for more than 10 years, bringing idols, voice actors, and actors to the world.

Why don't you visit the theater and see for yourself?

The performance schedule is subject to change, so please check the official page for details.

Facility Information

Name: AKIBA CULTURES THEATER

Address: B1F AKIBA CULTURES ZONE, 1-7-6 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0021

AKIBA CULTURES THEATER official website：#

Bistro Camon official website：#

Bistro Camon official Twitter：#