Bars, clubs and live music - The Rough Guide to Tokyo - page 169

Stand S ελϯυ4 37-16 Udagawa-chō, Shibuya-ku
T 03 5452 0277; Shibuya station; map p.115. Going for
the bar-meets-Swedish sauna look in a big pine-clad way is
this groovy tachinomiya , which has a DJ and curious drink
options such as Mojito Beer (tastier than it sounds). Daily
5pm-midnight.
Three Coin Bar ̏ίΠϯόʔ B1 Noa Shibuya Building,
36-2 Udagawa-chō, Shibuya-ku T 03 3463 3039;
Shibuya station; map p.115. No need to ask about the
prices at this spacious, stylish basement bar - it's ¥315 for
any drink or plate of food, making this a top choice if you're
on a budget. Music is usually hip-hop and r'n'b, despite the
soul vinyl covers dotting the place; they also bring in DJs
most weekends. Daily 4pm-12.30am, later at weekends.

Quentin Tarantino and Francis Ford Coppola keep bottles
here. It's a little hard to spot, lurking above the ground-
floor Baltimore bar. Cover charge ¥1000. Mon-Sat
6pm-6am.
Square εΫΤʔΞ 2F 3rd Street, Golden Gai; Shinjuku-
Sanchōme station; map pp.118-119. Cute, squashed
little upper-floor bar with cheery staff, cheery customers,
decent drinks, and some dangerous-looking bras on the
wall. Look out for the blue sign, which is, ironically, a circle.
Cover charge ¥500. Mon-Sat 6pm-4am.
Vagabond ϰΝΨϘϯυ 1-4-20 Nishi-Shinjuku,
Shinjuku-ku T 03 3348 9109; Shinjuku station; map
pp.118-119. A local institution, with jazz pianists who
tinkle the ivories every night and colourful art plastered
on the walls. There's a ¥500 cover charge. Also has a
downstairs bar, without live music. Daily 5-11.30pm.

SHINJUKU AND THE WEST
Brooklyn Parlour ϒϧοΫϦϯύʔϥʔ B1 Shinjuku
Marui Annex, 3-1-26 Shinjuku T 03 6457 7763; Shinjuku-
Sanchōme station; map pp.118-119. Although it's in the
basement, this pleasant New York-themed bar and jazz
venue looks like a loft and serves amber ales from Brooklyn
Brewery, original chai cocktails, and deli-style sandwiches
and burgers. Daily 11.30am-11.30pm.
Champion νϟϯϐΦϯ Golden Gai, off Shiki-no-
michi; Shinjuku-Sanchōme station; map pp.118-119.
At the western entrance to the Golden Gai stretch, this is
the largest bar in the area. There's no cover charge and all
drinks are a bargain ¥500. The catch? You have to endure
tone-deaf patrons crooning karaoke for ¥100 a song.
Mon-Sat 6pm-6am.
Hair of the Dogs ϔΞΦϰβυοά 1st Street, Golden
Gai; Shinjuku-Sanchōme station; map pp.118-119.
Punk rockers will get a kick from this tiny bar, whose
location is indicated by a Sex Pistols poster on the door
and a thudding soundtrack of rebellious music inside. Cover
charge ¥800. Mon-Sat 6pm-4am.
Jetée δϡς 2F 2nd Street, Golden Gai; Shinjuku-
Sanchōme station; map pp.118-119. Those looking for
a quieter time should search out this bar, run by French-
speaking Kawai-san, a movie and jazz lover; it's said both

IKEBUKURO AND THE NORTH
300 Bar ̏̌̌όʔ 2F 3-29-4 Nishi-Ikebukuro T 03
3986 3005; Ikebukuro station; map p.130. This big
izakaya , popular with a young crowd for its low prices and
good food, is a good option if you're in the area and are
looking to unwind. It's cheap, too - the name of the place,
written across the building in yellow neon, hints at the
price of a beer. Daily 11am-midnight.
The Black Sheep ϒϥοΫγʔϓ B1F 1-7-12 Higashi-
Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku T 03 3987 2289; Ikebukuro
station; map p.130. Tiny, lively bar behind BIC Camera,
with a choice of seven beers on tap, and great fish and
chips. On Wednesdays there's a special deal on draught
pale ale, weekends feature live music, and there's a daily
happy hour 6-10pm. Daily 6pm-midnight.
Maccoli Bar ϚίϦόʔ 1-5-24 Hyakunin-chō,
Shinjuku-ku T 03 6380 3487; Shin-Ōkubo station;
map pp.128-129. Makgeolli, incorrectly Romanized in
this bar's name, is a milky-coloured Korean rice beer with
a growing following in Japan - it tastes like drinking
yoghurt with a mild alcoholic kick. At this friendly and
stylish Koreatown bar, you can sample it straight or mixed
with various fruits. Daily 6pm-late.

16

GOLDEN GAI RENAISSANCE
Intellectuals and artists have rubbed shoulders with Kabukichō's demimonde since just after
World War II in the tiny bars of Golden Gai ( ΰʔϧσϯ֗ ). For decades this hugely atmospheric
warren of around 150 drinking dens has teetered on the brink of oblivion, the cinderblock
buildings under threat from both property developers and from their own shoddy construction.
Recently, though, Golden Gai seems to be undergoing a mini-renaissance as a younger
generation of bar masters and mistresses take over some of the shoebox establishments.
Most bars continue to welcome regulars only (and charge exorbitant prices to newcomers),
but no longer need gaijin visitors risk being fleeced rotten as several places now post their
table and drink charges outside the door. See above for a few recommendations.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT CHILLED SAKE BOX, P.169 ; CRAFT BEER BAR BOX, P.168 ; DENKI BRAN AT KAMIYA P.169 ;
KARAOKE BOX, P.174 >