SHINJUKU
Neighborhood in Tokyo
Tokyo’s biggest and most lively entertainment area, home to three of the city’s largest nightlife destinations: Golden Gai (collection of streets/alleys lined with hundreds of microbars), Omoide Yokocho “Piss Alley” (a nostalgic Izakaya street), and Kabukicho (red light district & the Robot Show).
Golden Gai
No trip to Tokyo is complete without a bar crawl or visit to Shinjuku Golden Gai. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen. A small area of narrow alleyways consisting of over 300 tiny bars one on top of the other. Each one is decked out with a different theme, vibe, and music - and only fits about 5 or 6 people inside. There traditional bars with sake bottles and beer, a hospital theme bar -Tachibana Shinsatsushitsu, a kitten bar with dozens of kittens just hanging out)- Pussycat, and a plastic model bar with tons of old-school plastic toys and figurines. Most of the bars open up around 7 pm and serve drinks late into the night for visitors from around the world and locals alike. It’s difficult to navigate or pinpoint which bars are the best, so its better to just get lost and explore!
**Most bars have a cover charge or bar minimum, so check the signs posted outside before sitting down.
BARS WE VISITED:
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La Jetee: French cinema theme
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The Pink Floyd Bar: Rock bar above Baltimore Bar
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Albatross: beautiful multilevel bar with chandeliers and taxidermy
Omoide Yokocho
Robot Restaurant
This show came highly recommended by a number of people and was one of Anthony Bourdain’s essential Tokyo experiences. Let us tell you, in terms of an out-of-this-world crazy Tokyo experience, this just can’t be beat! Prepare yourself for a sensory overload of dancers, robots, elaborate costumes, and much, much more. Don’t try to make any sense of it, just have a good time. YOU SHOULD NOT EAT HERE, go only for the show and drinks.
**Reservations Required - BOOK HERE for discounted tickets
“Piss Alley”. …don’t be deterred by the name. Omoide Yokocho is a lantern-lined alleyway filled with street food, izakayas, and bars,—The perfect area to get a bite to eat after Golden Gai. It will make you feel as if you’re stepping back in time into another era of pre-war Tokyo.
Yayoi Kusama Museum
5-story museum featuring the most famous and celebrated works of world-renowned Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama.
WHERE TO EAT
Fūunji
tsukemen dip noodles - $
Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto Shinjuku
spicy ramen in red broth- $
Menya Musashi Shinjuku
tsukemen & ramen - $
Abura Soba Shinjuku
soba noodles - $
Tsunahachi Shinjuku
tempura - $$
Tsukemen Gonokami Sesiakusho
tempura - $$
Flippers Stand NEWoMan
pancakes - $$
Gyukatsu Motomura
katsu, deep fried wagyu - $
Hayashi
yakitori - $$
Isetan Shinjuku
department store w/ food hall - $$
credit: Erick Lim
WHERE TO DRINK
Golden Gai
Iconic nightlife street where 300+ micro-bars sit on top of each other, each which fit no more 8 people inside!
Omoide Yokochō -"Piss Alley"
Old-school izakaya street - $
Arty Farty
Cheap drinks with an all-around fun vibe, dance club in the center of Tokyo’s gay scene (all visitors welcome)- $$
New York Bar
Inside Park Hyatt; incredible views of Tokyo; where Bill Murray drank Suntory whiskey in Lost in Translation- $$$$