Tokyo: Nightlife

Blue Note When big-name jazz performers like Michael Feinstein, Lee Ritenour, and Dave Koz come to town, they play at this Tokyo outpost of New York’s best-known jazz venue. Harajuku, Aoyama, Minato-ku; 6-3-16 Minami Aoyama; 011-81-3-5485-0088; www.bluenote.co.jp
jazz | lounge

GB Many of Tokyo’s gay nightspots are private clubs that don’t allow non-members (either Japanese or foreign), but this crowded, friendly little box of a basement bar is pretty much a mandatory stop for gay visitors to Tokyo. Look for videos, disco beats, and Japanese men who love foreigners. Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku; 2-12-3 Shinjuku; 011-81-3-3352-8972
bar | gay | disco

Standing Bar Joe The name comes from a long Japanese tradition of tachinomiya (literally “standing-while-drinking house”), and this one offers a traditional Japanese aesthetic of lanterns and exposed beams, plus cheap drinks (try the shochu, Japanese vodka). Roppongi, Akasaka, Minato-ku; 4-1-15 Nishi-Azabu; 011-81-3-3400-7797
budget | great value | open late | bar | editor pick

Takara One of the city’s top spots for sampling sake, in a long, thin space with lacquered countertops. An English menu helps you make sense of it all, and pub treats like grilled skewers go great with sake. Marunouchi, Ginza, Chuo-ku; Tokyo International Forum Building, 3-5-1 Marunouchi; 011-81-3-5223-9888
bar | bar menu | sake

Tokyu Honten Rooftop Beer Garden In summer, beer gardens spring up all over the city: in parks, atop buildings, and even on empty lots that will be gone by fall. The one on the roof of Tokyu Department Store has greenery, cheap beer, and yakiniku (Korean barbecue). Shibuya, Shibuya-ku; 2-24-10 Dogenzaka; 011-81-3-3477-3111
budget | bar menu | beer | seasonal