Bars, clubs and live music - The Rough Guide to Tokyo - page 164

TOKYO'S TOP PLACES TO DRINK
Best for cheapskates 300 Bar, Three Coin Bar
and Gas Panic (see below, p.172 & p.175)
Best for Art Deco stylings Old Imperial Bar
(see p.168)
Best for quality sake Shinsuke (see p.168)
Best for views Bar Six (see p.169)
Best for events Pink Cow (see p.170)

Best for microbrewed beer Nakameguro
Taproom (see p.171)
Best standing bar Stand S (see p.172)
Best for weirdness value The Lockup
(see p.171)
Best club Ageha (see p.174)
Best gay venue Arty Farty (see p.177)

Tokyo's drinking establishments range from shoebox-sized bars for regular patrons only
to sophisticated cocktail lounges in hotels. The most common type are izakaya which
are generally quite large, serve a good range of drinks and food and often have a lively
atmosphere. Chains include Kirin City ; Sapporo's Lions Beer Hall ; the identikit Irish
bar The Dubliners ; and the faux-Victorian British pub the Rose & Crown . The listings
focus mainly on independent izakaya with a reputation for top-quality food, drink
and atmosphere.
Typically being smoky, cramped, exclusively male and expensive, the appeal of nomiya
is not immediately apparent. However, the close quarters means you can't help but start
chatting with fellow drinking companions and you're sure to be looked after by the bar
keeper - usually a genial woman called a mama-san (a male owner is called a master).
Nomiya act like private clubs where regular customers keep a bottle of their favourite
tipple behind the counter with their name on it; this is known as the bottle-keep system.
Many nomiya can be found under the tracks at Yūrakuchō (see p.49), along Shinjuku's
Omoide Yokochō (see p.122) and Golden Gai (see box, p.172), and on Nonbei
Yokochō, the alley running alongside the train tracks just north of Shibuya station;
gaijin -friendly ones are listed below.
Tachinomiya (bars without seats) continue to be popular, with venues serving not
just beer and nibbles but also specialist sake, shōchū and wines. Café-bars are covered in
the “Cafés and teahouses” chapter (see p.159).
There's a healthy clubbing scene in Tokyo too, with high-profile international DJs
regularly roped in for a spin (and an ever-increasing number of Japanese doing likewise
abroad). While Tokyo still plays second fiddle to Ōsaka for live music , there's still a
fair bit of variety here, while the city's gay and lesbian scene is by far the best developed
in East Asia.

16

BARS
Tokyo's bars can be a little confusing to the first-time visitor, but you should be able to work things out before too
long. One common source of confusion is the table charge levied at some places, including almost all izakaya ; it'll
be anything from ¥300 to ¥1000. The small snack or a plate of nuts you may be served with your first drink are often
cited as the reason for the charge, though some places levy one without providing anything extra. If there's live
music, you'll often pay for it through a cover charge or higher drink prices. Opening hours are long, generally from
5pm until around midnight Sunday to Thursday, extended to 4am on Friday and Saturday. If you're socializing with
Japanese it's polite to pour your companions' drinks, and let them pour yours. You can make a toast by lifting your
glass and saying “ kampai ”.

THE IMPERIAL PALACE AND AROUND
Kudan Kaikan ۝ஈձؗ 1-6-5 Kudan-Minami,
Chiyoda-ku T 03 3261 5521; Kudanshita station; map
p.41. Fantastic roof-top option with a tabi-nomi-hōdai
(eat and drink all you like) deal for ¥4000, and great
views towards the Imperial Palace. Mon-Fri 5-10pm,
Sat & Sun 5-9pm.

GINZA AND AROUND
300 Bar ̏̌̌ԁόʔ B1 Fazenda Building, 5-9-11
Ginza, Chūō-ku T 03 3572 6300; Ginza station; map
p.48. The bargain-basement face of Ginza is this unusually
large standing-only bar, where all food and drinks are
¥315; although you have to buy two food/drink tickets to
enter, it'd be cheap by the standards of rural Japan, let
alone Ginza. Daily 5pm-2am, Sun until 11pm.