Opened in April, 1996, Akasaka BLITZ is a so-called music "live-house" in Minato, Tokyo

Minato, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 March 2008, it had an official population of 217,335 and a population density of 10,865 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².Minato hosts 49 embassies...

, owned and operated by Tokyo Broadcasting System

Tokyo Broadcasting System

, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....

 Television, Inc. Until the opening of Shibuya-AX

Shibuya-AX

Shibuya-AX is a concert hall in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, near the Yoyogi National Gymnasium.It is the only purpose-built concert hall or "live house" in the Tokyo metropolitan area that can accommodate 1,500 people...

 in 2000, it was the only concert space that in the metropolitan area that could accommodate 1500 people. As part of a redevelopment plan that involved the demolition of several TBS buildings in the area, it was closed down from 2003 until its reopening on March 20, 2008.

Many local acts — including Aucifer

Aucifer

is a rock group, best known for contributing several of their songs to the popular anime, Kaikan Phrase. The band was formed in 1999, and disbanded in early 2003. They officially debuted on 15 September 1999 with their big hit single Datenshi BLUE, and became increasingly popular thereafter.Lucifer...

, Kiichi Yokoyama, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant

Thee Michelle Gun Elephant

Thee Michelle Gun Elephant was a Japanese garage rock band formed in 1991.-History:The band was formed in 1991, while the members were students at Tokyo's Meiji Gakuin University. They later drew influence from The Roosters...

, Dir en grey

Dir en grey

Dir En Grey is a Japanese metal band formed in 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. As of 2011, they have recorded eight full-length records...

, Bump of Chicken

Bump of Chicken

Bump of Chicken is a rock group from Sakura, Chiba, Japan. Their members are Fujiwara Motoo, Hiroaki Masukawa, Yoshifumi Naoi and Hideo Masu. Since their inception in 1994, they have released fourteen singles and five albums...

, Dragon Ash

Dragon Ash

are a Japanese Rap metal group founded in 1996 by Furuya "Kj" Kenji and Sakurai Makoto. They are an icon in Japan and were one of the first groups to popularize hip hop in Japan. They brought a western flavor to Japanese music and helped to turn rap music mainstream, with a mixture of reggae, rap,...

, and X JAPAN

X Japan

is a Japanese heavy metal band founded in 1982 by Yoshiki and Toshi. Originally named X , the group achieved their breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood...

, to name a few — have used the venue as the final destination of their concert tours.