Drinking in Japan is a social activity. Before going, I read about this, and I also read that appearing drunk means loss of face. Even so,
this did not seem a problem to the Japanese we observed, stumbling out of bars and restaurants. This was not perceived as negative by us, but it was a bit surprising.
As you can see from the pictures, we had our share of nightlife, although this was not to be a big part of this journey.
In Tokyo we had our two first nights, as well as two nights at the end. Every one of these was a success, and we had some great times. On the first night we
went to Roppongi, found some excellent food, along with plenty to drink. We also visited a few other bars (Bar Possible, Propaganda, Vanilla (nightclub) and a few others. The
second night was not planned at all. We were supposed to have a slow night out, but ended up in a "drink-as-much-as-you-like-inonehour bar", serving us deadly Kamikaze...this
is partly to blame for us losing eachother in Shinjuku; not the best place to be lost. Not because it is dangerous, but simply because the place is huge! Fortunately, Robin
showed up the next day, more or less in one piece. We both had some strange wounds on our bodies, but we have no explanation for these.
On our last nights, we did our "Lost in Translation-theme", getting to Park Hyatt hotel for some excellent time (Suntory time) in The New York Bar. This was simply put
fantastic; what a view, service and touch of excellence. And then our personal karaoke show later on. It is highly recommended to
get one of these rooms. It is a great place to start you karaoke career, as well as sharing the fun with friends.
In Kyoto we were prepared to get up early, so we didn't want to get out of shape to do what we had planned. We did, however, have one nice night out
in Kyoto as well. Kyoto is not famous for its nightlife, as we also found out. There were some interesting and nice bars, and we particularly found Bar Rosso a great place!
Except for a man aged 70 from America (but living in Okinawa), we were the only westerners in the bar, which is a good thing.
We also found Bar Rub-a-Dub, a carribean inspired bar in a basement. Here, we could observe westerners and Japanese in some kind of interaction...including middleaged men trying
their best to get to know the local women. But this bar is good if you want to go all out in Kyoto...
In Takayama we had nothing much to do at night, except trying the local bars, and by chance we found an excellent spot called Junkyard. Lonely
Planet recommended Red Hill, and it was okey, but it was also where every backpacker found their way. Junkyard was, on the other hand, filled with locals. They
served snacks and provided chopsticks, a cool idea! The interior was, as the name indicates, based on a junkyard - mostly Michelin themed. And it works!
In Red Hill though,
we got to know a few Japanese men, who were eager to share stories from their lives. We also had an interesting conversation about Japanese films, and we all agreed that
Miike Takashi as a bit crazy!
Obviously, there are MANY things to do different from us, and particularly Tokyo has something for each taste.
Nightlife can be, as we experienced, enjoyed
most when sitting in a traditional restaurant, eating great food accompanied by some local beer and sake. After all, that seemed to be how lots of Japanese enjoyed themselves.