When you hear the phrase “Kyoto nights” what comes to mind?
Geisha and red paper lanterns? Or maybe even an old cobblestone street, perhaps? Whatever it may be, it’s probably the calm, traditional side of Kyoto, right?
If so, then it looks that you aren’t making the most of Kyoto’s nightlife.
It may not fit your image, but Kyoto is actually home to a number of nightclubs where you can get loud and party the night away.
In this article, we introduce you to an underground theme park in Japan’s ancient capital, where you can revel in art, snap pics with friends, toast, and dance until dawn.
This is WORLD KYOTO, one of Kyoto’s longest-running nightclubs.
With sets by DJs from across the world, WORLD KYOTO is also one of the city’s most prominent clubs.
When you walk in, the first thing to surely catch your eye will be the massive COFFEE & COCKTAIL sign.
On the first floor, you’ll find POP KYOTO, a cute wee café & bar.
Open from 1 PM to 4 AM (1 PM-1 AM on Mon-Thurs), POP KYOTO is the perfect place to grab pre-drinks before heading into the club, sipping a cocktail while enjoying the cool evening breeze after a long night of dancing, or for a quick late-night coffee break.
The menu is comprised entirely of drinks.
The most popular of which are their espresso-based coffees and fresh fruit cocktails.
Just as the name suggests, POP’s interior is popping with cool and chic designs.
The colorful pictures, neon lights, and sweet music all help kick off your night of fun and laughs.
Whether they’re there for a latte or a pre-club beer, inside you’re sure to find a melting pot of people.
With everyone nursing their favorite drinks, bobbing to the rhythm and humming to the songs, this café & bar is truly an awesome space.
At 9 PM, WORLD will open its doors (times may differ due to events).
The club’s peak time is 1 AM but sometimes fills up earlier during weekend events.
If you want to get in without having to wait too long, then we suggest heading in at around 12.
Also, overseas tourists get free entry from Sunday to Thursday (must bring ID).
Entry on Friday or Saturday will cost: however, as they want to be nice to travelers, if you talk to the staff, they’ll give you a discount (1,000 yen/1 drink).
There’s no strict dress code so casual is OK.
For men, as long as they’re not sandals, sneakers are all okay too.
After finishing up the body check, head downstairs toward the rumbling of the bassy music.
This is WORLD’s main dance floor.
The arched ceiling and rough cave-like walls give this night club a super unique and awesome atmosphere.
The unique design choices don’t just stop at the ceiling of WORLD either. The entire building is made in multiple different ways and in total WORLD sports three entirely different floors.
You’ll find the top floor on the stairs down to the main dance floor.
This floor is outfitted with a bar counter and tables, so if you want to, you can chill out and just listen to the music from here.
With so many choices, how could anyone decide?
And, of course, payment can be done via credit card as well.
This is the middle floor, which houses the main dance floor.
The bar counter that looks like it’s been carved out of the side of a cave is super cool.
Next to the bar is the stage. Here you’ll see DJs playing everything from EMD and house to hip-hop, R&B, and even disco.
To see what kind of music will be playing that day, check WORLD’s official website or the flyers outside the club.
There are even events by famous DJ and artists from around the globe!
After the alcohol has worked its way through you and the dancing has tired you out, take a seat in the VIP section and cheers the night away with champagne in hand.
Now that you’ve conquered the main floor, head down a level to the third and final floor.
Making a complete 180, the third floor takes on a black “luxry pop” tone.
With its own DJ booth, bar counter and plenty of sofa space, the third floor will have you feeling like you’ve walked into a completely different club.
The pink neon lights are super cute and will have you whipping out your phone to take pictures.
After lounging on the third floor, it’ll be about time to change up the flow a bit and head up to a completely different floor.
First, leave WORLD, hop in the elevator to your left and make your way to the eighth floor.
A bar lounge-club hybrid, SURF DISCO brings something entirely new and unique to the table.
This original club only opens from 11 PM to 5 AM on Friday and Saturday (times may differ due to events). There are sometimes “Foreigners are free” events, so before going, give the clubs Facebook page a quick look.
Inside SURF DISCO, you’ll see aspects of Kyoto dotted around the interior.
Above the lockers are Japanese sake barrels, which are split and shared among people at weddings and festivals… kind of like below.
Cheers!
This is the bar counter at the front of the club, so lets take a deeper look inside now shall we?
At the very back you’ll find a huge long bar counter.
This club is amazing, you can get drinks wherever you want.
Of course, as this is a club, there’s a DJ booth too.
You’ll find just as much fun and excitement on the eighth floor SURF DISCO as you saw in the underground WORLD.
Also, there are foosball tables…
Whether it be friends or complete strangers, foosball is always a great way to close gaps between people.
Just watch out you don’t get called ikezu when playing with someone from Kyoto. The term literally means sadistic and ill-natured in Kyoto dialect, so to keep things civil, maybe go a little easy on them haha.
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Miyabi[ Sharing Kyoto Staff ] |
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