Nightlife
Tokyo nightlife is world-famous. The weirdest bars and the most awesome clubs in the world can be found in this city. The nightlife is divided according to the various districts, and offers something for everyone.
Nightlife in Tokyo
Most clubs in Tokyo are concentrated in certain areas. Certain types of restaurants tend to group in the same area as well. Theme parties, organized by some clubs, are particularly famous.
Roppongi
Roppongi is filled with Western restaurants. The area is popular among tourists and expatriates. Nishi-Azabu, the area next to Roppongi, is also popular among foreigners.
Shibuya
During the day, Shibuya is the hub of trendy street fashion, and by night it is a trendy club and nightclub area for the young.
Shinjuku
Shinjuku offers probably the most bizarre nightlife in the whole of Japan. Special clubs and tiny bars flourish, and strip joints are also available, especially in the Kabukichō district.
Clubs outside the city center
True enthusiasts party outside the center in giant clubs, such as Club Ageha.
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..