The Best Bars In Tokyo

Aside from a handful of well-publicised hotel bars, the city’s dense maze of must-visit drinking dens can be quite intimidating to navigate, especially for inevitably overwhelmed and overstimulated Westerners. One of the top cocktail bars in the upscale Ginza neighborhood of Tokyo, Bar High Five is a tiny space on the 4th floor of an office building where Hidetsugu Ueno crafts exquisite cocktails. There's no menu, Hidetsugu simply asks for your tastes and will make you something accordingly. Packed to the brim with bars, clubs, and all-night revelers, Roppongi is without a doubt one of Tokyo’s most famous nightlife districts.

Located on the Ginza Corridor, a street containing a string of restaurants and bars between JR Yurakucho and Shimbashi stations, this location — while featuring the same prices and menu as the other two bars — is known for its nightlife. Head out a little later in the evening to Ginza 300 Bar 8-Chome and you will be able to not only eat and drink for just ¥300 but also enjoy live music events almost every night, with sets by regularly performing DJs and artists! Meet your friends and enjoy a premium cocktail or two together before heading out to dance the night away. Shuzo Nagumo of Tokyo’s Codename bar group agrees, citing the fresh fruit cocktail movements beginning between 2007 and 2009. Nagumo opened his first drinking den, Codename Mixology, shortly after Bar Orchard in 2009. “Ten years ago, when we started our business, nobody used fresh fruits for cocktails, except for lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit,” says Sumire.

Even if you are not a heavy drinker, their innovative presentation would warrant a visit. In addition to its normal menu, the bar serves a few non-alcoholic drinks. Late in our stay, we ordered a Cinderella, a short cocktail made with orange, pineapple, and lemon. Sipping our cocktails, we got the impression that Lupin is as much a museum as it is a bar, offering modern Tokyo a rare glimpse and taste of its Shōwa past. While the same drinks are available in any contemporary bar, Lupin still uses the same ingredients it did back in the day. And while some visitors may grumble about their cocktails, it's probably because Lupin serves them the old-fashioned way, giving you the chance to appreciate the context of history. Shunning the pretension that characterises a lot of Ginza bars, Bar Musashi is a welcoming, ever-friendly addition to the area’s nightlife landscape.

These values also 銀座 relate to the foundations of Guanxi, by which there is created a hierarchical system of social order because men clearly possess more power in the KTV than do the hostesses. Hierarchy systems of power generally will lead to gender discrimination throughout the future and add to the already existing gap of gender implications in China. Guanxi also maintains the business order for the owners of the KTV by creating a workplace that is managed by a hierarchical power system where again hyper-masculinity is fully engaged in the men's favor. Hostessing is a popular employment option among young foreign women in Japan, as demand is high. However, work visas can be difficult to obtain, so many choose to work illegally.

Hostesses often drink with customers each night, and alcohol problems are fairly common. These problems are derived from mass consumption of alcohol by which many consequences may arise. Most bars use a commission system by which hostesses receive a percentage of sales. For example, a patron purchases a $20 drink for the hostess, these are usually non-alcoholic concoctions like orange juice and ginger ale, and the patron has purchased the hostess's attention for the subsequent 30–45 minutes. The hostess then splits the proceeds of the sale with the bar 50/50. The light or no alcohol content of the drinks maximizes profits and ensures that the hostess does not become intoxicated after only a short time at work. They employ primarily female staff and cater to men seeking drinks and attentive conversation.

With seating fees factored in, Tokyo’s high-end cocktails can cost up to $30 a drink, so you might want to save these outings for special occasions. Reservations are a good idea if the bar accepts them, but you shouldn’t have trouble getting a seat at any of these spots. Basic English is widely spoken at most high-end establishments — just be cordial and patient when making requests. Fortunately for the budding cocktail maven, it’s relatively easy to imbibe that history simply by hitting some of Tokyo’s best cocktail bars, many of which neatly preserve a moment in time. What follows is one suggested agenda that starts with a classic establishment and progresses toward bars at the vanguard of cocktail culture. Orchard is a seventh-floor hideaway in Ginza with salmon-toned walls, comfy white chairs, and glassware chilling in a refrigerated cabinet. As the name suggests, fresh fruit cocktails are the specialty here, and husband-and-wife bartending team Takuo and Sumire Miyanohara will present you with a basket laden with seasonal fruits in lieu of a menu.