Try to make it on a Thursday, neh? Be good to see you again!

Dupe..

Was not. Certainly the wrong side of the tracks though.

Yes there is a VIP section and a VIP menu ;) no big deal IMHO
I have been there many a night and it always seems to amaze me.
I also have been served the watered down alcohol many times :)
Try Gas Panic

Also known as the day after mabudofu.

Er, Gas Panic is different than the places I was talking about.

I was in Gas Panic while in Tokyo and found it to be a pretty common, non-descript dance bar. Not something I'd recommend to someone as something they should experience in Tokyo. There are so many more interesting places to visit.

Even the video arcades are more interesting. I finally figured out why people think the Yo-gi-oh and other types of cards are interesting. The cool video games where you place the card on the surface and move them around for gameplay. Now that is something I've never seen elsewhere!

Right, I have never been to "Hostess" bars. I have been fairly lucky in my trips to Japan that I never needed to cruise for a date.
For some strange reason ;) woman are always waiting for me at the airport and follow me around the country :D , OK maybe not me personally but I use to get the "leftovers"
BTW, I saw your other post about Mos burger. I have just recently tried it after 24 years of trips and I really like it.

Xmas Dinner
 

Thanks everyone for all those good suggestions

I dun think i will hit the bar/clubs since i will be going tokyo alone with a girl. I jus dun feel safe going clubs when me and my fren are boths girls... not to mention... young girls. hah.

Lap Lap, I ve booked myself at Kimi Ryokan. Hope the place wont dissapoint me tho'.

I will be spending my christmas there and me and girl pal thought of having a good christmas dinner there. (Prob about 4000YEN per person) Any good reccomendation? Preferably a good japanese food.

:) :)

The cover charge is per person.

Errr.. you don't go to 'hostess' bars to cruise for a date.

They are places you go to for a drink, where you pay a premium so that a nicely turned out lady will pour your drink for you, wait for you outside the bathroom with a hot towel, endure your conversation, and in places with karaoke, endure your singing.

As I've been to one (and had to use the same bathroom as the ladies did - which was pretty grotty, I'm sure the men's is much nicer, about the only place in Japan where this happens) I had a very nice chat with some of the ladies there and can tell you that in this Roppongi joint, the women get picked up at 4am (or whenever the place closed) and taken to their flat. From there they aren't allowed to leave until about 10am, then they have some free time before they're taken back to work at about 5pm.

No chance for dating, no chance for boyfriends. Your attempts at cruising at this Hostess bar would have proved fruitless.

And these were very intelligent, highly educated young women from former Soviet states. The men who frequented their local were ugly bores (and dreadful singers)

I think it will depend on the other people there. Hopefully your fellow guests will be a lovely bunch and you'll have a wonderful time. I've never heard a bad word about the people who actually run the place - quite the opposite.

If you get lost on the way there from Ikebukuro station, see if you can find a police office (Koban), hopefully they can give you a local map and direct you. I understand the Ryokan is quite tricky to find at the beginning.

Thanks for the info on the Lex. Does one get freebie drinks and food or anything similar if stated VIP?

On Gas Panic, I am more or less fluent in Japanese so actually prefer other parts of Edo to Roppongi for nightlife. Shibuya for clubbing and Shinjuku ( especially Golden Gai ) for drinking and listening to music. But I remember the Lex having a very different atmosphere compared to other Roppongi places so would be curious to visit again.

Having a Korean mentor fond of nightlife and with good connections helps to get familiar with the parallel world of hostess bars. And I would say the main reason to patronize them is do maintain and improve relationships and prepare deals.

It is actually pure work for both the girls and the inviting party, the only exception being on an excursion with good friends. The booze and food are very expensive and the dames charge per hour for their conversation so you have to watch the expenses while keeping the customer/partner in good mood. Tabs are easily in the range of several thousand USD for a medium to upper class bar.

I find Japanese bars of this genre rather boring compared to Korea and have also noticed Japanese partners and friends thinking likewise. In China and SE Asia I´ll stay away if possible as places there are invariably linked to the sex trade in some way.

The newer phenomenon of host bar where young handsome gents cater for female ( and/or gay ) clientele has been fairly popular, first in Japan, then in Korea and now also in China.

Lots of women in pairs go to clubs in Japan, safely. You can too, just know in advance where you are headed. One place not mentioned here yet is the Heartland bar at the edge of the Roppongi Hills complex -- Heartland beer is Y500 a bottle and the westerners that this place attracts (in addition to FT regulars!) include the more upscale guys who work at the western investment banks in the Roppongi Hills complex.