TOKYO GUIDES
VIEW ALL GUIDES →OPEN BARS (25)
Jet Bar
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
A visual anomaly among metal bars. While most are painted black or red, Jet Bar is Hot Orange with a black-and-white checkered floor, evoking 1970s psychedelic/hard rock aesthetic (think A Clockwork Orange meets Led Zeppelin).
Moonstep
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Primarily a live house hosting underground punk and hardcore bands, but the 2nd-floor pub is a destination in itself. Wooden, creaky, DIY aesthetic feels like a squat or punk house in London or Berlin.
From Dusk Till Dawn Shinjuku
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Lively rock & metal open-mic bar with cave-like interior, projector, karaoke and full backline of instruments.
Poor Cow
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Royalty in the global Garage Punk world. Owned by Fifi, a member of the legendary Japanese punk band Teengenerate (and later Firestarter/Tweezers). In the 1990s, Teengenerate spearheaded the "Tokyo Garage" sound that influenced bands worldwide. For fans of this scene (Guitar Wolf, The 5.6.7.8's), this bar is a mandatory pilgrimage.
Thirteen Deathmatch in Hell
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Infamously named rock/metal bar in Golden Gai, now often packed with tourists.
Grandfather's
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Celebrating over 50 years of operation, Grandfather's pioneered a specific style of DJing in Tokyo: the "One Song, One Record" method. The Master selects a 7-inch or LP, plays a single track, and then physically changes the record. This originated in 1971 when university students started the bar to play the American records they loved.
Kenzo's Bar
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
In the ecosystem of Golden Gai, the personality of the Master is often the primary product. Kenzo's Bar is the archetype of this model. Owned by actor and screenwriter Kenzo Takamune, the bar is a reflection of his extroverted persona. The decor is aggressive: leopard print wallpaper covers the entire interior.
Never Never Land
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
More than a bar; a political and cultural institution. Became the headquarters for the "Save Shimokitazawa" movement, a grassroots campaign that fought against the government's plan to bulldoze the neighborhood for a highway. The owner, Kenji Shimodaira, is a key community figure.
Rock Bar Gravity
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Hard-rock bar with indigo lighting, stage and owner's 50-guitar collection; hosts bimonthly live events.
Music Bar ROCKAHOLIC (Shibuya)
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
DJ-driven basement bar playing diverse rock, punk and metal; free song requests and weekly themed events.
J-Juke80's
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Captures the rock/pop essence of 1980s Japan (The "Bubble Era"). The golden age of J-Rock bands like BOØWY, Rebecca, and The Blue Hearts. Part of Nakano's high density of "Showa Retro" bars, serving as the musical anchor of this trend.
Punk Cats
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Hidden in the streets towards Shin-Koenji, often listed as "Punk Cats: Wagamama na Yatsura" (Selfish Guys). A true hole-in-the-wall representing "Snack Bar" culture evolved into punk. Watering hole for local band members after practice at nearby studios like Sound Studio Dom.
Rock Bar Crawdaddy Club
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Basement classic-rock bar listed among Shinjuku's top rock spots.
Orange Room
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Rock-themed bar-restaurant noted for classic-rock playlist and good food.
GODZ
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Basement heavy-metal & hard-rock bar with loud CD/DVD playlist, large-screen videos and two-room layout including a small live floor.
Hair Of the Dogs
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Tiny Golden Gai punk-rock bar with luchador décor; cover charge lets patrons pick tracks from a punk-subgenre menu.
BAR PSY
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Cozy café-bar spinning western rock, punk, rockabilly and metal; DJ requests encouraged.
Rock Bar BAUHAUS
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Live house where in-house band plays five sets of classic-rock/heavy-metal covers nightly; patrons may request songs.
Rock Bar MOTHER
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Small cave-like classic-rock / punk / metal bar; customers choose CDs (two song requests per drink).
Little Soul Cafe
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
A haven for the "Rare Groove" movement representing the crate-digger culture of Shimokitazawa where record stores and bars feed into each other. The defining feature is the sheer volume of vinyl: over 14,000 records line every inch of the walls.
Locohead
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Bridges the gap between a specialized rock bar and a cheap Japanese izakaya. Serves the working-class punk musician. DIY aesthetic with band stickers, flyers for local gigs. The signature dish "Biafra" (named after Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys) is a spicy fan favorite.
Guinea Pig
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Horror-themed goth-metal bar with eccentric atmosphere and humorous owner.
Albatross
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
A bridge between the rock scene and the art world, Albatross occupies a narrow three-story structure in Golden Gai rumored to have been a brothel in a past life. The owners lean into this with a decadent "Taisho Roman" aesthetic featuring crystal chandeliers, stag heads, disco balls, and red velvet linings. One of the few Golden Gai bars with a rooftop terrace offering views of the Shinjuku skyline.
B.Y.G
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Arguably the most historically significant rock venue in Tokyo. Opened in 1969 at the violent height of Tokyo's student movement and counter-culture explosion, it served as a liberated zone for the "New Music" generation. The building itself is a time capsule: a multi-story fortress with a spiral staircase, sepia-toned lighting, and walls covered in decades of graffiti and signatures from musicians.
Comrade
🇯🇵Tokyo, Japan
Stands out in the analog world of rock bars by integrating technology. Recognizes that modern rock culture is visual—music videos and live footage as important as audio. Dominated by a 110-inch screen with smartphone terminal allowing customers to request music videos via YouTube.