Tokyo After Dark - Tokyo - page 259

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A Note on Establishments with Japanese Signs

Many hotels, restaurants, attractions, and other establishments in Japan do not
have signs giving their names in Roman (English-language) letters. Those that
don't are indicated in this guide by an oval with a number that corresponds to a
number in chapter 14 that shows the Japanese equivalent. Thus, to find the Japa-
nese symbol for, say, Volga, refer to no. 75 on p. 326.

Christon Cafe This has to be one of the weirdest theme bars I've seen in Tokyo.
Decorated like a church with its stained-glass windows, vaulted ceiling, organ music,
crosses, and statue of Jesus, it's packed to the rafters despite the ¥300 cover charge. What
to order? A Bloody Mary, of course. Hours are Sunday to Thursday 5 to 11:30pm, Friday
and Saturday 5pm to 4am. Oriental Wave Building, 8th floor, 5-17-13 Shinjuku. & 03/5287-
2426. Station: Shinjuku Sanchome (5 min.). In east Shinjuku, on Yasukuni Dori, just west of
Hanazono Shrine.
Dubliners' Irish Pub Attracting expats and locals alike—mostly in their 30s and
40s—is this chain Irish bar, especially for its weekday happy hour from noon to 7pm
(you have to wonder, don't these people work?). A menu lists such perennial favorites as
Irish stew, fish and chips, and minced lamb shepherd's pie. Open Monday to Saturday
noon to 1am, Sunday noon to 11pm. 3-28-9 Shinjuku. & 03/3352-6606. Station: Shinjuku
(east exit, 3 min.). In east Shinjuku, behind Mitsukoshi department store to the southwest,
above Sapporo Lion.
New Sazae After other bars in this predominantly gay district close, those revelers
who refuse to call it quits migrate around the corner to this dive. The diverse crowd is a
bit rowdy, but if you get this far, you're probably right where you belong. A ¥1,000 cover
includes the first drink; drinks thereafter cost ¥700. Hours are Sunday to Thursday 9pm
to 5am, Friday and Saturday 9pm to 7am. Ishikawa Building, 2nd floor, 2-18-5 Shinjuku.
& 03/3354-1745. Station: Shinjuku Sanchome (4 min.). Southeast of the Yasukuni Dori and
Gyoen Dori intersection, behind Bygs, in Shinjuku Ni-chome.
Vagabond Although most of the night action in Shinjuku is east of the station, the
west side also has an area of inexpensive restaurants and bars. This second-floor nightspot
has been in operation for more than 30 years and is now managed by the original owner's
son, Matsuoka Takahiko. It features a jazz pianist nightly, beginning at 7pm. Although
there's no music charge per se, after 7pm there is an obligatory snack charge of ¥500 for
the bowl of chips automatically brought to your table. Small and cozy, this place is
popular with foreigners who live near Shinjuku Station and with Japanese who want to
rub elbows with them; its Guinness brings in customers from the United Kingdom.
Hours are Monday to Saturday 5 to 11:30pm, Sunday 5 to 11pm. 1-4-20 Nishi Shinjuku.
& 03/3348-9109. Station: Shinjuku (west exit, 2 min.). In west Shinjuku, in the 2nd alley behind
(north of ) Odakyu Halc.
\ Volga Volga, a yakitori-ya housed in an ivy-covered two-story brick building,
features an open grill facing the street and a smoky and packed drinking hall typical of
older establishments that once dotted the country. Its unrefined atmosphere has changed
little since it opened here in the 1950s. Rooms are tiny and simply decorated with
wooden tables and benches, and the clientele is middle-age. Very Japanese. Get here soon

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