Nightlife
The Japanese have always relaxed by eating and drinking some sake on the side. In the big cities, such as Osaka, there are also restaurants that concentrate wholly on drinks.
Nightlife in Osaka
The hub of Osakan nightlife is the Dōtonbori street near the Shinsaibashi station. The street is dotted with an amazing number of restaurants for eating, drinking, singing and partying.
Dōtonbori never sleeps
No matter how dark it gets, the thousands of neon lights of Dōtonbori light the way. Fish, shellfish, noodles and rice, bakes and soups are sold, either to go or to eat on the spot.
Umeda
There is an endless number of restaurants of all sizes near Umeda, Osaka’s main railway station, where many happy nights are spent at weekends and after work. In addition, there are several bars and clubs in the area.
Restaurants of all kinds
Would you like to see three dozen Elvises in one go? Or maybe you’d rather spend the evening eating and drinking in an izakaya restaurant, as has been the custom in Japan for thousands of years? In a big city, the choices are endless.
Izakayas
The direct translation of izakaya is “a place of eating and drinking”. This means that eating is accompanied by drinking – or for many, drinking by eating. People sit and eat, drink, party and laugh in an izakaya for hours.
Karaoke
In addition to eating, singing is today an essential part of a Japanese night out. In Japanese karaoke, you do not have to perform for the whole restaurant; instead, a group of friends can rent a separate room with its own karaoke equipment and order food and drinks there.
Discos and clubs
Clubs are meant for dancing. Hip-hop, trance, house and reggae are all on offer. Some clubs organize theme parties. Whatever the theme of the club, the night is most probably worth experiencing, as Japanese clubbers really dress up to express their subculture.
Live music
Japan’s big cities attract megastars. Tickets for concerts can be purchased online. Smaller live music venues are called live-houses, or raibuhausus. The gigs start early, sometimes even in the afternoon. Flyers in record stores are a great way to find tips on what’s going on.
Pubs and bars
Traditional Japanese pubs – also known as snack bars – differ from their Western equivalents. Their clientele consists mostly of regulars, who have their own bottles at the bar. These pubs are either very reserved or warm and welcoming.
Lately many Western-style bars, such as British pubs showing football games or minimalist Scandinavian style bars, have emerged in Japan.
Host clubs
Host clubs are a Japanese specialty. In these clubs the customers, usually men, sit and converse with so-called hostesses – women employed by the club. Touching the women is prohibited, but everything is charged for. Although the clubs offer an interesting experience, they are best avoided unless your travel budget can handle it..