Tokyo City Guide - Nightlife

With tiny Japanese apartments still very much the norm, most Tokyo locals socialise out of the house. This has contributed to the vast array of restaurants, bars, clubs and coffee houses for visitors to discover. From the small and smoky Japanese nomiya bars to the wallet-busting cocktails at the Park Hilton, even long-term visitors can't run out of new watering holes.

Dress codes are rarely overly strict. Entrance fees to clubs are high but usually include a couple of drinks. Cover charges are common in izakaya (Japanese-style pubs) and bars. Drink prices very much depend on the surroundings and range from the reasonable to the stratospheric. If in doubt, do ask before ordering. Should you be tempted by one of the city's many 'hostess clubs', be aware that a beer in the company of an attractive companion can easily cost ¥10,000. Tokyo's gay bars are clustered in the Shinjuku 2-chome area. They are generally wary of foreign customers and are best explored with a Japanese companion.

There are no specific licensing hours in Tokyo, although the minimum drinking age is 20 years. Admission fees and opening times vary widely and the Tokyo nightlife scene is ever changing - for listings of what's on and information about the latest hotspots, visitors should check the English-language Metropolis (website: http://metropolis.japantoday.com/default.asp) or Tokyo Journal (website: www.tokyo.to).

Bars: There are hundreds of bars on offer in the city, from the sleek and sublime to the rowdy and raucous. Hajime, 6-4-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku is one of the most popular, its minimalist design offset by a distinctive yellow light that runs across the room and bar. Mother, 5-36-14 Daizawa, Setagaya-ku, is a Tokyo tradition at the other end of the design spectrum, the interior an eclectic mix of kitsch with a giant lizard hanging down from the ceiling. If you're craving beer, head for Flamme d'Or, 1-23-36 Azumabashi, where Philippe Starck's infamous sculpture houses a bar selling a wide selection of beers and snacks. If it's a drunken night out you're after, you won't do better than Gas Panic, 3-10-5, Roppongi Minato-ku, an expat institution where inebriation is an absolute prerequisite. But Roppongi isn't just for the mega clubs and bars: Finger, 3-9-8 Roppongi, Minato-ku, is a stylish hangout for the rich and discerning. Finally for a taste of the izakaya bars, try the incredibly designed Zaru, 4F Zero Gate, 16-9 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku, where chandeliers and changing lights set the scene, or the more traditionally classy Sasagin, 1-32-15 Uehara, Shibuya-ku.

Clubs: If superclubs are your style, this is the right city. Womb, 2-16 Maruyama-cho, Shibuya (website: www.womb.co.jp) boasts an enormous dance floor packed with an up-for-it crowd while Velfarre, 7-14-22 Roppongi (website: http://velfarre.avex.co.jp/index.html) is a huge multi-level disco palace with a strict dress code and a high admission charge. For a more intimate clubbing experience head for Secobar, 3-23-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, where a clutch of clubbers enjoy the electro funk sounds. The hip student crowd are still hanging out at Yellow, 1-10-11 Nishi-Azabu (website: www.club-yellow.com) either making the most of the big name DJs or relaxing in the upstairs lounge.

Live Music: Tokyo's local pop and rock scene revolves around 'live houses' - dark disco-like venues with a small stage. Club Que, 2-5-2 Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku (website: www.ukproject.com/que) and Club Quattro, 32-13 Udagawacho, Shibuya, are among the best known names. Milk, 1-13-3 Nishi-Ebisu (website: www.milk-tokyo.com), a hip, indie rock music venue, is a club/live house hybrid. The two main venues for major rock acts are Nippon Budokan, 2-3 Kitanomaru-Koen, Chiyoda-ku (website: www.nipponbudokan.or.jp) and Tokyo Dome, 1-3 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku (website: www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/e/). Tickets are pricey and should be reserved well in advance.

Jazz has a large and ever growing following in the city and there are numerous venues offering excellent live jazz music. The best known is The Blue Note Tokyo, Raika Bldg, 6-3-16 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku (website: www.bluenote.co.jp), featuring impressive artists and high prices.

Karaoke: If all the live music inspires you, you might want to start making some of your own. Karaoke is still big business in Tokyo, but forget the drunken man serenading a bar full of strangers. In Tokyo the singing is done in small private rooms, with plush seating and excellent sound systems. Venues are scattered across the city, so you will never be far from a karaoke bar: just look up, they tend to be housed in the high floors of high rise buildings (although they rarely give you a view). For those wishing to splash a bit more cash, the Keio Plaza hotel (website: www.keioplaza.com) in Shinjuku hires out top floor rooms from just over ¥5,000 an hour. They seat up to 10 and you can enjoy spectacular views of the city at night. And the genre is evolving. The more adventurous karaoke fan head for Lovenet, Hotel Ibis 3F & 4F, 7-14-4 Roppongi, Minato-ku (website: www.ibis-hotel.com/en.html), where singing takes place within a Jacuzzi.