Great bars in Tokyo
 

I am working on an exhaustive list of great bars in Tokyo :)

So far I really like the Park Hyatt (awesome views) and Rouge Bar at Robuchon in Ebisu (sleek, sexy). The Westin next door also has a very nice bar, in a more traditional style.

Afternoon tea at the Imperial was a major disappointment though.

Any suggestions?

Look up the Japanese characters for "Izakaya" and head to Shinjuku or Shibuya. You can basically enter any building on the more busy streets and have a bar on every floor. Ask the door staff about food and drinks incuding "nomihoodai" and "tabehoodai" ( "all you can eat/drink" ) possibilities and check if the atmosphere and clientele are of your taste. Izakayas often have very innovative takes on Japanese and other food and serve smaller "O-toshi" ( tapas ) to accompany drinks.

Please note that the "nomihoodai" drinks tend to be of inferior quality compared to the "normal" menu. It's always good to tell the staff if you like dryer ("karaguchi") or more fruity ( "amaguchi" ) ricewine and Shochu.

The "Opera City" complex on the Western outskirts of Shinjuku offers bars with a view and for a lesser cost compared to the main hotels.

The smaller, more intimate bars are often for a specific customer group and do often not welcome strangers, especially if they are not Japanese. Please do not argue too much in this case as you never know if you have just entered some Yakuza relaxation spot. :D

Ah yes, the old yakuza spots - wouldn't want to barge in on some old gang member's birthday now would you? :-)

Yes, izakaya are great, but I should have been more specific, I mean Western style bars, or at least those that make fancy cocktails and things...you know, the ones to take a lady to, to impress her ;-)

hanezawa garden
 

my favorite (bar/restaurant)
is the hanezawa garden.

Fliar:

OK, got it. :) Here's a list of Opera City restaurants & bars:

http://www.operacity.jp/en/rest.html

The two bars on the 53rd floor should be of interest. And if you fancy something to eat afterwards just head next door for a bite.

Good one, thanks mosburger!

Derpelikan, where is that place?

fliar
 

check this http://www.thehanezawagarden.com/eng/

if you are a fan of kill bill, you should take a closer look at the garden :)
may be you will have a dejavu (but now there will be no snow :)

i rate this the NO1. bar in tokyo and may be one of the top 10 in the world ( i have seen to far)

try to make a reservation, if you have problems i will make you a centurion reservation , they got me in everytime . if you trying it your self, they will tell you that they are fully booked but they have 1-2 spare tables everytime in the restaurant, so dont accept a no.

there is another restaurant bar in shinjuku which is really great i wll try to find the web page for you.

the hanezawa garden has a garden restaurant too. so check the hp out. its really great.

dp

How can you leave out Gas Panic? :D

Depends on your taste in "ladies", I guess... ;)

Ah yes, Gas Panic...not that I have ever been there, of course ;)

Well, since you are a linguist, you may also want to suggest some of these nice English-speaking bars that I have read about. Supposedly these are places where the Japanese go to parctice their English with each other. Seems like these would be good places for us gaijin to meet Japanese, who in turn we could also practice our Japanese on.

M8

Although I sense some mischief in the previous post, there is nothing nice about the exploitment of the "caucasian" image that is practised not only in Japan but also elsewhere in Asia. The image that all non-Asians in China/Japan/Korea are Anglo-Saxon English "teachers" is so strong that I have had to justify not being one on several occasions. :rolleyes:

There is also some market for caucasian semi-prostitution in the hostess/host bars that can be found in any larger city in China/Japan/Korea. I heard that this business is booming especially in China where American and European students and "models" can and do make quick cash by pouring drinks and flirting with their Asian female or male patrons. The whole "English cafe" phenomenon is not that far from this more open business.

I wish these whole prejudices and race-related complexes would just disappear some day, sigh...

Uh? What are you talking about?

I am referring to places that are frequented by Japanese, where they go to practice English with each other. Just seems to me this would be a good place for native English speakers to meet Japanese that likewise would let the native English speakers practice their nascent Japanese skills.

What are you referring too? Do you believe these places are fronts for prostitution?

M8

Not prostitution, just exploitation that limits intercultural exhange to stereotypes and breeds prejudice and even bitterness. It's not nice when you look up close...Japanese that go to these kind of places would move away from any caucasian speaking Japanese, they're not supposed to...

Oh! I see now. Gee thanks for the lesson :D

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. ;)

Thanks for the tip! ^ I'll check it out in a couple of weeks when I'm back. I'm working on a list of my fave restaurants and bars. I'll post it when I leave Japan later this year.