Au Bon Courage
Au Bon Courage
Intense listening room with pristine sound and a great line-up
113-0033東京都文京区本郷1-25-8 SKビル1階
SK Building 1F, 1-25-8 Suidobashi, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033
Suidobashi Station (Mita Line, Sobu Line)
Korakuen Station (Nanboku Line, Marunouchi Line)
Just east of the Tokyo Dome on a small street that runs north from the large-ish Ikizaka Street. The signs are easy to see once you get close enough. It’s a short walk from Suidobashi or Korakuen, about five minutes from either one.
Entry is Y3000 to Y4500, depending on the act, with discounts for students and those aged 65 or older. And an even cheaper price for students under middle school age. Make sure to reserve online.
Au Bon Courage is a fantastic listening room set into the side of a building near the Tokyo Dome complex, north of Suidobashi Station. It’s worth going for the acoustics alone. The room is acoustically planned like the best classical music halls. The master has seats lined up to keep the audience relaxed and comfortable, like a top-notch movie theater. Lean back and listen.
Set up during the pandemic to support musicians who were really suffering from the lack of gigs, it’s kept going ever since, bringing in musicians who play the best clubs in the city. Food is limited to snacks, and drinks are the usual, but that’s all you need. This isn’t a place to hang out and chat with friends; it’s a small concert hall set up to listen intently.
The club is moving to Yotsuya in January, so I’ll write a fuller review then. However, until the end of 2025, the club is very much open for business, and the comfortable seats, superb sound system, and fantastic line-up of musicians are waiting for you now. Check them out before they move!
