Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Aiiro (formerly known as Advocates) has long been a hub in Shinjuku-nichōme, and is a good place to get an evening started – thanks to the all-you-can…
Must-see nightlife in Japan
Ebisu, Meguro & Around
It's hard to say which is more impressive at this dim, moody bar: the nine-page whiskey list or the collection of records. The latter (mostly jazz, blues…
Tokyo
This stylish, contemporary counter bar offers a selection of sakes from 17 different breweries located throughout Japan's Toyama prefecture, across the…
Tokyo
Tokyo's luxury hotel bars outdo themselves to compete with one another but the Mandarin Oriental's might just be our favourite: managing to be both cool …
Ebisu, Meguro & Around
One of the pioneers of Tokyo's now flourishing cocktail scene, Trench (a suitable name for a bar hidden in a narrow alley) is a tiny place with an air of…
Ginza & Tsukiji
The sign over the door here reads 'Coffee Only' but, oh, what a selection. Local legend Sekiguchi Ichirō started the business in 1948, sourcing aged beans…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Jimbōchō, a neighbourhood known for its universities, now has a school for students of craft gin. Cocktail Works Jimbōchō carries some 180 bottles of it,…
Rise & Win Brewing Co. Kamikatz Taproom
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This craft-beer brewery is based in a village in Tokushima Prefecture, Shikoku, that has adopted a zero-waste program. The bar features an appealing…
Fukuoka
Kakigōri (shaved ice) is a huge thing in Japanese summers, and this shop is owned by a long-standing ice company so you know the main ingredient is top…
Tokyo
The Peninsula Tokyo hotel's 24th-floor bar has dress-circle views across the Imperial Palace, Hibiya Park and Ginza and a generous happy hour (5pm to 8pm…
Harajuku & Aoyama
On weekday evenings in summer the neatly clipped lawn of the elegant Meiji Kinenkan (an in-demand wedding venue) is transformed into the city's most…
Himeji
Both locals and out-of-towners agree that this cafe (running since 1975) is the place for coffee (freshly ground and siphon brewed, from ¥430) in Himeji…
Kii Peninsula
Along the Nakahechi trail halfway between Hosshinmon-ōji and Kumano Hongū Taisha – about an hour's walk from each – is this inviting pit stop run by a…
Harajuku & Aoyama
Expect a crowd dressed like they don’t care that wine by the glass starts at ¥1540. The wine is good (and the bottle list deep), but more importantly, the…
Kōbe
This standing bar has a daunting selection of 90 kinds of sake, including about 50 from local brewers, on its (Japanese-only) menu. Anticipating your…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Eagle has established itself as a popular hang-out in Shinjuku-nichōme, thanks to friendly staff, happy-hour prices (¥500 drinks from 5pm to 8pm;…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
Pronounced teh-zeh, but often just referred to as 'the library bar' (because the walls are lined with books) this long-time favourite haunt has a classic…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Goldfinger is a long-running ladies' spot in Shinjuku-nichōme (but open to all, save for Saturdays). The bar has a lowbrow-chic decor designed to look…
Takayama
You'll feel like you're walking into a friend's living room in this cosy, dimly lit basement bar. The hip and happy owner, Hisayo, deftly adjusts the vibe…
Japan Sake & Shōchū Information Centre
Ginza & Tsukiji
This isn’t a bar, but who cares when you can get 30mL thimbles of regionally brewed sake or shōchū for as little as ¥100 a shot? There are dozens from…
Tokyo
Part of the collective of spaces run by the Kōenji-based activist group Shirōto no Ran (Amateurs' Riot), Nantoka Bar is about as uncommercial as a place…
Beppu
This retro snack and dessert spot is best known for onsen kōhī (coffee made with hot-spring water; ¥550) and ogura toast (topped with azuki beans and ice…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Circus, the Tokyo offshoot of an Osaka club, is aggressively underground: small, out of the way, in a basement (of course), with no decor to speak of and…
Osaka
Frenz Frenzy calls itself a 'rainbow haven' and it means that literally: the whole place is awash in colour (including the front door, thankfully, because…
Ginza & Tsukiji
This venerable tea seller's main branch is closer to Tsukiji, but this classy outlet in the Kabuki-za Tower has a Kengo Kuma–designed cafe where you can…
Kagoshima
This new, surf-themed beer and burger bar brings the California wave across the Pacific. A friendly, just-off-Huntington-Beach vibe of surfboard art,…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
With chandeliers dripping from the ceiling and gilded frames on the walls, Albatross G has a louche decadence that has clearly struck a chord: the bar is…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
This old house, completely covered in ivy, is a charmer with a welcoming owner and two of Tokyo's most famous shop cats. Seating is on floor cushions;…
Ginza & Tsukiji
If singing to a karaoke machine's tinny soundtrack isn't your cup of tea, how about having a live band strum along to your song of choice? Karat offers…
Osaka
Beer Belly is run by Osaka's best microbrewery, Minoh Beer, and features Minoh's award-winning classics and seasonal offerings (pints from ¥930). Pick up…
Tokyo
On the 7th floor of the Shin-Maru Building, this collection of nine bars and pubs is a popular after-work gathering spot. There's a wraparound terrace, so…
Tokyo
This takeaway counter sells matcha (powdered green tea; ¥800) from Uji (near Kyoto) in biodegradable cups, which you can enjoy on terrace with sofa…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Kamiya is one of Tokyo’s oldest bars (open since 1880) and still hugely popular – thanks largely to the one-litre dai-jokki (大ジョッキ; 'big cups') of Asahi…
Kyūshū
Anbai is a sophisticated izakaya with more than 350 varieties of shōchū, well-chosen local dishes and cool background music. Not much English is spoken,…
Ginza & Tsukiji
This is one of the few parts of the Imperial Hotel to feature some of the designs and materials used in the original 1923 Frank Lloyd Wright building …
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
La Jetée, named for the Chris Marker film, is classic Golden Gai. Running for over four decades, the tiny bar (max occupancy: eight) is known as the go-to…
Kyūshū
This hub of the expat community and its local friends draws a cheery mixed crowd who are proud of the city and keen to welcome visitors over Miyazaki…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Part of the new generation of Golden Gai bars, the Open Book is run by the grandson of award-winning novelist Tanaka Komimasa (whose collection of well…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Sabōru checks the boxes of a classic mid-20th-century kissaten (coffee shop): dim lighting, low tables, lots of dark wood and strong burendo kōhī ('blend'…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
This Tokyo outpost of a long-running Oslo coffee shop serves its signature light-roast coffee by day (from ¥370) and craft beer and cocktails both…
