Tokyo Night Life Overview
If you're thinking about a night out on the town, keep in mind that many clubs
and bars won't welcome outsiders unless they're introduced by their regular
customers. And Tokyo nightclubs are definitely for the young (rarely older
than age 30), and the action doesn't get under way until about 10 pm. Usual
hours for bars and clubs are 6 pm-midnight, sometimes later on weekends.
There's a concentration of gay and lesbian bars in the Shinjuku 2-chome area,
but many are private clubs. It's best to go with someone familiar with the
area who knows where foreigners are welcome.
Also on the nightlife landscape are hostess bars and karaoke bars. Unless
you're desperate to try a hostess bar, where a pretty woman entices you into
buying very expensive drinks for her, it's best to steer clear. You may want
to skip the karaoke bars (unless your Japanese business associates insist),
because most of the available music is Japanese.
BARS, TAVERNS AND PUBS
Cerveza—Cerveza serves up beer from all over the world. Closed Sunday.
Coco Roppongi Building, basement, 3-11-10 Roppongi (Minato-ku). Phone 3478-0077.
Rokkon—Here's a good, atmospheric place to enjoy sake, plus traditional
Japanese dishes. Both Western- and Japanese-style seating is available, but
there's no English-language menu. Monday-Saturday till 4 am, Sunday and holidays
till 11 pm. 3-17-25 TK Building, B1, Nishi Azabu (Minato-ku). Phone 3405-6950.
DANCE CLUBS/NIGHTCLUBS
Velfarre—Velfarre is one of the biggest clubs, popular with the under-30
crowd. Open daily. Cover charge is ¥3,000-¥4,000 for men, ¥2,000-¥3,000
for women. 7-14-22 Roppongi (Minato-ku). Phone 3402-8000.
Yellow—Yellow has some of the city's most popular music and events and
a hip clientele. ID checks are common because of its youthful crowd. Monday-Saturday
from 8 pm. Cover charge ¥3,500. 1-10-11 Nishi Azabu (Minato-ku, near Roppongi
station on the Hibiya line). Phone 3479-0690.
LIVE MUSIC
Birdland—Offers live acoustic jazz Tuesday-Saturday; Monday it's Hawaiian
music. Closed Sunday. Cover charge ¥3,000. Roppongi Square Building, B2,
3-10-3 Roppongi (Minato-ku). Phone 3478-3456.
Blue Note Tokyo—The Blue Note Tokyo is the hot spot for world-class
jazz acts the likes of Courtney Pine and George Benson. Music 7-9:30 pm, but
the club is open 5:30 pm-1 am. Closed Sunday. Cover ¥10,000, but can vary
with performer. 6-3-16 Minami-Aoyama (Minato-ku, near Omote-sando station on
the Hanzomon line). Phone 5485-0088.
El Patio—A magnet for lovers of tango, samba and bossa nova, with a
little folk music thrown in. Closed Sunday. Cover ¥1,500-¥1,900. 7-1-8
Hinode Building, B1, Nishi Shinjuku (Shinjuku-ku). Phone 3363-6931.
Oh-Garcon—This is a club with an all-male "girlie" revue.
Role changes are a traditional part of Japanese theater. (The women's parts
in Noh and Kabuki are performed by men, and the men's parts in the Takarazuka
revue are performed by women.) It might throw you at first, but it's great
fun when you get into the swing of things. Closed Sunday. Reservations required.
Cover ¥5,000. Sumitomo Building, 49th Floor, 2-6 Nishishinjuku (Shinjuku-ku,
near Shinjuku station on the JR Yamanote loop). Phone 3344-6591.
Piga-Piga—African music is played by African musicians. African menu,
wine and beer. Monday-Thursday until 1 am, Friday and Saturday until 3 am.
Cover ¥1,500. STM Yebisu Building, B2, 1-8-1 Yebisu Minami (Shibuya-ku).
Phone 3715-3431.
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