Tokyo Nightlife Tips by sacrebleu

Nightlife Spot: Night Out in Shinjuku

Shomben Yokocho aka p*i*s*s alley is not actually an alley but it's a small area of ramshackle huts and restaurants located between the train tracks and the side of the Odakyu Department Store. It's bustling at night with businessmen who enjoy coming here for a beer and yakitori (skewers).

The yakitori bar I went to was located next to the train track. We just wanted to sit down and have a yakitori or two but ended up ordering a little bit more than we planned to. The food was good and 'recognisable'. I would say it's better to my taste here than in Motsunikomisenmonten Numata. We had normal stuff like 'chicken wings' and 'chicken meat balls'. In a yakitori bar, they will always give you a small dish (mostly vegetable pickles) and charge for that, it's around 300-500 yen depending on where you go to.

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: Casual.
Address: Shinjuku-ku

Nightlife Spot: Motsunikomisenmonten Numata

I am honoured that I am the first VTer to recommend Motsunikomisenmonten Numata. It really is a great place to experience your first night in Tokyo! It was Saturday night and the "bar" was packed with both young people and businessmen. Around 20 minutes walk from JR Shinjuku West Exit, Motsunikomisenmonten Numata is a yakitori bar has 55 years of history located just outside Metro Shinjuku Sanchome C3 Exit.

I was flattered when all the staff greeted us loudly by saying 'irashimasu', I felt like I had to say something back and didn't know what without looking stupid! We found a cozy spot in the corner, the menu is written on the wall in Japanese. Fortunately, there was a waiter who spoke perfect English. He was surprised when I told him I didn't want to have organs. Later I found out that this bar is specialised in pork and organs. We had green peppers, mushrooms and a few grilled pork meat. The mushrooms were aromatic. I looked around and wanted to try something more adventurous. I took the courage to ask the waiter to order something for us. I said 'organs is fine, just bring it all on'!! :-) We had 3 more skewers and they were delicious and it just looked like meat!!

With a beer in hand, I was overwhelmed by the smoke, the noise, the language that I didn't understand. I knew I would miss that night when I am in Hong Kong on a Friday night.

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: Casual
Address: Shinjuku-ku
Directions: Around 20 minutes walk from JR Shinjuku West Exit, Motsunikomisenmonten Numata is a yakitori bar located just outside Metro Shinjuku Sanchome C3 Exit.
Website: http://www.enjoytokyo.jp/id/muraKudo/12081.html

Nightlife Spot: Night Out in Shinjuku

Located near the Shinjuku JR station, Kabukicho is an entertainment and red-light district in Shinjuku. The area is full of hostess bars but it's not really in your face like Amsterdam. An interesting place to walk around at night and perhaps if you feel a bit cheeky, there are lots of adult shops around too.

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Theme: People Watching
Dress Code: Casual
Address: Shinjuku-ku

Nightlife Spot: New York Bar

It was a cheesy thing to do plus I am sure we could get the same view from the Sky bar in our hotel (forgot to look actually!!). All because of the film Lost in Translation, a drink in New York Bar is a must thing to do in Tokyo! It was a long walk from Keio Plaza because we got lost and the maps on the streets weren’t helpful with no signs for the hotels at all! After 15 minutes walk, we got in a cab and the driver was kindly ‘pointed’ at the building where we should be heading to which was literally another 5 minutes walk away.

Park Hyatt is inside the office building, Park Tower. If you arrived at the office block level, you will have to walk up and pass the restaurant which was gorgeous to reach the lift for the hotel lobby which was on a high floor – think it’s 45th or higher. Walking passed the lobby are another two lifts which will take you straight up to New York Bar. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Tokyo is such a flat city and I could see the horizon and brightly lit buildings sparkling around us. It was like Christmas! So how much did the view cost? Cover charge was 2000 yen per person. Drinks started from 1600 – 2100 yen. They also serve food at the bar but French fries was 2000 yen and beef burger was 6000 yen!! It was nearly 12000 yen for 4 drinks there. So was it worth paying for? Not for the live music or the crowds but the view was priceless!! Suggest going somewhere free for the same (Tokyo Government Office Tower) or try other hotels close by.

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Theme: Live Music
Dress Code: No sandals or jeans but I did see people wearing jeans though.
Address: Park Hyatt Hotel, Shinjuku