Intimate Tokyo Cafe Venue, Akasaka Roman, with Live Anime Song Performances Attracts Fans From Home, Abroad

By Mishio Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

10:30 JST, July 11, 2025

A Tokyo cafe for live performances of anison (anime songs) is gaining popularity among fans of anime and tokusatsu superhero TV show songs from home and abroad.

Named Live Cafe Akasaka Roman, or simply Akasaka Roman, the cafe was opened in 2023 by anison singer Takayoshi Tanimoto, who is known for singing the theme songs for TV anime “Dragon Ball Kai” and Super Sentai series tokusatsu TV drama “Juken Sentai Gekiranger.”

Tanimoto was motivated to open the cafe by the COVID-19 pandemic that was actively threatening the whole world until shortly before it began operating.

“There were many restrictions, and in addition to them, there was a serious problem of customers no longer attending concerts,” he said. “I had a sense of crisis that I wouldn’t be able to continue with my concert activities even if the pandemic ended. I thought if there was a music cafe run by myself, a musician, that could be a help to fellow singers, however small the club is.”

Then Tanimoto heard through the grapevine that there was a club where the owner was looking for a successor and raised his hand. Although it was a small club with a maximum of 40 customers, he made the most of his experience and knowledge as a singer in preparing the venue. He is selective about equipment and acoustics, too.

“I can see what the cafe needs and what people request for the venue, so I respond diligently,” Tanimoto said.

Information about the cafe spread through word of mouth. As a result, artists working in the anime song industry began using the venue. Lately, there has been an average of five or six concerts per month being held by anison singers and voice actors at Akasaka Roman.

In fact, I also started using the place last year as the venue for several different kinds of anison concerts I organized, and I am impressed that the venue is very comfortable and convenient to use. Organizing a large-scale concert takes time to prepare, and it is difficult to communicate with members of the audience at such a concert. In that respect, an intimate venue like Akasaka Roman makes it relatively easier for me to plan a concert and for artists to take part in an event.

What’s more, if an artist raises a concern regarding acoustics, Tanimoto quickly understands and works on the problem, which makes us feel that we are in safe hands. It seems many people in the industry feel the same. Once they hold a concert there, they often return repeatedly. Users include not only young singers but also veterans, such as Takayuki Miyauchi and Masami Okui, who perform concerts at Akasaka Roman more and more often.

I, too, just organized a concert the other day with Tanimoto and two other singers, Yoffy of the anison duo Psychic Lover and Sister Mayo. I emceed for the concert, which was the third edition of a spin-off event of Tokuuta Matsuri, a festival of songs from tokusatsu TV dramas and films. The concert’s title, “Tokuuta Gaiden — Zettai ni Kogai Shitewa Ikenai Nomikai” (Tokuuta spin-off — a drinking party you should tell no one about), sounds like some clandestine meeting. Indeed, this event was full of secret stories from the industry, which was only possible because the venue was not too large, and we could see the face of each audience member.

I used to serve as International City of Arts and Culture producer of Toshima Ward, Tokyo, where I was involved in town development, making the best use of pop culture such as anime and tokusatsu shows, until several years ago. At the time, I had wished there was a club featuring live anison that tourists from overseas could attend without needing a reservation. For anime and tokusatsu fans visiting Japan, shopping for merchandise and watching their favorite works alone are great experiences, but they would find it even more priceless to be able to attend a concert. The truth is that it’s not a rare sight to see foreign tourists in attendance at Akasaka Roman concerts.

Large concerts, which require getting tickets months in advance, are fun, of course. But it is equally nice to readily enjoy music in an intimate space where the artists are close to the audience. The cafe is in Akasaka in central Tokyo, so it is easily accessible by tourists, too. If you are planning to come to Japan, I hope you experience live anison.