[nmskalmn]

The announcement that popular Roppongi nightclub Velfarre is closing its doors for good at the end of the year marks the end of an era. The huge facility was opened by Tokyo-based record company Avex in 1994 just after the Juliana's disco/rave phenomenon had peaked, and since then it has struggled to adjust to changing musical and nightlife trends.

Informed sources say the main reason Avex decided to close the club is that the Tokyo Midtown development, now nearing completion on the former Defense Agency site on Gaien-Higashi Dori, is causing property prices and rents in that part of Roppongi to go up. Avex's current lease on the property has expired, and it is not renewing it, probably because Velfarre has become something of a money-losing white elephant.

The last event scheduled at the club is the appropriately titled "Last Dance," which kicks off at sunrise on Jan. 1 and continues until noon that day. Featured deejays include DJ Shinkawa, Monobe Nakahara and Roger Jordan. For more information, check out the Velfarre Web site: http://velfarre.avex.co.jp/index.html.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features...02TDY16002.htm