Shinjuku After Dark: Izakayas, Kabukicho and Small Bars

Golden Gai is six lanes of roughly two hundred bars, most seating five or six people, and a fair number of them do not serve customers they do not know. Some are effectively members' rooms; others post a seat charge that discourages walk-ins. This tour usually heads there, but not every night: the route changes with the day, and Golden Gai is not on every one.

Three hours, meeting in front of the Kitakata Ramen Bannai shop at the Omoide Yokocho entrance.

The night usually starts at a local izakaya, either in Omoide Yokocho under the red lanterns or in Kabukicho, for yakitori, karaage and the rest of what people actually order. Then a walk through Kabukicho, one of the largest entertainment districts in Asia, with your guide explaining the history and what all the signage means, which is more interesting than guessing. A sake bar in Kabukicho follows.

Golden Gai is one of the very few blocks of post-war Tokyo never redeveloped, and it is where the night may continue, or it may be another bar in Kabukicho instead. Some nights end with karaoke, some do not.

Admission fees at each venue are included, and so are photos taken during the tour. Food and drink are not: you buy your own and drink at your own pace.

English-speaking guide, up to fifteen guests. Arrive fifteen minutes early. Venues change with the day and the circumstances, and you can ask the operator in advance which places are planned for your date.