Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Drinking & Nightlife
Take a stroll down Kyoto's main nightlife strip, Kiyamachi-dōri,
and you might think that there's one bar for every resident of
Kyoto. Sure, some can only seat three at a squeeze, but there's
no shortage of watering holes. And the variety is astonishing -
everything from rough-and-ready student hangouts to impos-
sibly chic spots where you just might spot a geisha.
Kyoto Nightlife
Like its restaurant scene, Kyoto has a deeper nightlife scene than most cities of its size,
Japanese or foreign. Indeed, visitors from much bigger cities often remark on the sophistic-
ation and scope of the nightlife here in the 'Old Capital'. One reason must surely be the
number of visitors the city keeps happy after sightseeing hours are over. Another must be
the sheer variety of influences the city absorbs from all these visitors.
Of course, there's more to Kyoto nightlife than just bars and clubs. For starters, there are
izakaya,
which are Japanese-style restaurants that serve a variety of sake and beer (or sake
and beer bars joints that happen to serve a variety of Japanese food - sometimes it's hard to
tell).
In addition to these traditional establishments, you can indulge in another 'traditional'
Japanese form of nightlife: karaoke. Indeed, it would be a shame to come all the way to
Japan and not belt out a few numbers in one of Kyoto's seemingly endless 'karaoke boxes'.
Even if you shy away from karaoke back home, where you're forced to climb up on a stage
and sing in front of strangers, you'll probably enjoy karaoke Japanese-style. Here, you and
your friends cram into a small room and entertain (or torment) each other with your very
own musical styling.
