After almost half a century serving as the heart flamenco in Tokyo, it closed its doors in 2016 El Flamenco, the venue where the cream of the art world had paraded jondoBut a short time later, the historic venue was reborn, renamed as Garlochí, and ready to continue the legend in the 21st century.
The new owners, the gentlemen MuramatsuThey were known for owning a dance costume shop called Sonia Jonesuntil they decided to make the leap into specialized hospitality. “Garlochí renovated the space and the gastronomic offering, providing a broader experience of Spanish culture,” he says. Mariko Ogura, accredited expert in flamenco and Japan. “It continued to invite top-level artists from Spain and maintained a high-quality program. This process symbolizes the maturity of flamenco In Japan: what began as an art form for a small circle of enthusiasts became a fully recognized and shared cultural expression.”
Raquel Villegas She is a flamenco dancer from Sanlúcar who first visited Japan more than 20 years ago, when she was 19, performing in the opera Carmen with a large company. Of course, at that time The Flamenco “It was a must-see, the meeting point for all Spaniards. It was a temple,” he recalls. “They gave me the opportunity to work there for six months, but at the time it seemed like a long time. I have a flamenco venue in Sanlúcar and I couldn't leave it, until my brother took it over so I could give it a try. That's how I ended up at Garlochí.”
In Tokyo, where he taught classes and presented several shows – the last one last year – he formed a close friendship with Yukari Nakamichi, which has been the living memory of El Flamenco and from Garlochí. “Yukari worked there for 23 years, she was a cashier and manager, and since she spoke Spanish very well she took care of us, she looked after us a lot,” Villegas points out. “She did everything possible to avoid the closure, which in the end proved inevitable.”
Indeed, the change in management would be accompanied by a whole series of transformations brought about by the turn of the century. In recent years, traveling to Spain had become much more accessible, and it was increasingly common to see groups of Japanese people, often quite large, in Spanish venues, festivals, or academies. Likewise, the spread of the internet made it easy to access recent recordings, classes, and online performances. “The very environment for learning and enjoying the flamenco changed radically. The role that for decades had been playedpeña“The idea that Japanese flamenco venues were the only direct access route to Spanish art was, inevitably, relativized by these new conditions,” Ogura points out.
These factors were compounded by the high cost of renting the venue, and finally, the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the performing arts globally. Garlochí was not spared from this plague or its effects. According to the scholar, “it went through critical moments and sought new ways to survive under different management, but ultimately closed its doors in 2025. More than the result of specific decisions, its closure can be understood as the consequence of profound social and cultural transformations accumulated over more than half a century.”
Also Kyoko Shikaze, a Japanese journalist based in Seville, a veritable institution, recalls the direction Garlochí took: “Already in the time of El Flamenco It was noticeable that the number of visitors had decreased, and when it changed its name it remained just as difficult to fill.”
"I was in Garlochí twice, the last time last year, and it was an unforgettable experience. I will always remember that hall full of fans and professionals, the profound silence with which they attended the shows and how they all shouted 'ole' at the precise moment, all together. It was like being in Seville or Jerez" (Manuel Liñán)
“After the blow of the pandemic,” Shikaze continues, “the premises were transferred to another company, run by Mrs. Takayowho rented the venue for performances by Spanish artists. But from around 2022 onwards it was no longer a flamenco venue in the strict sense, but a multi-purpose space that sometimes programmed flamencoOthers catered to Japanese artists, or academies that wanted to celebrate their end-of-year party. They even went so far as to put on sumo shows in their later years to survive, but it didn't go well.”
The dancer Manuel Linan He was the last Spanish artist to perform on the Garlochí stage. “I was there twice, the last time being last year, and it was an unforgettable experience. I will always remember that hall full of fans and professionals, the profound silence with which they attended the shows, and how they all shouted 'ole' at the precise moment, all in unison. It was like being in Seville or Jerez.”
“It’s a shame that a place like that has closed its doors,” the man from Granada adds. “I never got to experience the era of El FlamencoBut all the great figures had passed through there, and the walls held that energy. It was a very special place.”
However, Ogura sees in El's life Flamenco and Garlochí “a trajectory that is, without a doubt, the story of the maturation of flamenco in Japan. But it is also, in a way, the story of a loss: the gradual dilution of that unique tension, of that 'unique bridge' status that characterized its early years. It is not a setback, but a mutation: circumstances changed, the role of space changed, its form changed.”
“And yet,” Ogura concludes, “the essential remains. The intensity of the canteThe guitar and the dancing just a few meters apart; the exchange of energy between artists and audience; the shared experience that is etched into the bodies of those who live it. flamenco It is, above all, a celebration of life: listening, opening your heart and fully surrendering to the present moment.”
“As a stage that kept that flame alive for more than half a century in the heart of Tokyo, The name of Garlochí will remain inscribed in the history of flamenco in JapanBetween maturity and loss, his trajectory is not only the story of a place, but the imprint of a sustained cultural dialogue between Spain and Japan.”
For all these reasons, Raquel Villegas believes that the world of flamenco More should have been done to save Garlochi“We should have put pressure on them to help keep it going, because we're talking about one of the key points of the expansion of flamencoThanks to him Flamenco And in Garlochí, in the good times, there were people who bought houses. It's not enough to just post on social media now saying 'what a shame'. Nobody has fought for that place at all.”
According to the Spanish journalist David López Canales, author of the essay A flamenco show in another world, “the closure of El Garlochi, formerly El FlamencoIt marks a turning point. It's the end of an era, but also the realization that all love stories, all passions, need to be nurtured. And now we must rekindle the flame of passion for... flamenco In Japan, you have to renew the vows of that love.” ♦
→ See here the first installment of this series by Alejandro Luque.
