Nippon Gekijo Theatre
Yuraku-cho,
Tokyo
Yuraku-cho,
Tokyo
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Toho Cinemas Ltd.
Architects: Watanabi Hitoshi
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Yurakuza Theatre
Nearby Theaters
Located opposite the Imperial Hotel in the Chiyoda-ku district of Tokyo and the Ginza entertainment district. The Japan Theatre (Nichigeki Theatre) was opened 24th December 1933. During the occupation of Japan after World War II it was re-named Yurakuza Theatre, and it retained this name until 1952, when it reverted back to its original name. It was operated by the Toho company. It was popular with servicemen and tourists, as it presented topless models as part of its stage show productions which formed a part of the movie programme. In 1953 American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald performed at the theatre and the concert was recorded and is available on cd. The Gene Krupa Trio and the Oscar Peterson Trio also appeared at the theatre that year. It was closed 15th February 1981 and was demolished later that year.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick, Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
The Nippon Gekijo (Japan Theater) usually known as Nichigeki, opened in 1933. Although it looked circular in appearance from the street, the theater was actually ‘U’ shaped by design Its Art Deco interior and exterior, comprised of seven stories above and three stories below ground, were designed by Watanabe Hitoshi to accommodate both staged and motion pictures entertainment. Said to be patterned after New York’s Roxy, the Nichigeki was planned to be the biggest in all Asia with a seating capacity of four thousand. Was shuttered and demolished in 1981.
My Dad went to the movies here during the occupation of Japan in 1945 and 1946. It had been damaged in the bombings but somehow remained relatively intact. He worked in the Dai-Ichi Insurance Company Building which served as General Mac Arthur’s headquarters GHQ.
The Nippon Gekijo Theatre actually had a total capacity of 2,063 seats in three floors, with 1,060 seats on the first floor, 540 on the second floor, and 463 on the third floor. There were ten Royal Boxes (six on the second floor, four on the third floor) along both walls, which, along with the first three rows on the second floor, were the only reserved seats at Nichigeki. When the theater was filled to capacity with standing spectators, people called it a “4,000-seat theater”, but it doesn’t mean that it has 4,000 seats.
Construction of the Japan Theatre took almost five years, but was halted midway due to a lack of funds. The Japan Theatre opened on December 24, 1933 with a grand opening ceremony, but its first main attraction started on December 31, 1933. A second theater, the Nichigeki Underground (later renamed the Nichigeki News Theatre), opened on December 30, 1935 as a newsreel and short subject house, followed by a third theater, the Nichigeki Small Theatre, on November 8, 1941 (first film being the German UFA film “Southern Temptation”).
The Japan Theatre began focusing more on films beginning on July 8, 1943. At the time, balloon bombs were made inside the theater because the seats had to be removed to carry out the work, the theater was restored after the war. When it resumed operations, the theater reopened but had their attendance slowly climbing than before.
The Nichigeki Music Hall opened on the fourth floor on March 17, 1952, followed by the Marunouchi Toho Theater on the basement floor on February 10, 1955. The Nichigeki News Theatre was later renovated and was reopened on August 12, 1955. The Nichigeki News Theatre was later renamed the Nichigeki Culture Theatre on April 20, 1962.
From February 8, 1958 until August 1977, the very popular Nichigeki Western Carnival was held at the Nippon Gekijo Theatre, featuring music artists from Japan and around the world.
On February 12, 1977, 3,000 people evacuated from the Nippon Gekijo after a fire broke out at the Albyon salon on the first basement floor. The fire only damaged the floor of the salon and nothing else.
Because of its closure due to deterioration of the facility and redevelopment projects by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Nichigeki Western Carnival held its last event from January 22-25, 1981, featuring eight performances in four days and nights. It was so popular that it broadcasted on Japanese television twice and the event was released on cassette and CD.
The Nippon Gekijo Theatre ran its last movies, and closed the final time on February 15, 1981. It was demolished afterward to make way for the Yurakucho Center Building which opened on October 6, 1984.