Music venue

Shibuya Kokaido

Shibuya Kokaido

Public domain

Venue

Shibuya Kokaido

Type
Music venue
Also known as
Shibuya Public Hall, 渋谷公会堂
Opened
1964
Location
Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan · map
Website
http://shibuko.com/

Shibuya Public Hall (Japanese: 渋谷公会堂, Hepburn: Shibuya Kōkaidō) (also known as Line Cube Shibuya for sponsorship reasons) is a theatre located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It was completed in 1964 to host the weightlifting events in the 1964 Summer Olympics. The theatre was sponsored by Dentsu and Suntory, which paid ¥80 million to rename it C.C. Lemon Hall (after their beverage of the same name) from 2006 to 2011. The hall closed on October 4, 2015, for reconstruction work. It was reopened on October 13, 2019, when it was again renamed; this time as Line Cube Shibuya. The new management team is formed by Amuse, Inc. (representative company), Line Corporation and Pacific Art center until March 31, 2029.

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History

Translated from the ja.wikipedia article 渋谷公会堂 (CC BY-SA 4.0), revision 110121520.

Overview

It is located in front of the NHK Broadcasting Center, along Shibuya Koen-dori. It was used as a venue for the weightlifting events at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and a “Tokyo Olympic Memorial Plate” was installed inside the facility. A revolving stage was once also a notable feature, but it was removed during renovations in 2005 due to declining frequency of use and rising maintenance costs.

History

Shibuya Kokaido (渋谷公会堂) was built on the site of Washington Heights, a United States military facility in Japan established during the Allied occupation, together with the National Yoyogi Gymnasium, the NHK Broadcasting Center, and Shibuya City Office. Before the Pacific War, the area was the Yoyogi Parade Ground of the Imperial Japanese Army, and a garrison prison, an Army prison, was located near Shibuya Kokaido.

Upon its completion, it was used as the venue for weightlifting events at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The following year, it was opened anew as a concert hall. It was designed by Kensetsu Mode Kenkyujo.

From December 1969, the hall was frequently used as the public venue for the popular TBS television program Hachiji da Yo! Zen'in Shugo (8時だョ!全員集合). From April 1970 until around autumn 1988, it was also used for public live broadcasts of the Nippon Television music programs NTV Kohaku Uta no Best Ten, The Top Ten, and Uta no Top Ten.

The Shibuya Ward Ninth Concert is held on the first Sunday of December. An unusual concert, the “Headphone Concert”, planned by Eiichi Ohtaki, was held on December 3, 1981. Audience members brought their own headphones and listened to the performance on stage through them while seated in seats fitted with small FM radios. This format enabled live recording.

On December 24, 1987, the rock band BOØWY performed a concert there, known as 1224. During the concert, Kyosuke Himuro suddenly announced the band’s breakup. Fans who had been unable to enter the venue rioted towards the hall, and the public hall’s glass windows were broken.

Complete Renovation

Renovation work was carried out at the facility from July 2005 to October 1 of the following year. Before the renovation, the use of asbestos in the ceiling construction materials had also become an issue. The revolving stage was removed during the renovation, and the machinery room for the stage lift, which had been directly beneath the stage, was eliminated and converted into a performers' waiting room.

A performance by former members of the Takarazuka, Shochiku, and Nichigeki companies served as the reopening event following the renovation.

C.C. Lemon Hall

During the renovation, Shibuya Ward sold the naming rights to the public hall to the advertising company Dentsu in an attempt to secure a new source of revenue. The naming rights sold at that time had a contract term of five years beginning on October 1, 2006, and were sold for a total of ¥420 million, consisting of ¥80 million per year plus consumption tax. Suntory acquired the rights through Dentsu and named the venue Shibuya C.C. Lemon Hall (渋谷C.C.Lemonホール), after one of its carbonated beverage products.

As a result, Shibuya Kokaido (渋谷公会堂) became the fourth venue in Japan to have naming rights, following the iichiko General Culture Center, Houzan Hall, and Tokyo Electron Nirasaki Culture Hall. A large C.C. Lemon sign was installed on the front of the building.

At the end of the contract period, Suntory did not extend the agreement, stating that its original objective of increasing product recognition had been achieved. Consequently, the “C.C. Lemon Hall” lettering and signage were removed on September 30, 2011, and the official name “Shibuya Kokaido” was restored on October 1 for the first time in five years. Shibuya Ward was seeking a new contractor for the naming rights.

Demolition and Reconstruction

In February 2013, Shibuya Mayor Toshitake Kuwahara, who was serving at the time, announced a policy stating that, due to the aging of the facilities, he wished to demolish and rebuild the Shibuya City Office building and Shibuya Kokaido (渋谷公会堂). Subsequently, the Shibuya City Assembly established a special committee and repeatedly considered the future of the city office and public hall. In September 2013, the assembly voted by a majority in favor of rebuilding the Shibuya City Office building and Shibuya Kokaido.

As a result, Shibuya Kokaido closed after a concert by Kenji Sawada held on October 4, 2015, and demolition and reconstruction work was carried out. Sawada's final concert at Shibuya Kokaido was held over three days from October 2, attracting fans from across Japan as the “Final Shibuko 3 Days”, and served as the final performance at the venue.

The Shibuya Kokaido Project Team, an organization consisting of Pacific Art Center, which had been the designated administrator during the Shibuya Kokaido era, became the designated administrator. LINE newly acquired the naming rights, from June 1, 2019 to March 31, 2029, for an annual fee of 120 million yen excluding tax, and the new name was decided as LINE CUBE SHIBUYA. It reopened on October 13, with a performance by Perfume, affiliated with Amuse, held as the opening event.

Sources

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