Tokyo

Shinjuku, Roppongi and Ginza

According to GO TOKYO, the official Tokyo tourism site, Shinjuku stays busy until dawn, from the tiny bars of Golden Gai to bigger venues, with Kabukicho part of the late-night scene. Roppongi draws a large international crowd and is home to the lion's share of Tokyo's nightclubs.

Ginza and Marunouchi are presented as glitzy districts for drinks and dinner in rooftop bars and high-rise restaurants. Shibuya, the site says, is a bit more hip and a little less mainstream.

Where locals drink

For drinking with locals, the same site suggests the bars and izakaya under the railway tracks in Nakameguro, Ueno and Yurakucho, the lanes of Shinbashi, and the after-work spots under the tracks in Kanda and Yurakucho. Ebisu has pockets of small restaurants and bars popular with locals, and Akabane has its own drinking district.

Getting there

Haneda Airport is served by the Keikyu Line and the Tokyo Monorail, about 20 minutes from Hamamatsucho and 30 from Tokyo Station or Yokohama. Shibuya is about 45 minutes away by train and Ikebukuro about an hour. From Narita Airport the Narita Express and Keisei lines run into the city, and Shibuya is about 1 hour 40 minutes by train.

Within the city, Tokyo Station to Shibuya is about 23 minutes on the Yamanote Line, and to Ikebukuro 24 minutes on the Yamanote Line or 17 on the Marunouchi Line. These are the times given on GO TOKYO's area pages.

NIGHT LIFE JAPAN's Tokyo areas

The Tokyo pages are split into 30 areas, starting with these fifteen: Shibuya/Ebisu Area, Shinjuku Area, Roppongi Area, Ginza/Shinbashi Area, Akasaka Area, Ikebukuro Area, Ueno/Asakusa/Nippori, Akihabara/Kanda, Omotesando Area, Tokyo/Nihonbashi Area, Meguro / Shirokane / Gotanda, Kichijoji / Mitaka / Musashi-Sakai, Nakano/Nishi-Ogikubo Area, Yotsuya / Ichigaya / Iidabashi and Kinshicho / Koiwa / Ryogoku.

Then come Hamamatsucho / Tamachi / Shinagawa, Otsuka/Sugamo/Komagome/Akabane, Itabashi / Tobu Line Area, Keio/Odakyu Line Area, Kasai/Koto Ward Area, Tokyu Line, Seibu Line, Ohi/Kamata, Nishitokyo City Area, Chofu/Fuchu, Machida/Tama, Tachikawa City/Hachioji City Area, Koganei/Kokubunji/Kunitachi, Senju/Ayase/Katsushika and Fussa/Ome Area.

Inside each area are station districts such as Shinjuku/Kabukicho, Roppongi, Ginza, Shimbashi, Ebisu, Ueno / Okachimachi / Yushima, Akabane, Nakameguro / Yutenji, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Kichijoji and Hachioji. Hostess clubs, girls bars, snack bars and lounges are listed in the district where the venue is.

Touting rules

Tokyo's nuisance-prevention ordinance bans waiting in public view, in public places in districts designated by the Public Safety Commission, to tout for sex-related shops or sexy pubs or to scout people. The designated districts include Kabukicho 1- and 2-chome in Shinjuku, Roppongi 3- to 7-chome in Minato, Ikebukuro 1- and 2-chome in Toshima and Dogenzaka 1- and 2-chome in Shibuya.