Osaka Minami, Midnight Underground Tenement

Overview

There is a leisure building in Osaka's Minami district that is familiar to anyone in the Kansai region. The Ajien Building was once home to a huge cabaret that was said to be the best in Japan and a dance hall where Pink Lady used to take the stage every night before her breakthrough. The cabaret was closed due to the prolonged recession, but young people opened small izakaya (Japanese-style pubs) one after another in its place. It has become a center of Osaka's underground culture, including comedy and cosplay. Three days in the old and new “mecca of nightlife”.