Make Believe Bonus: ZEROTOKYO

Going Down

Disaster feels constantly imminent at a club with escalators. At the start of the night, it’s not a big deal…just stand still and wait a few seconds before exiting the descent or continuing on deeper. Yet as the night goes on, those automated steps become more intimidating. Or maybe the Red Bull Vodka you had is kicking in.

The newly opened ZEROTOKYO (ZERO from here on out) reduces nerves of a sudden stumble into the void with the presence of staff at the base of every escalator, presumably to corral the drunkest of revelers and offer some comfort that, don’t let the trippy mirror above confuse you, you would tumble down on to solid floor. Yet visiting the club for the first time on a Friday in late April, I wondered if a solitary dude could really manage it. The three-floors-deep venue seemed packed — with locals and tourists alike, fashionable younger clientele and middle-aged salarymen going down into the dark together.

The effect of going deep underground — these were steep escalators — made ZERO feel like something Tokyo’s nightlife and club industry lost in the last few years. It felt like an experience, and a true departure from the everyday.