The news hasn't generated much buzz in the gossip circles. flamencoYes, despite its enormous importance. In December 2025, the flamenco venue – or rather, restaurant-show, as they call it there – closed its doors. Garlochí, located in the Isetan Kaikan building of Shinjuku district, in TokyoWith this closure of the venue, whose predecessor was the legendary flamenco club El FlamencoThus ended an adventure of almost sixty years and an essential chapter in the history of the reception of art jondo in Japan.
The list of figures who have graced its stage is simply impressive: Pepe Habichuela, José Mercé, Vicente Amigo, Cristina Hoyos, Manolete, Sara Baras, Belén Maya, Antonio Gades, Paco de Lucía, La Paquera, Eva Yerbabuena or Joaquín Cortés...among many others. Even the comedian little boy of the road He performed there, during his time as an artist flamencoBut its significance transcends any name.
"The Flamenco "It wasn't that it was an institution in Japan, which it was. It was a wonderful kind of madness," the Spanish journalist remarks. David López Canales, author of the essay A flamenco venue in another world. The amazing story of how the flamenco conquered Japan“A flamenco show flamenco The fact that it opened in Tokyo just a few years after the big flamenco venues opened in Spain is almost, put that way, surreal.”
El Flamenco It was founded in 1967 by a hotel company, run by Mr. Miyoshiwho owned several restaurants and cafes. Although the canteThe dance and guitar playing of Lower Andalusia had already arrived in the country in the last 20s; it was the arrival of Antonio gades y Pilar Lopez in 1960, and the vision of Carmen amaya in the film tarantos, of 1963, which ended up impacting the Japanese public and igniting a passion that continues to this day.
That boom was also a lifeline for Spanish artists. “The flamenco venue has been the best school and the most flammable fuel for the strange and fascinating Japanese passion for flamenco. flamencoBut the importance of The Flamenco “It’s not just in Japan that you have to see it. It’s also in Spain,” López Canales points out. “Thanks to Japanese flamenco venues, many Spanish artists earned money they had never earned in Spain. And that had an artistic impact. For example, In the case of maestro Pepe Habichuela, that 'cushion' in Japan helped him to stop playing in flamenco venues and go with Enrique Morente. and form one of the most important couples in flamenco modern".
"It was the gateway to another culture so different from our own; we discovered each other and they ended up becoming part of our way of life and feeling. They are the ones who have best absorbed the flamencoAnd it's amazing to see how, over time, such amazing professionals have emerged from there. We have to give a lot of thanks to Japan, which has made us feel welcome and fed us." (Joaquín Grilo)
The leading expert on the history of flamenco In Japan, the researcher Mariko Ogura, began to frequent The Flamenco in the mid-90s. “At that time there was a membership system, called Tomono-kaiwhich allowed you to attend the show with just one drink purchase. I went almost daily, notebook in hand. The same soleá was never identical from one night to the next; the lyrics of the alegrías changed; the choreographies weren't fixed pieces, but living forms that transformed in dialogue with the cante and the guitar. That's when I understood that the flamenco It is not an art of reproduction, but of generation: it is born in the instant, in the relationship between the artists and the public.”
“In 1997 I had the opportunity to go up on that same stage in a recital at the teacher's studio Shiho Morita“Being on those boards that I had contemplated with admiration for years was a decisive experience,” Ogura continued. Flamenco It wasn't just a space for looking: it was also a place that shaped and accompanied trajectories.”
It is true that it was not the only flamenco venue in that Tokyo that breathed flamenco, as other places like the Patio Flamenco, in Shibuya, or the Chinitas Coffeein the lively and sleepless Roppongi district. But there's no doubt that The Flamenco It had a special atmosphere, like a crossroads of endless artistic adventures. “For me, the tablao El Flamenco "It was a turning point in my career," the flamenco dancer asserts. Joaquin Grilo“I had some wonderful times there, I made friends with teammates I hadn't met here in Spain, because at that time all the top players were in Japan. Even There I met the maestro Paco de Lucía, and that encounter changed my life forever.".
The man from Jerez highlights that the place "had incredible quality and human warmth, and also technical skill, like I've never seen before in Spain." It was an incredible time for the flamencoYes, to make a living and develop ourselves. El Flamenco It was the gateway to another culture so different from our own; we discovered each other and they ended up becoming part of our way of life and feeling. They are the ones who have best absorbed the flamencoAnd it's amazing to see how, over time, such incredible professionals have emerged from there. We have to give a huge thank you to Japan, which has made us feel welcome and fed us.”
Around that same time –the early 90s–, the quintessential Japanese flamenco journalist, Kyoko Shikaze, remembers having met Sara Baras at Flamencodancing in Joaquín Grilo's group, and in 1994 she returned with Javier BaronNot only is the presence of these great artists remarkable, but also the camaraderie with the Japanese fans. “During my stay in Tokyo, I was there almost every night,” she recalls. “I had a wonderful time. I went to Disneyland with them, ate at their apartment, and we got drunk. On the last night, I helped them pack without sleeping.” In 2015, Sara returned to Tokyo with her ballet company. Voicesand we visited Shinjuku They were talking about that time together. That's reflected in his film. all the voicesA year later came the news of the closure of El Flamenco".
Indeed, the legendary flamenco venue closed its doors in 2016. But only to make way for a new adventure, in which it would be renamed Garlochí… ♦
→ To be continued…
