No matter what you’re into, rest assured Tokyo has a bar for it.
GreaterTokyois home to over 39 million hoi polloi , enough to order it as the world ’s largest metropolitan area . But it ’s not just bigger than the rest , it ’s also better — peculiarly when it add up to night life . The culture here lives to work hard and play hard . Once the eventide hours approach , Tokyo ’s residents are hunger for a secure clock time , one which most often go for a long time . The urban center , in act , opens up to reveal a rich collage of colour , scent , and sounds , where everything and anything is possible well into the former morning hours . It ’s simply a matter of how — and where — you want your night to blossom forth .
Tokyo ’s landscape painting is sprawl , sure , but it ’s also overwhelmingly ardent and invite . Break it down by neighborhood , and you ’ll find it amazingly manageable . In Roppongi , for example , night owls navigate a heavy maze ofjazz clubs , upscale bars , and art galleries . International Shibuya , on the other hand , is home to some of the city ’s most popular nightspot . In Asakusa , it ’s all about savoringlocal flavorsat the many solid food stalling lining the amble that precede to the ancient Sensō - ji temple . And Golden Gai is an entire mini - village backpack with izakayas and far-out standing - room - only bars known as tachinomi that give way to cozy vibraphone and world stratum highballs .
Japan might be known as the Land of the Rising Sun , but when it come to its Das Kapital city , matter get a set more exciting once the Lord’s Day sets . Here are a handful of places you wo n’t need to miss the next fourth dimension you notice yourself undertake Tokyo after dark .
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Womb
ShibuyaA massive space broadcast out over three floors of prize Shibuya City real the three estates , Womb offers an electrifying experience each night of the week thanks to regular themed political party . The venue holds up to 800 revelers and has serve as a launchpad for many local artists on their way to becoming global champion . And depend on when you arrive , you might see someone who has already achieved that position — admit Fatboy Slim , Dominik Eulberg , and Anja Schneider , to name a few late performers .
Bar Ben Fiddich
ShinjukuHidden on the 9th trading floor of a characterless Shinjuku highrise is , perhaps , the best high - conception cocktail stripe on the major planet . Ben Fiddich is the brainchild of proprietor Hiroyasu Kayama , and learn him work behind the pin of his six - rear end saloon is a performance much more akin to Kabuki theater than bare drink - devising . He moonlights as a farmer , often integrating ingredients he ’s rise himself into his imaginative bespoke speciality . He distills his own Absinthe , and muddles his own Campari - variations to produce a Negroni unlike any you ’ve ever savour . It ’s heavy to overstate the shock that Nipponese bartending has had on the global potable panorama in the 21st century , and this topographic point is at the tip of the spear , pushing the gasbag one pour at a prison term . Just make certain to reserve your spot well in advance : seats is supremely limited . What ’s more , Hiro - san is often far out collecting new flavour for the taproom from some far - flung corner of the earth , and the ginmill does not open without him .
Virtù
ChiyodaSuspended 39 stories above Chiyoda City , this loungey newcomer has already establish itself as a premiere night life finish — and drumhead mixologist Keith Motsi is the one to give thanks for this effect . His drinks list reimagines classical preparations such as Martinis and Manhattans as something far superior . The former is dial up with Japanese cotton gin and vodka , and modify with the addition of bitters educe from Japanese cypress . The latter is rendered in - menage with Japanese whiskey in place of American rye whisky , then topped with a gilded leafage garnish . Motsi is a veritable magician when it make out to hospitality as well . Blend his bonafides with the good-time vibe of this playful front room and it ’s well-situated to understand why it come in 20th in this year’sAsia ’s 50 Best Barslist within months of opening .
Golden-Gai Bar Crawl
Golden GaiThroughout the last one C , the Shinjuku district of Tokyo has been built up as a contemporary while of glass and steel tower stretch out towards the sky . Yet amid the modernness , Golden Gai stay a blatant holdover from a bygone era . It exists as a series of alleyways , chockablock with an beguiling array of hole - in - the - wall Browning automatic rifle . Some sit on street stratum , some pole in attics only accessible via steep staircases ; some specialize in highball , others have queer themes such as , say , ‘ LXXX horror movies . Barca is a in particular snug den dedicate to Madeira . You do n’t necessitate to have any specific destination in mind , as this magical maze of tearing holes is quite simply a Brigadoon for barcrawlers .
Music Bar 45
ShibuyaIn an domain renowned for live music locus , this one sticks out in a crew . Music Bar 45 is a informal ( read : small ) space . And in a jazz club , that ’s much more a characteristic than a flaw . Drinking alongside no more than 20 other musical enthusiasts , you’re able to vibe out to cosmos - class performances from 7 Prime Minister until super late every Nox save Sunday . Cocktails here are rather unravel of the mill — don’t bear anything too elaborated — but they do boast a respectable survival of craft beer , whisky , and vinyl to enjoy between live sets . You might have to sputter to happen the space , as it ’s tuck aside on the 2nd floor of a brick - robe commercial walkup , but once you do , you ’ll sure as shooting be reward for your sweat .
The Room
ShibuyaThe Room bills itself as a venue for euphony , drinks , and gathering , and it delivers laudably on all three — which is believably why they cater to some celebrated clientele . An main jazz baseball club owned by an genuine musician , the level here is typically occupy by gifted player specializing in the improvisational arts . And talk of improv , the bartenders do a darn good caper of flog up bespoke cocktails to fit your temper ( more than likely , that mean loosen up ) . When the stage is empty , you may still number on live DJ sets to keep the dependable time rolling .
Karaoke Kan Shibuya
ShibuyaYou did n’t conceive you were going out in Tokyo without hitting up a karaoke barroom , did you ? The ultimate late - night “ boozing mutation ” was born in Japan back in 1971 . Today , its capital city is home to century of venues dedicated to the , um , nontextual matter form . But they ’re not all create adequate , of class . Karaoke Kan Shibuya , our choice , is conveniently situate in a bustling part of town , offering lots of individual rooms complete with couch , flatscreen television , multiple mics , and as many watered - down cocktails as you’re able to brook . All the essential you ’ll need for an unforgettable evening belting out Toto ’s “ Africa ” on repetition .
Teppan Baby
ShinjukuOkonomiyaki is n’t just a cuisine , it ’s a mode of life . And at this Shinjuku blot , they are unquestionably living it up . Their strong point mouth-watering flannel-cake comprise of cabbage and housemade crispy noodles , griddle to flawlessness and topped with sauces and shredded protein . Here they ’re doing it the authentic way : Hiroshima - style . They ’re also plating some spectacular fish cake , not to note a ponzu lather studded with wagyu tendon . Are you hungry yet ? If you ’re have a belated night in Tokyo , you most in all likelihood will be . Thankfully , this neighborhood innovation keeps serve the sizzles until 5 am every break of the day . Bring some friends , as this bill of fare is best enjoyed in in force company . And while you ’re at it , do n’t slumber on the house Sochu cocktails .
Thermae Yu
KabukichoIt ’s voiceless to believe that this 24 - hour onsen sits within a stone ’s stroke of the busiest train station in the world . Yet despite its hyper - centralized spot , Thermae - Yu remain a fort of solitude . It ’s actually something of a health spa complex , sport dozens of red-hot spring baths , stone saunas , treatment rooms , a salon — even a bar and restaurant . The surrounding district of Kabukicho is the epicentre of entertainment , so there are ample way to get wind up around here . But when you ’re quick to wind down , this is doubtless the practiced terminus in town .
Tuna Auction at Toyosu Market
KotoDown by the dock of Koto City you ’ll incur Toyosu , the largest fish market on the planet . It give in 2018 as a switch for the notable Tsukiji Market , at a cost of rough $ 5 billion . What precisely will you receive in a $ 5 billion dollar Pisces market ? Well , if you come in the late morning and other good afternoon , you’re able to feed your way through all sorts of food cubicle , offer some of the freshest fish around . But if you arrive just after the cake close at 5 am , you ’ll get to feast your eyes on one of the most stunning seafood spectacle conceivable : the live tuna auction , where the world ’s largest and most expensive bluefin changes hands . And though you’re able to find out it all go down for barren from the upper deck of cards , you’re able to get even close to the action by booking a patch on the interior viewing political program , with reserve usable up to a month in advance via Toyosu Market ’s website . Because nothing sobers you up after a long dark of drinking quite like chiliad of pound of raw Pisces .
Photo courtesy of Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau
Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi
Photo courtesy of Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau
TheRoom Shibuya Tokyo
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