Pretty certain that by just reading this thread one could perceive the nightlife of Roppongi to be a “must skip” instead of a very fun evening out. A very bad misconception to conjure up in the minds of those that do not know. It is a city for goodness sake, not a country vilalge. You get a bit of sleaze, but you will not be bored and Japan is very soft white milk toast compared to the sleaze of a city like New York.

Places like Lex are okay for dancing and picking up girls late at night. Lots of young great looking women there. Gas Panic on the other hand is bar worth skipping unless you really are afraid to try out a few words of Japanese. That said, the version in Shibuya gets far higher marks for talent and Japanese to Westerner ration.

Hostess clubs in Roppongi are for the hostesses that cannot get work in Ginza. As such there are a lot of hostesses that will actually smoke at the table, laugh uproariously, etc. The non-Japanese contingent appeals mainly to the Japanese guys who have no realization that the women of this land are oh so lovely as well. Educated and highly intelligent are two words that do not spring immediately to mind in describing the women at these places. They make great pretensions about knowing how to talk to any guest from any walk of life, blah, blah, blah, but a Cartier watch does not a classy chick make. They are what they are. Impossible to make more of them than that. They all give out and take numbers and e-mail addresses and do meet the clients outside of the shop almost everyday. They do not earn the gifts at the bar, believe me. And gifts they get aplenty. And this applies equally to the 6-Chome crowd of Ginza.

If you want to have a good night out in Roppongi, and I am going to take this to mean a good meal, a few drinks, and maybe some dancing and chat, try something along the lines of:

Dinner at a place in or around Roppongi Hills or in a place highly rated and recommended by a site like bento.com or eatpia.com. A real city for foodies.

Have drinks at a safe bar to warm up. Someplace like the bar at the Oak Door in the Grand Hyatt comes to mind. Move from there to something a little more swinging like Heartland downstairs from the Hyatt or even club at this point. Tons of them available and you can find something that appeals by perusing a magazine like Metroplis (online also). As the evening wears on and the senses are numbing, give thought to a second club or a shot bar like Geronimo’s. You will be about ready for breakfast shortly after that and you would not believe how good Yakiniku can be at 5:30am. Ramen is another good call, but my own favorite is a plate of curry. Stay out all night and enjoy the city. Not a big fan of Shinjuku at all, and Shibuya always makes me feel old, at least until it shuts down at its very early closing hours. Give Roppongi a shot. I have been in many fun cities around the world, but here you find one of the best by far.