The 3D Cat, a Guide Who Worked in Kabukicho, Fifteen Dishes

Fifteen dishes and two drinks across three hours, with everything covered: no bill at the end of each stop and no working out what you owe.

The guides are from Kabukicho, and at least one of them used to work in the district, which changes what you get told. Kabukicho is the most misunderstood few blocks in Tokyo, and the difference between a guide reciting facts and a guide who used to clock on there is obvious within five minutes.

You meet by the crossing outside the bank on Shinjuku 3-chome, and the first thing you see is the giant three-dimensional cat on the curved billboard above the station, which appears to lean out of the screen and meow at the street.

Then Omoide Yokocho for traditional food and drink among the old counters, the Godzilla head above the Toho building, the walk through Kabukicho with the stories, and Golden Gai, two hundred bars in a few alleys and one of the last blocks of post-war Tokyo still standing.

The food changes with the season and includes sashimi and yakitori, and there is a sake tasting. It ends with a Japanese dessert and street food, including a sweet that has been treated as a good-luck charm here for generations.

Up to ten travellers per booking, guided in English or Japanese, with the photos from the night included. Legal drinking age twenty. Download WhatsApp for contact on the day. Extra food and drink can be ordered and paid for on the spot. Meals come from kitchens the operator does not own, so allergies cannot be guaranteed; declare any needs, including strollers or wheelchairs, at booking. Solo travellers may receive a different number of dishes.