Tokyo Gay Bars, Cabaret, Clubs, Discos, Karaoke and Nightlife Information by Utopia Asia 大同

TOKYO -- area code (81-3)

With the real estate and bar business slump, due to Japan's long economic recession combined with the Internet's popularity for cheap networking, prices haven't really risen in more than a decade. A night out in Tokyo has deflated down to earth from the champagne stratosphere, with drinks now averaging about US$5. Also, there is no tipping or added taxes on bar bills which means Tokyo is an astonishing value for travelers!

The following venues are friendly towards visitors, although the smaller bars will prefer that you match the "type" they specialize in (many bars have limited seating and so try to attract the crowd they specialize in). There are several sorts of systems in play these days. Traditional bars include a tasty snack, sometimes cooked on the spot, along with the first drink and so prices are a bit higher to start off. Although bar-hoppers may opt to avoid traditional bars, these venues provide the extra service of social lubrication and really should be enjoyed, at least once, by visitors. Traditional places cater to leisurely conversations with the Masta (Master), and his bar staff who will politely quiz you and then introduce you to other customers they feel are a good match for a chat. This can take some time, so relax and have fun. The best traditional bars reflect the sparkling personalities of owners who are highly skilled in entertaining their customers. Some bars include a flat "table charge" that usually comes with an unthrilling dish of standard bar munchies. Many clubs have now switched to the simpler "shot" system of paying per drink purchased, although cover charges may go into effect on holidays and for special events. Pay as you go at these type of bars. Traditional bars may run tabs until you ask for the bill.

Monthly events like Shangri-la, Red (every 2nd Sat) and The Ring (every 4th Sat) have huge parties that attract the circuit crowd. Flyers for upcoming events along with maps to the location (usually the Ware House in Azabu Juban) can be found at gay establishments.

Here's a bit of fellowship from The Ring:

Most bars open a couple hours after people have gotten off work (about 8pm), although there are some early birds listed below.

HARAJUKU

Mania Club
KITAZAWA SETAGAYA

Dokkoisho

4-32-25 Kitazawa-setagaya-ku, 3460-8637. 30-40yo mixed types. Welcomes foreigners.

SHIBUYA

[kéivi!]
4/F Yoshino Bld, 17-10 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya, 3462-9200, email. A few blocks up the hill behind Shibuya Station (see map on their website), in the building next to Mango Mango. This traditional gay bar is a nice change from Ni-Chome for men in their 20s and 30s. Masta Hirano has designed every inch of his casual bar with the bright colors of tropical fish (which you can see swimming in various containers) and themed with Chinese pop flavors, from fung shui calligraphy along the top of the walls to the dragon kite hanging from the ceiling. There is a table charge that includes a snack (we had an artistic arrangement of delicious fresh fruits). The staff and customers are cute and often take holiday trips together (photo albums are on hand). If you are a young gay man who knows a little Japanese you may just become a regular! Open Nightly.

Mango Mango
SHINJUKU NI-CHOME, SAN-CHOME
The majority of foreigner-friendly bars are shuffled into the hundreds of nightclubs packed into Shinjuku Ni-Chome, a tiny sub-district between BYGS Building (at the Shinjuku San-Chome exit C8) and the little Shinjuku Park (darker and shabbier than ever) three blocks east. While just a gaudy speck on the hemline of Tokyo's neon kimono, Ni-Chome is the main hub of Tokyo's gay scene. A carnival of shadows from dusk till dawn, here you will find 24-hour love motels, fetish mix boxes (no frills sex spaces), noodle dens and gay pride boutiques--all catering to the parade of intoxicated salarymen, transgender hostesses, gangster pimps, Sumo wrestlers, public masturbators and sexual samurai of every clan. By day its Buddhist graveyards are haunted by stumbling zombies of last night's overindulgences and serenaded by the melancholy caws of giant black crows which nest in the ancient pines of nearby Gyoen-mae Park. Yukio Mishima's favorite dive, The New Sazae, is still doing business here, as is a century-old, two-story wooden brothel.
Backlit signs scramble from the street to the sky, like chapter headings of Ni-Chome's tawdry autobiography: Shifty Air, Transistor Glamour, Bar Yes/No, Hotel Nuts, Potato Ex Club, Baby Satan, Sex Blond, G. Shower, Morning Tissue, Velvet Overhigh'm, Glans Freak, and (simply) Dick.
The easiest way to get to the gay area is to take the underground walkway from Shinjuku Station's East Exit (down one floor after the train exit ticket machines) to Exit C5, C6, or C8 (see map).
The Shinjuku Ni-Chome neighborhood is easy to navigate using our Utopia map:

Arch
Advocates Café (mixed)
The Annex
Arty Farty
Base
DNA
Dragon Men
GB
Kinsmen
Ku Su O
Lamp Post
Monsoon
Rehab
Tac's Knot
Usagi (mixed)
Comments from Utopians:
"I used the information on your site and was very pleased with the results. For foreigners, the three best bars would be Dragon Men, Advocate and GB. They are all very easy to find thanks to the Utopia Map. My personnal favorites are Dragon Men and Advocate. They are both at street level and there were always lots of people. They are both excellent to start a chat. GB is a smaller bar, but also a very nice place to chat. Finally, there is a club not far away from GB that is perfect to finish the night. Good music and a mixed crowd (Japanese and foreigners)." -- Optilux, Aug 10, 2009

OTHER AREAS

Comments from Utopians:
"This was the first time I explored bars outside of Ni-Chome. My friend and I decided to check out the area near his office in Shimbashi. The first place we went to was Townhouse, 6/F Ginza Bld, 1-11-5 Shinbashi, Minato-ku, 03-3289-8558. It's in an obscure building on the top floor (you take a lift to 5/F and walk up stairs to 6/F). Lively karaoke bar with quite a few tables and very friendly people. Plus, a cool outdoor patio area to take in the lights of the city. A sign says Members Only but if you are reading this, you are a member. Our second stop was Iruken, 3/F Jyu Go Building, 4-18-4 Shinbashi, Iruken (on an obscure block behind the Shinbashi station), 03-3437-3227. The hosts there were Kenji and Hiro. They speak a little English and make a great Yakisoba in case you started drinking too much too early. They told us the area had over 50 gay bars, but many of them are geared to local salary men. They whipped out the map and showed them all to us! Downstairs was a another bar with a gay flag and bear on it. We also found out a 1/F floor bar called Dino is also gay. The complex closes around midnite. The area caters to the after work crowd." -- jameskdean, Sep 14, 2009