When most people think of Tokyo, the stereotypical image that comes to mind is a city of lights and neon signs lighting up the night. Although there are many aspects of Tokyo, the nightlife is definitely one of the best.
The area we stayed in, Akasaka, is pretty close to Roppongi, the music district. On different weekend nights, we went out to various clubs in the area. Our concierge for these trips was Satoko, a cute Japanese girl who went to MSU and now lives in Tokyo.
Satoko and I out on the town
We went to a club called Garden House during our first weekend in Tokyo. The crowd is very international; I met people from Glasgow, Rio, Melbourne, and London, as well as some Tokyo townies.
Kampai means Cheers!
Maris and I
I actually ended up at Garden House two separate nights. It’s not a bad club, most people there speak English (except for the bartenders).
And the second night
Another great place to go at night is Shibuya. This district has a lot of shops and restaurants, and at night it looks like Times Square in New York City.
Shibuya at Night
Shibuya also has one of the busiest intersections in the world. There aren’t that many cars, but when the crosswalk light turns green about five thousand people cross in every direction.
You have to walk it to believe it
The best night out was when we went to karaoke in Roppongi. Japanese karaoke is much different than its American counterpart; no one gets up on a stage to embarrass themself. Instead, guests are given a private room and unlimited beverages for however long they pay to stay.
The private rooms keep the embarrassment factor down
There are thousands of songs available in English, including a plethora of American classics.
Kasey rocks out
Is this the reeeal life? Is this just fantasy?
Karaoke is a much bigger part of the culture in Japan than America. Satoko said she goes out once or twice a week for karaoke with her friends. It’s cool that going out at night in Japan revolves around more than just drinking, which is all too common in the United States.
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I thought that it was really interesting how throughout Tokyo, there didn’t really seem to be that many people from other countries. That is until the nightlife, then it completely changed and people came out from all over. It was also really different once we got to Osaka because it seemed like there were many more people from all over the world there. Maybe it was because of the difference between modern city and the historical sites?
The picture of Shibuya at night I think captures the beauty in the chaos really well. It was amazing how Shibuya looked so much like New York City, yet was so different. I don’t think I have ever seen so many people cross the street at the same time! Yet, it was still amazing how even with billions of people, everything seemed to have an order to it.
ps. the picture of me rocking out=awesome. Heck yeah karaoke!
Great post Jeff. You seemed to sum up the nightlife pretty well. I had a great time doing karaoke as well. I find it funny that it is in fact so much different than in America because in America karaoke is not such a big thing to do. Funny pictures too.
Nice post. You captured the essence of a lot of the things that were awesome about night life there, and not only that, you put in awesome pictures too. Definitely glad you included karaoke as it was pretty amazing. I never realized it would be so different from American karaoke. Your pictures do a good job of showing just how fun it was.
I liked Shibuya at night too. When we first went there or group kind of went past it and I did not think it was anything special. But than I went back at night and got to see the intersection all lit up. Karaoke was a lot of fun too. It was my first time going to one and I am glad I did, even though I did not sing. You also took some great pictures.
I couldn’t believe how busy Shibuya was. Everybody wanted to walk in every direction. I felt like I was in a cattle herd. I literally had to push and shove my way through in order to cross the street. There were also ads everywhere on everything. For me, it was a sensory overload.