The Ultimate Tokyo Club Guide 2016 Edition Part 1
Overview
There's a whole lot of clubs in Tokyo. With the recent legislature change that restricted the operations of night clubs no longer in effect, club scene is better than before.
When I say better, I'm not talking about the insane parties that went on before the Lehman collapse. Regardless, the party scene has gotten better over the past few years.
When people ask me where to go for clubbing in Tokyo, that's a pretty tough question to answer. Unlike the scenes in major cities around the world, Tokyo's clubs are divided into several different categories based on what one wants to accomplish.
You can't simply expect to have a decent time by just picking a random club to go to. You need to pick a club based on your mission for the night, if you will.
Club categories:
Generally speaking, clubs can be divided into the following five categories:
- Picking up Japanese girls who are mostly looking for Japanese guys
- Picking up Japanese girls who are looking for foreign guys
- The primary focus is good music. No pick-ups. Generally chill.
- The bars that fall somewhere in between
- Bars that are straight pick-up spots after work (this is sort of a new scene – theese are generally in the Shinbashi / Ginza area). These are highly "domestic" and this is a super tough scene for most foreign guys.
Where to learn about Tokyo's club scene
Without a doubt, Tokyo is a huge destination city for the world's most renowned performers. In addition, a lot of hard-to-catch esoteric DJs and performers come through Tokyo. Sometimes, visiting Tokyo allows you to check out some acts that you will never ever get to see in your home country.
Time out
A good place to start is the listing on Time Out Tokyo. It has a pretty comprehensive review of the clubs in Tokyo – old and new. The only downside is that they don't really talk about the demographics and intricacies / inner-working of the clubs.
iflyer
As far as club events go, iflyer.tv maintains a comprehensive list of club-based events
The number of stars next to each of the event tells you how hyped they are. This website not only covers events in Tokyo but also other big cities like Osaka as well as smaller cities like Kanazawa.
lastfm
Last.fm events page covers some of the more underground ones. The link below takes you to Tokyo's event page. I find it pretty helpful.
Where Tokyo's Clubs are
There are five neighborhoods in Tokyo that are home to the biggest clubs
- Shibuya / Aoyama
- Ginza / Shinbashi
- Nakemeguro / Ebisu / Daikanyama
- Roppongi
- The "outliers" e.g. Ageha
The next entry will cover the demographics, transportation, and dress code.
