Night Out in Roppongi, Tokyo

There is nothing like an ice cold beer of Asahi (or vodka lemonande) to wash away the blues (or in this case tired feet).

Plenty of atmosphere, friendly folks and to be honest, I really didnt take any specific names when it came to walking around Roppongi and finding a good spot - its all quite nice.

At most, ask the local bartendar.. they usually know the best spots to go!

Dress Code: Casual - no thongs (Havainas not the underwear). Ppl do dress up so make up and lots of attitude.

If you're going to Roppongi you can expect to be surrounded by drunken American tourists, eurotrash-clubbers, cheap Japanese girls looking for a Gaijin for the night and a lot of drunken Japanese Businessmen. 80% of the clubs and bars are pure rubbish. If you are the typical low-brow tourist looking for fun in a familiar environment as you could have found at home where you came from, without being interested in the real thing, then stay on the main tracks and you will probably be pissed in 1 hour, hook up with a faux-blond Japanese girl in extra-high stilettos and get thrown out of the Hard Rock Cafe (yawn) when they're closing to find yourself puking into the Hibya-Metro-entrance before passing out. You'll find any American standardized food- & booze- chain there (HRC, Starbucks, TGI, MacDo, ...) and a lot of similar Japanese places where you can party like an idiot and lose the last bit of brains you brought here.

If you are more the kinda tourist who does not want to go to "familiar places" and wants to get drunk in style then check out the surrounding small streets. My tip: go to Super Deluxe. It's by far the best play to hang out in Roppongi. They have really good parties and DJ-gigs with pill-popping Japanese Hipsters as well as completely weird art-events and exhibitions. Oh my: they even brew their own beer in their very own "micro-brewery" (Tokyo Lager). The Gaijin:Japanese ratio is around 50:50. Check out the program before you go. Sometimes it can be boring, too (as it is with most of the really exciting things in life: no high without low).

There's also some really cool Shisha-bar somewhere on the 4th or 5th floor directly at the crossing, but I always forget how to get there...

Dress Code: Dandies. Rockers. Hipsters. Artists. Drunkards.

This club is located near the Subway sandwich restaurant. You have to walk towards Tokyo Tower on Gaien Higashi dori (the main street in Roppongi) on your right side. Look for a small sign and it's on the 3rd floor of a black building. The music is a mix of pure roots and dancehall with a relaxed vibe.

Dress Code: You should dress casually. Jeans are OK too.

Hobgoblin is a British pub chain but also has 3 bars in Tokyo... Akasaka, Roppongi and Shibuya. the bars are themed just like english pubs, with english staff, a good selection of european beers (as well as hobgoblin on tap) and even the furniture has been imported from england.
Great atmosphere, you can watch all the sports from the UK, EG. Premier league etc.

Dress Code: as you like

if there is one place in Tokyo that brings out a mixture of emotions...it has to be Roppongi. I've been in Tokyo for over four years now so let me try to break it down for you. One of the funny things about this place is that all of the local foreigners will tell you they hate it and that they never go...but then lo and behold, you bump into those same ones stumbling out of Gas Panic on Saturday night talking about how "they just came because thier friends made them" or some bs like that. So anyone that tells you they hate Roppongi is probably full of it. The bottom line is that it is the safest bet for happening nightlife in Tokyo...especially if you don't speak Japanese or have a good local guide, as nearly all of the clubs have english speaking staff and openly welcome foreigners. Another bonus is that it's a pretty good bet that if you see a girl there, she is actively looking for a foreign guy, so your stock just went up my friend! Here are some basic tips that should help you out:

1) If an African guy come up to you and tells you to come to his club that is packed with Japanese girls just politely say no thanks and keep moving...the good clubs don't need touts on the street to get clientele

2) Stick to Japanese girls or 1st world western girls. I might get some hate mail on this one but Roppongi is full of prostitutes and con artists and I'm sorry to say it but most of them come from places like the Phillipines, Israel, or Columbia.

3) Don't go on a weekday. I used to prefer Thursdays but it seems like it's recently been dead on the weekdays. Stick to the happening nights on the weekend.

Clubs like Gas Panic, Wall Street I and II, Motown I and II and 911 (recently reopened) draw pretty much the same party hard crowd. If you are looking for a more civilized club experience head over to Velfarre or to Grace.

Love it or hate it Roppongi is definitely worth a look around.

Dress Code: I've got to chime in here...I've seen on other posts people recommending that you dress up. You are wasting your time. This place is utterly casual. There are places in Tokyo that require you to dress smartly but Roppongi is certainly not one of them. A casual urban look will work way better for you.

It was Saturday night around 10:30. Most places haven't started happening yet but Motown was! They were playing 80s but later switched to more 90s and other stuff.

Dress Code: Snappy. No T-shirts and flip flops. Sneakers is iffy I believe.

I was part of a 2 week excursion to Japan as the culmination of a class that I participated in at my University in Philadelphia, USA. We traveled to Kyoto, Kobe, Hiroshima, Shodoshima Island, Meiyajima Island, and of course, Tokyo.

We stayed at a small hostel in Azabu Juban (right next to Roppongi). My group consisted of about 15 students (several of whom are international students from such countrries as Ghana and the Dominican Republic).

Our first night out, the hostel manager walked us to Roppongi. He said we wouldn't have a problem finding anything we could possibly want. I told him that I felt like dancing with cute Japanese girls, and he walked us to Vanilla, nestled in a small alleyway. Just look for the guy in the suit and tie out front - if you're a foreigner he will give you a 1000 yen discount coupon (as opposed to the typical 3000 yen cover). The 1000 yen included 2 drink coupons (at 500 yen each, it is esentially free admission).

Being a 6 foot tall white dude... well, I guess it went this way for my whole group of 'gaijin' - no pat down, no card-checking...

Once up the stairs, there were lockers to the left and a bar/dancefloor to the right. It was playing rap/R&B type stuff. The floor was pretty crowded, as well as the 'seating area' behind it. There were too many people to even notice it, but on another night spent at Roppongi, I discovered another huge room behind this area. If you follow the hallway around, theres another big bar with tons of tables and chairs, as well as another enourmous dancefloor. The DJ is spinning hip-hop/reggae/rap type music. This is where I saw some of the more "ghetto" Japanese people, but everyone was super friendly. I had guys talking to me, inviting me to dance with their girls... *** that would NEVERRRR happen in the US! I had a good time here, but it wasn't really my scene. Upstairs again, on the 3rd floor, is a small bar area at the top of the stairs. There are pictures behind the bar of Japanese people showing off their tattoos - Yakuza?

CONT...

Dress Code: Around the bend is the biggest dancefloor in the club. The DJ plays trance/house/rave/techno, and it is an excellent assortment. There is a bar 5 steps away from the dance floor and i never had to wait for a drink even though the floor was COVERED with people. Gorgeous Japanese girls were up on the boxes dancing... just walk up and offer a hand - I can almost assure you that they will climb down and dance with you. I was surrounded in seconds, and it was GLORIOUS.

I met people from over a dozen different countries, but Japanese people made up most of the clinetelle (contrary to popular belief). Drinks were reasonable for the area (500-1200 yen). I bumped into some US military dudes, who actually bough me drinks for introducing them to the "white girls" on my trip, haha.

Check this place out! It won't disappoint! Even if you dont speak ANY Nihongo, you will do just fine!

DRESS:
It was all over the place. Jeans and Tees, up to shirts and ties. I wore nice jeans, a solid color dress shirt, and pennyloafers, and felt just right. Some of the Japanese girls were rocking cut up wifebeaters and short denim skirts with stilettos... amazing. Watch out for the group of hotties on the *** box to the right. They are tattoo'd up and undoubtedly the best looking in the club. Like I said, just offer a hand..........

I'm transferring to Sophia University in Tokyo as a direct result of the amazing time I had in Japan. Vanilla definately added to the fun!

Most of the bars are located along Gaien-Higashi street. It is the road which heads towards Tokyo Tower from Roppongi station.

If you are looking for a quiet place to go for a drink on a Friday night, Roppongi probably isn't the place to go.

Here are a few suggestions..
Bar, Isn't It
One of the first discount bars in Tokyo which offers all drinks for just 500 yen.
Website: www.isnt-it.info

Castillo
Bar which plays plenty of 70s and 80s music with one of the largest LP collections in Tokyo.
Website: www.castillo-tokyo.com

Gas Panic
One of the first loud rock-and-roll, cash bars, with one of the cheapest happy hours in Tokyo. Until 9:30 pm, all drinks are only 400 yen and on Thursdays they are 400 yen all night. They actually have 3 bars in Roppongi with another one in Shibuya.
Website: www.gaspanic.co.jp

Gerinimo
Small narrow bar which gets pretty crowded quickly. Be careful if you ring the bell as you will be buying everyone drinks in the bar.
Website: www.geronimoshotbar.com

Mogambo
Similar in style to Geronimo, on busy nights the crowd spills out on to the street.
Website: www.mogambo.com

Paddy Foley's
One of Tokyo's more lively Irish Pubs
Website: www.paddyfoleystkyo.com

Tokyo Sports Cafe
One of Tokyo's most popular sports bars.
Website: www.tokyo-sportscafe.com

Roppongi is a place full of boisterous young expats (mostly males), so if you are looking for a drunken sausage fest- head there! If you want more authentic fun after hours, head to Shibuya or West Shinjuku.

We visited this bar on a Sunday night. If you don't know already, almost everything closes on Sunday night, so we were happy to find out the Geronimo's is open. On the second level, the bar is very small. All the staff were Australian, so leads me to believe this is an Aussie bar. A lot of gaijin here, almost no Japanese. The drinks are modertly priced. The night that we went a lot of people were buying drinks for the bar. When I asked the bartender about this, she told me it happens quite a lot on the weekends. The bar itself is like being trapped in a forest, wood is everywhere. There is also a big drum hanging above the bar. I'm not sure what they use this for, but the night we were there it was to announce each free shot the patrons got. A good place to meet expats and fellow travellers.
Happy hour is till 9 every night.

Dress Code: No dress code required.