Live Music Venues in Hiroshima

May 19, 2023

Live Music Venues in Hiroshima

Hiroshima doesn’t have the live music culture you get in cities such as Tokyo or Osaka, but a fair bit goes on to please gig-goers and a mix of different music venues, from pubs to large concert halls. Here’s a handful of facilities to watch if you fancy checking out live acts in the prefecture.

Club Quattro

Arguably Hiroshima’s quintessential live venue, Club Quattro, has four locations across Japan. The Hiroshima venue is in the city’s downtown area in the Hondori shopping arcade. It’s a proper band venue with a bit of a rock n roll vibe and has played host to some big Japanese and international names. Over the years, bands that have played here include Nirvana, Oasis, Pixies, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Website: https://www.club-quattro.com/hiroshima/

Lush Life

Every city should have at least one smokey jazz venue, and Lush Life certainly fits the bill for Hiroshima. Renowned local sax player Suetoshi Shimizu owns it and puts on nightly gigs, often involving Shimizu and a collection of local musicians, but there are also plenty of big jazz names from outside of the city that put on shows there. The venue is in the Naka ward and is small (seats around 20) and low-key, which is what you want from a jazz bar.

Website: http://www.lushlife-jazz.info (in Japanese)

Organza

Outside of the city center in Tokaichi, Organza is Hiroshima’s alternative den. Run by former pop singer Goto Izumi, it’s a tiny underground venue where live music fans can see everything from noise to jazz to synth-pop to burlesque cabaret. The venue is also great for food, bar snacks, and fusion dishes such as curries. It’s nicely kitted out, too, with plenty of retro furniture and dim lighting.

Website: https://organ-za.com/ (in Japanese)

Live Café Jive

This lovely little venue in Hiroshima’s Naka ward is an intimate space that puts on a mix of acts, including acoustic, jazz, blues, and rock. It has a bit of a jazz café or rock café feel, with individual seats and tables in front of a small stage. Light food is served, as well as a range of alcoholic and soft drinks.

Website: Live Café Jive Facebook page

Otis!

Opened in 1987, Otis! is a friendly restaurant crossed with a live music venue. It’s nice and central, just south of Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park. The restaurant specializes in Tex-Mex food, and there are live music showcases on various nights each month. Well worth checking out if you would like a tasty meal soundtracked by authentic local sounds.

Website: Otis!

Green Arena

This is another name for the main indoor arena at the Hiroshima Prefectural Sports Center. Initially built after World War II and rebuilt for the 1994 Asian Games, it has a capacity of around 10,000, so unsurprisingly, it is Hiroshima’s chief venue for large entertainment gatherings. It primarily hosts sports events but has also been used for music. Some of the biggest J-Pop bands have played here, as have Oasis and Aerosmith.

Website: https://h-jigyoudan.or.jp/sports-center/ (in Japanese)

Benjamin Hollis, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons