A Turmeric Shot First, and You Split the Bill Like a Local

Before you drink anything, your guide hands you a turmeric shot. Japanese drinkers take ukon before a long night the way other people take an aspirin after one, and it is sold in every convenience store for exactly that reason. It is the first small thing this tour gets right about how the evening actually works here.

The second is the money. Nothing is prepaid: at each venue the group splits the base food and drink bill on the spot, warikan, the way Japanese colleagues do, with anything under a hundred yen rounded up and carried to the next stop. Budget at least six thousand yen in cash. What that buys is that every yen goes to the kitchen rather than to a booking fee, and you can order more if you want it.

Three and a half hours, seven guests, meeting by a convenience store eight minutes from the Hachiko exit.

The first izakaya is in Udagawacho, on the plateau just above the Scramble where the developers never quite got to and where independent coffee shops, natural wine bars and old record stores still hold the streets. The second is on Center-gai, which has reinvented itself every decade since it was a black market. The last is a sake bar down a side street a short walk from the crossing, where the guide will find you a bottle even if you have never liked sake before.

Across the night: a five-course meal and a drink at the first stop, four or more shared dishes and two drinks at the second, and specialty sake at the third. Photos are sent afterwards.

English-speaking certified guide. Pescatarians can be accommodated; vegans and vegetarians cannot. Allergies cannot be guaranteed since the kitchens are not the operator's. Some venues allow smoking. The tour starts on time, and if you miss the group there is no refund or reschedule.