10 Things to Do in Tokyo at Night

Enjoying the nightlife of the big city is one of the best things to see and do in Tokyo. At night is when the neon lights are lit and the city is shown in all its splendor.

The options are varied: from walking through an illuminated garden or watching panoramic views of the city at night to partying in bars and nightclubs, attending anime exhibitions or delighting in the most exquisite cuisine. Akihabara, Ginza, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Roppongi or Asakusa, among others, are more than neighborhoods, they are almost "cities" with their own identity that offer different experiences for both night and day.

If you want to know the most historic district of Tokyo, it is essential that you book a guided tour of the Asakusa district, where the oldest Buddhist temple in the city is located, the Sensoji, which has a lot of charm for its solemnity, like the Nakamise street that you find before entering the temple and after crossing the Kaminarimon gate, its main gate, whose name means "thunder gate".

At night, the stores on Nakamise Street are closed, but wonderful street art can be seen on their curtains. Although any time is good, perhaps the best time to visit is during the summer in Tokyo, as during the day these stores sell fans, pottery, kimonos, traditional objects and souvenirs. Even so, they are usually quite crowded, so the evening is ideal to appreciate the beauty and solemnity of the street and the temple.

Sensoji Temple is open 24 hours a day and you can enter for free, although its main halls, such as the Hondo Hall, close at sunset. After visiting the temple, you can tour the Asakusa district, Tokyo's "lower city," known for its tempura restaurants, a typical Japanese seafood or vegetable frying dish.

If you are a lover of Japanese food or if you want to get to know it, sign up for a night food tour in Tokyo, one of the best things to do in Tokyo. A local guide will lead the small group, never more than 12 people, through various areas of the city so you can discover specialties such as different types of sushi, grilled meats, cakes and, of course, sake.

Of course, you can also venture out on your own to get to know Japanese gastronomy. The best area for this is around the old Tsukiji market, which closed in 2018.

Shops selling fish, eating utensils and other seafood are still in operation in the outer part of the old market, the jogai-shijo. During the night the market is closed, but the best sushi restaurants can still be found in the surrounding area.

Tsukiji Sushi Sei

In Tsukiji Sushi Sei one of the oldest restaurants, which was founded in 1839. There you can sit at a bar and watch how they prepare sushi in front of you. Their prices are a bit high, but the sushi they serve is worth it.

• Location: Chuo City, Tsukiji, 4 Chome-13-5.
• Hours: 11 am to 3 pm and 5 pm to 9.30 pm.

Choseain

At this restaurant during the evening you can try Japanese dishes or tapas such as sashimi, fish fries and soba noodles. They also offer different sakes to accompany dinner. It is a simple and small restaurant, but it has a lot to offer.

• Location: Chuo City, Tsukiji, 4.
• Hours: 11 am to 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm to 8 pm.

The Shibuya area is one of the most popular with young people. There you can take the opportunity to observe the city from its viewpoints, and appreciate in all its splendor the extraordinary lights and architecture. The area is also full of themed bars and restaurants with delicious sushi. The options are countless, from getting dizzy at Tokyo's most famous crosswalk, where thousands of people cross in every direction, to reading a book while waiting for your order at a bar.

In Shibuya there are open-air shows, street food stalls and izakaya bars that offer you an open bar at a very low price. One striking thing about the bars is that the food and drinks they offer are displayed in the windows. It is a faithful imitation made of plastic, but it will be very practical for you to choose the menu you like the most. In addition, on the facades of the buildings you can see posters with the bars, discos, karaoke bars, restaurants and entertainment venues on the floors and underground floors of the buildings.

Shibuya is also home to the busiest crosswalk in the world, with more than 1 million people crossing it every day. On average, about 3,000 people cross it every 47 seconds, so it has become very eye-catching for tourists. One of the bars that has a privileged view of this crossing is Starbucks, which is right in front of Shibuya Station.

Roppongi, a "city within the city", is home to Tokyo's best nightclubs, making it the choice for partying for visitors and locals alike. Millions of people flock to Roppongi every year, making it one of the most popular areas of the city.

The main clubs in the neighborhood, and the ones not to be missed, are Maharaja Nightclub and Shot Bar Propaganda. There are also other discos and bars highly recommended to enjoy the night, such as Odeon and the Hard Rock Café. Undoubtedly, not being on the street, this is an excellent alternative if you are looking for what to do in Tokyo in winter.

Maharaja Discotheque

The Maharaja Disco is one of the oldest and most recognized in Tokyo. Its music, between classic and modern, is quite varied, as well as the drinks and cocktails they serve. On Fridays and Saturdays it is open until later, around 5 am, and is usually attended by young people between 20 and 30 years old. The rest of the days it is open until midnight, and people from 40 years old and up tend to go there.

• Location: 6-1-3 Roppongi, Minatu-ku, Tokyo, 106-0032.
• How to get there: You can get there on foot from Roppongi Station, or the Hibiya and Toel Oedo subway lines. You can also take buses or cab cars.

Shot Bar Propaganda

Another nightclub that you will find open all week is the Shot Bar Propaganda, which is open until 5 am. Its music goes through several genres, such as disco, rock, pop, hip hop, R & B, house and disco music in general. In addition, this club is very popular for birthday parties, farewell parties, weddings and different social events.

• Location: 3-14-9 Roppongi, Minatu-ku, Tokyo, 106-0032.
• How to get there: You can walk there in 3 minutes from Roppongi Station.

The night is ideal for you to stroll through the extraordinary shopping district of Akihabara, where its streets transport you to the electronic and robotic world most characteristic of Tokyo. You can meet the most sophisticated stores with unbeatable prices in the world, and unique manga and anime productions, such as movies, comics or video games. For a reason, the Akihabara neighborhood is known as the electronic city of Tokyo or the anime city.

Must-see stores include the Tokyo Anime Center (open until 8 p.m.), where you can find comics, movies, robotic exhibits, animated posters, video games and all kinds of electronic products and accessories; and the Akihabara Radio Kaikan, a huge building where you can find video games and toys with unique designs (open until 10 p.m.).

Akihabara is also known for its unusual themed bars that are recognized by the name of maid cafe. In these strange bars the waitresses are dressed as maids, treat you as if you were their master, sing to you and also decorate your food in a very cute way.

Ginza is the most luxurious district of Tokyo, which is why it has been compared to New York's Fifth Avenue. You will be fascinated by the architecture of its buildings, some of the most modern and original in the world. For this reason, the illuminated streets of Ginza are the most chosen for photographic tours of Tokyo both day and night.

One of the most striking buildings in Ginza is the Tokyu Plaza Ginza, designed by Nikken Sekkei, with its spectacular glass front, which at night is illuminated in a very special way.

In front of Tokyu Plaza Ginza is the Fujiya Building, also spectacular. Other emblematic buildings in the neighborhood belong to more recognized brands such as Hermés, Sony, Coah de Ginza, GAP, Armani Ginza Tower, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, Channel, Zara and Bulgari, among others.

For many years, Japan has been identified in the West with karaoke. Going to one during your trip is almost as obligatory as hiking Mount Fuji from Tokyo. Karaoke is something that Japanese people and tourists love to do. After work, Japanese people often relax in karaoke bars, so they are a good place to meet locals.

In karaoke bars, Japanese people usually rent private boxes, with drinks and meals included to enjoy alone with friends, family or guests. It is different from other places where karaoke is done publicly and in the same place.

Karaoke is a Japanese invention from the 1970s. The word karaoke means "empty orchestra". The musician Daisuke Inoue invented it to satisfy the requests of a client who wanted musicians to come and play at an event with his company's shareholders whom he wanted to surprise.

In the Taitō-ku district of Tokyo, you will find Ueno Park, a public park where you will find several important museums, a giant pond full of water lilies, the Toshogu shrine, the Benten-do, Kaneiji and Kiyomizu Kannon temples, and a concert hall. You can't miss this visit on your list of things to do in Tokyo in February or March, as this is when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

In fact, this park is home to Japan's famous cherry blossom avenue, which attracts visitors from all over the world. There are about 800 cherry trees that when in bloom create a wonderful environment. To make these blossoms visible at night, thousands of lanterns are installed during the sakura matsuri, the cherry blossom festival.

Ueno Park is a symbol among Japan's urban parks. It is about 140 years old and continues to be modernized day by day. You can access it for free every day until 11 pm. You will love its huge garden, with ginkgo, camphor, zelkova, cherry and lotus plants.

The izakaya bars are typical Japanese bars where locals go to have a drink and a bite to eat after work. They are not refined places, but they offer very good menus at a good price. In some izakaya you can eat as much as you want for a certain amount of time for a fixed fee, with drinks on the side.

These bars are located around train stations, in alleys called yokochos, where they are more accessible to employees leaving work.

The best known are in Omoide Yokocho and Ginza, in narrow alleys. They are also often a place to meet before going to pubs or nightclubs.

No matter what time you arrive in Shinjuku, you will be entertained 24 hours a day, all week long and all night long. Near its Shinjuku train station, in the Kabukichō area, you will find restaurants, cinemas, bars and shopping malls, as well as electronics stores.

There are many skyscrapers in Shinjuku, including the city's tallest, the 243-meter-high Metropolitan Government Building. This building has a free observation deck that is open until about 9 p.m. and inside you can dine and buy beautiful souvenirs.

Within Shinjuku there are "neighborhoods" with their own identity, such as Kabukichō, where there are more bars, restaurants and karaokes; Shinjuku ni-chome, a gay neighborhood; Waseda, a university neighborhood; and Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, where there is a beautiful park.

Golden Gai in Kabukichō

The Golden Gai "neighborhood" of the Kabukichō district is characterized by its very narrow alleys, interesting bars and restaurants for dining, its small businesses and a decoration with lamps and neon lights not to be missed. Also, in this area you can see the 12-meter high Godzilla head on the rooftop of the Gracery themed hotel. You can enter the hotel for free and watch a show that features Godzilla shooting a smoke beam and growling every hour.

• Location: 1-19-1 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku - Tokyo, Japan

Hotel Park Hyatt Tokyo

The bar at the Park Hyatt Hotel Tokyo has become cult after the movie Lost in translation showed the hotel's facilities. Drinking at this bar can be a bit pricey, but that doesn't matter for fans of the movie that has already become a cinema classic.

• Location: 3-7-1-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, 163-1055