Nightlife

So many bars… More than 200, in fact! Two to try are Carrot (right) and Hamon-d (below)

Welcome to Golden-gai, irresistible labyrinth of micro drinking dens. Over to your guide, Kyuich Tanikawa…

Perched on a corner of practice of extortionate charging Shinjuku’s Kabuki-cho, the before you’ve even ordered largest entertainment district anything. Some restaurants charge in Asia, lies Golden-gai: a ramshackle customers ¥300 to ¥1,000 just for quarter made up of a handful of sitting down, so always check with streets lined with more than 200 the establishment if they have such tiny drinking dens. Its storied past a policy when entering. Bear that in reaches back to the black markets mind, and you’ll love diving in to the of the postwar period. In the ’60s, world of Golden-gai –and let’s just authors and journalists conspired hope recent rumours that the area is here, and it also drew a creative to be ‘scaled back’ ahead of the crowd of actors, editors and theatre 2020 Olympics prove ill-founded. types. Because of this, Golden-gai is often considered the birthplace of Japanese counter- and sub-culture, Five great places to and you’ll find a healthy crosssqueeze in to for a drink section of alternative society still gathering here today. CARROT

Recently, Golden-gai has become A drink-at-the-counter bar that holds popular with foreign tourists, and, a maximum of six people. Located unfortunately, this has given rise to near the town’s entrance, its open new ways of ripping them off. The door allows you to suss out the vibe most common of these is the before walking in. Its friendly

Bali

atmosphere and Japanese rock soundtrack make great talking points with the strangers you may find yourself clinking glasses with. 1-1-6, Kabukicho, Shinjuku. 8pm-5am daily. Cover charge ¥300.

BALI New to the scene, Bali opened in April 2013. Inside, a tropical atmosphere fills the air, a rare experience in Golden-gai. As the name suggests, it offers beers from Bali along with mojitos and original tropical cocktails. If your mingling skills are a little rusty, there’s standing-room-only space near the entrance. 1-1-7, Kabukicho, Shinjuku. 8pm-5am daily. Sun 1-8pm (café), 8pm-5am. Cover charge ¥800.

BAR PLASTIC MODEL Entering this bar, which is decked out with records and books from the ’80s and ’90s, is to step back into the two most unfashionable decades in history. But curiousity will soon win you over: the counter is crammed with all manner of Japanese singles and albums from all genres, including rock and techno-punk, and you can request any of these to be played. An essential destination if you’re interested in the country’s music or sub-culture –or just fancy yourself as a bit of a DJ. Ground floor, 1-1-10, Kabukicho, Shinjuku. 03 5273 8441. 8pm-5am daily, Sun 8pm-2am. Cover charge ¥700.

DONGARA GASHAN Golden-gai is full of bars, but has only a sparse selection of eateries. At Dongara Gashan, you can refuel on more than 50 types of fried skewer

For more bars and club reviews, go to timeout.com/tokyo

dishes, featuring the likes of asparagus, bacon and salmon and udon dishes. Skewers start at ¥100 – try the fried ice cream for a novel taste experience. What’s more, the bar is unusually spacious, so you may find yourself hanging around. 1-1-9, Kabukicho, Shinjuku. 03 3207 3718. 5pm-2pm daily, 5pm-2am Sun. No cover charge.

HAMON-D Seating six people, Hamon-d is the perfect venue for that traditional, get-to-know-everyone Golden-gai experience. The bar is famed for its range of Japanese spirits and whiskies, which are all soaked up a treat by the owner’s food. In fact, chatting with her as you sample her cooking feels like visiting your gran. There’s additional seating on the second floor as well. 1-1-8, Kabukicho, Shinjuku. Open 8pm-5am Mon-Sat. Closed Sun & public hols. Cover charge ¥1,000.

DO… Eat before you go You’ll struggle to find eateries in the area –and you don’t want to be that embarrassing legless tourist. Eating is not cheating in this case. Be polite Give your seat up for a new visitor once a place gets packed. There is no reason to stick to one bar –there are more than 200 out there to try.

DON’T… Film inside shops Live-action filming is a big no-no. It’s not worth getting thrown out for. Hold your stag do there Places here really are on the small side; most bars only have space for four or so people (yes, you read that right).

Green party Tokyo Green party Tokyo clubbers let loose. clubbers let loose. Left: Zero. Center: Left: Zero. Right: Air. Double Tokyo. Right: Below: Womb Air. Below: Womb

Considering the size of the city, Tokyo’s club scene remains relatively modest. In recent years, the big clubs of the ’90s have all been under pressure due to the strict regulations imposed under the ‘fueiho’ law (which governs the adult-entertainment business and restricts dancing). This has led to complaints that the scene is not as exciting as it once was. However, world-class DJs still perform here every weekend and various new clubs have opened this year. First-time partiers: take photo ID (even if you’re over 25) – the over20 rule is fervently adhered to by door hosts. Read on for the top five places you should put your dancing trousers on for, and when…

AIR Large but intimate, stylish but never snooty, Air draws big-name international DJs, as well as the best local talent. Hungry after all that shape-throwing? Pop upstairs for some decent late-night food at Frames café. Recommended regular night: Friday is usually the most popular night, but Saturdays and Tuesdays are also pretty banging. Expect the finest electro, techno and house. Hikawa Bldg B1F-B2F, 2-11 Sarugaku, Shibuya. 03 5784 3386. www.air-tokyo.com. Shibuya and Daikanyama stations. 10pm-5am Mon, Thur-Sat. Admission ¥2,500 (incl one drink).

WOMB Not only is it a top-flight club with a vast dancefloor, great lighting and a super-bass sound system, Womb is also home – or so it claims –to Asia’s largest mirror ball. The club’s house-, techno- and drum ’n’ bass-packed schedule is crammed with foreign names, with local hero DJ Aki making regular appearances behind the decks. Recommended regular night: Kats’! night for a mixed musical bag, held biweekly on Friday or Saturday. See @katstokyo for updates. 2-16 Maruyama, Shibuya. Shibuya station. 03 5459 0039. www.womb.co.jp. 10pm-5am Thu-Sat, but may vary. Admission ¥2,000-¥4,000. LIQUIDROOM Described as ‘legendary’ by the international media about once every three seconds, Liquidroom started life as a scruffy venue for gigs and club nights in Shinjuku’s seedy Kabukicho district. Having moved to upmarket Ebisu, it now offers more straight-up live events. A long room with seating at the back, it’s a great place to catch a show. Recommended regular night: No regular nights yet, so expect a surprise on every visit. 3-16-6 Higashi, Shibuya. 03 5464 0800. www.liquidroom.net. Ebisu station. 6pm-11.30pm/12am daily. Admission varies.

SOUND MUSEUM VISION For ages it seemed that Tokyo wouldn’t be getting any new clubs larger than a shoebox. That all changed in late 2011, with the opening of this 1,500-capacity space. Sound Museum Vision spreads the action across four rooms, the largest of which, Gaia, has a sound system loud enough to make your teeth rattle. Regular club nights include the Classics (hip hop), Alien Radio (techno) and Girls Festival, in which all female guests get in for free.

Recommended regular night: Rolling Thunder, held once every two months, for a mighty musical mix. 2-10-7 Dogenzaka, Shibuya. 03 5728 2824. www.vision-tokyo.com. Shibuya Station. 10pm-6am daily. Admission ¥3,000-¥4,000.

ZERO The recent closure of popular Aoyama club Loop wasn’t the end: some of the venue’s staff ganged up and opened a new space, right next door to the old one. Zero promises to take things ‘back to basics’, with an analogue sound system and DJ line-up of veteran spinners such as DJ Nori and Wada. Recommended regular night: None as yet. B1F, 2-9-13 Shibuya, Shibuya. 03 3797 9933. www.tinyurl.com/ TOTzero. Shibuya station. Café 11.30am-10pm daily, bar/club 10pm-5am daily. Irregular hols. Admission: ¥1,500-¥2,500.

DOUBLE TOKYO The club – sorry, ‘sound space’ –offers a decidedly less underground experience than Eleven (its predecessor on this site) complete with VIP seating, private rooms and an EDM-centric music policy. Recommended regular night: Friday Freaks is an all mixed EDM/ Top 40 night on the main floor, with hip hop and R&B on the lounge floor – every Friday. B1F, 1-10-11 Nishi-Azabu, Minato. 03 6434 5544. www.doubletokyo. com Roppongi station. 9pm-5am.

For more club nights and venues, go to timeout.com/tokyo