Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan

Former public concert hall in Shinjuku, Tokyo, part of the nationwide Kosei Nenkin Kaikan network of welfare pension halls funded by Japan’s social insurance system. Opened on 15 April 1961, the complex housed two halls: the Dai (Large) Hall with 2,406 seats (reduced to 2,062 after renovation in the 1990s) and the Sho (Small) Hall with 704 seats. Renowned for its excellent acoustics, it became a legendary stop for international touring artists throughout the 1970s and 1980s, hosting David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and countless others. The venue was briefly rebranded as Welcity Tokyo in its final years before permanently closing on 29 March 2010 as part of a government restructuring of pension-funded facilities. The building has since been demolished.