The actual lesson is: Itaewon and Roppongi are not good for namedropping. Not more than the British pubs on the Costa del Sol or that McD at the Spanish Steps.

Oh great lesson! You are so erudite, worldly, and can teach us all how to behave in other cultures. Please more, more, more....:D

M8

Oh, just dawned on me. Another great lesson from mosburger...no wonder I couldn't find a McD on my last visit to Cambodia :D LMFAO! :D

Let`s catch two flies with one martini glass, shall we. :) Now, aim and...

Please make yourself familiar with "Engrish" cafes in Japan. If you have any calling to be an impromptu English teacher making money for Japanese entrepeneurs you might even like it. ^ Or shall we open a "Brush up your Japanese with REAL JAPANESE" cafe in the States. Say, Japanese ( with passport to prove it, of course ) enter for free and other nationalities pay per hour.

fifty-fifty?

You'll find that with many of these English cafes, entrance is free for native English speakers, but Japanese have to pay an hourly fee. You don't get paid, though often the cafes will hire a few native-English speakers just to have someone there for their Japanese customers to practice on, but you probably will get a free cup of coffee. The only other place I know of where you can get a free cup of coffee is at a car dealership. ;)

Getting back to some earlier posts, it's not a bad idea when entering some of the more "Westernized" bars, especially the fancier looking ones, to ask about the cover charge. Or better yet, decide on the total charge before even walking in. It's better to find out before than after. A recent one I asked at wanted 15,000 Yen (about $140) just to sit down. (And no, it was not a hostess bar.) Some of the more "morally-challenged" places will attempt to scam those who don't know any better. I've heard stories of people being hit up for thousands of dollars after a few drinks. Usually these are the "hostess bar"-type.

I will second derpelikan's suggestion - what an awesome place, the nicest I have visited in Tokyo so far :) Many thanks for your kindness in helping me make a reservation, it was wonderful ^


Martini at 8, did you have anything useful to add to this thread or are you going to call me a liar ('mendacious' as you put it) again like you did in another thread? :td:

There used to be an 'ignore user' button which would filter out posts from annoying users. That seems to have disappeared. Could someone tell me where that function has gone/how to activate it?

Actually, one thread has nothing to do with another thread. This is a good topic, and as I mentioned to you in the background, I hear the cigar divan at the Westin is excellent. Also the English cafe topic is worthy, lots of folks do not even know about these. Or is this thread just for those in the know? :rolleyes:

Recommending bars, does not lend itself to mendacity as much as claiming to speak 20 or so languages ;)

TTFN,

M8

P.S. Hmmm. The ignore feature is gone? Not true again! :D I just put you on it, and it's working. This is what I mean by mendacity. Capsice?

Well that kind of goes against my ethics, the hourly fee thing. A simple cover charge I am okay with, since a lot of bars have cover charges. I'm also okay with letting native English speakers in w/o the cover charge, but the hourly fee thing is a bit over the top.

What kind of ambience do you find in these places? Or are they fronts for prostitution as suggested above? :(

My understanding is that a lot of these places are patronized only by Japanese, so why would they go there and pay an hourly fee?

So who here has been to say more than three of these places? And what is your evaluation of them?

M8

Straight apology to you, should've known better than to scribble my silly comment. I seem to have some underlying resentiments against the "international" parts of Tokyo and Seoul that come out after a few glasses of Claret. Anyway, thanks for the good fight. :)

Don't mind my humor. Some of my posts are actually serious :D

However, back on topic. I would like to know more about these English speaking bars, and if it is as bad as you say, or if there is really any meaningful cultural exchange going on there.

As an example, I enjoy cigars, though I am not a habitual smoker. This has actually allowed me to make many friends around the world outside of my business circle, the common interest being cigars and the knowledge thereof.

M8

This might be prejudice from my side, but I guess 90% of the whole "English Cafe" thing is Japanese females looking for an "emphatic and understanding" Caucasian male friend. The proprietors know this as well...

As for cigar lounges in Japan, there is/was a glossy magazine called "Otoko no himitsu" ("Men's secret" ) that rates upmarket Japanese and Western style bars all over Japan. Now, here Japan offers a great variety of pleasant spots to unwind after work. :)

Okay. I'll cross off the Engish Cafe thing from my list. Not that I don't mind skirt chasing Japanese women, but I am sure the better quality ones won't be hanging out at these places ;)

The magazine sounds like a good tip, and I'll have to check some of this out on my next stopover.

Cheers,

M8

You obviously can't count or you are simply malicious: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...1&page=1&pp=40

Can someone please tell me how I can avoid having to read nonsense like the above? When I click on the handle I don't see the option 'ignore user' that there used to be. Please PM me if you know how to do this.

Back to the OP, I just tried Maduro at the Grand Hyatt. This place was incredible Friday night. As good as any high-end NY bar with live jazz. Excellent in every way. They had a Promo for Tattinger Comptes for something like 25,000yen which I think is a pretty fair price in a high-end bar.

All the Hyatt's in Tokyo have great bars though. ;)