It’s a classic conundrum: a friend or colleague has arrived in Japan from overseas and wants to see the “real” Tokyo.
The skyscraper hotel, the karaoke session, the sushi meal, the shrine visit and the designer stores have all been diligently ticked off their To Do list – and now they want to explore the city after dark.
But where is best to take them among the countless bars that span the megalopolis for an only-in-Japan nightcap? The following three hidden Tokyo bars are places that will, without a doubt, hit the spot.
They may vary wildly in style, décor and ambiance, but they share one thing in common – they are home to talented new generation mixologists who serve up memorable drinks in a unique setting.
And perhaps even more importantly? They are all authentically Japanese but a little hidden, memorable without being mainstream – and, of course, quintessentially Tokyo.

Bar 1 -The whiskey bar: Cabin in Nakameguro

As chic and cosy as it sounds, Cabin is a small bar located along a quiet stretch of cherry tree lined Meguro River in the Nakameguro district.
It is home to a stylish wooden lodge-like interior with suitably edgy design details (picture a brick fireplace, leather chairs and trio of contemporary “taxidermy art” animal heads made from scrap metal on the wall). But its dimly-lit décor is not the only draw – perhaps most impressively, it has a 50-strong collection of whiskies plus a craft cocktail menu as delicious as it is innovative.
The bar is nirvana for Japanese whiskey lovers in particular: among its most prized bottles are Hibiki (21 years), Hakushu (18 years), Yamazaki (18 years) and Taketsuru (21 years). Meanwhile, its signature craft cocktail menu is no less eye-catching: highlights range from its tangy Kabosu (citrus fruit) gin and tonic to a Yamazaki Cooler with whiskey, ginger ale, soda and fresh lemon juice.
Craft beer lovers can also join in the fun, with brews cultivated by Shiga Kogen in Nagano Prefecture, also on the menu. A food menu also matches the warm décor, with hearty treats ranging from grilled ribeye with Bourbon butter and onion steak sauce to – a house special – Cabin’s original buffalo wings.

CABIN
101 1-10-23 Nakameguro Meguro Tokyo
http://www.cabintokyo.com/

Bar 2 – the absinthe bar: Bar Trench in Ebisu

There is one particular ingredient that steals the show at Bar Trench, an atmospheric, black-walled space filled with vintage artifacts and local hipsters on a quiet lane in the Ebisu district: namely, absinthe.
A carefully-curated selection of more than 20 types of famously potent absinthe can be found among its 200-plus collection of herbal liqueurs from around the world, as well as over 80 kinds of bitters.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the result is an impressive – and deeply unique – menu that is imaginative not only in content, but also in cocktail names. Among its many highlights? The Day the Earth Stood Still, a heady concoction inspired by a 1950s sci-fi film of the same name, containing a fusion of Pisco, dry Vermouth, beets cordial, lime, yoghurt and balsamico.
The bar is the brainchild of Rogerio Vas Igarashi, a Brazilian-Japanese mixologist whose moustachioed appearance is as quirkily refined as the old-fashioned yet edgy interior decor (look out for the pineapple artifacts, the 1950s teacups and the old-fashioned Swiss absinthe glass dispenser on the bar).
The cocktails may be painstakingly crafted but the atmosphere is perhaps more lively and party-like than in the other two bars on this list (bands have been known to climb onto a precarious raised platform above the bar and perform to the delight of cocktail-toasting revellers below).

BAR TRENCH
102 DIS Bldg 1-5-8 Ebisu-Nishi Shibuya Tokyo
http://small-axe.net/bar-trench/

Bar 3 – the tea cocktail bar: Sakurai Tea Experience in Aoyama

It’s all about tea at Sakurai Tea Experience, a serene, minimal contemporary teahouse hidden on the fifth floor of Aoyama’s Spiral Building – yes, even after dark.
The space is as eye-catching as the menu: created by Tokyo-based Simplicity design studio, it is a calming haven of clean lines and natural materials of wood and copper, with a wall of windows framing urban views.
Centre stage is a counter, behind which Shinya Sakurai – a dedicated tea lover on a mission to rival the saturated craft coffee world – prepares, with ritual precision, a selection of around 30 Japanese teas, some straight, some blended with seasonal fruits such as yuzu, some roasted on site.
And best of all? As the sun lowers in the sky, the menu segues smoothly from daytime tea appreciation to carefully-crafted tea cocktails as the space transforms into an intimate after-dark bar.
His original cocktail menu includes an alchemic assortment of tea fused with sake, gin, rum and vodka among others. And so there is Hoshiko with Sun Rouge, a distinctly pink fusion of plum wine infused with Sun Rouge tealeaves; while another drink is made up of a heady blend of Iribancha – a roasted green tea from the Kyoto area – and Japanese whiskey. (Quick tip: my personal favourite? His refreshingly tasty sencha green tea and gin cocktail).

SAKURAI Japanese Tea Experience
5F Spiral Bldg 5-6-23 Minami-Aoyama Minato Tokyo
B1 Omotesando Station (Tokyo metro)

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Danielle Demetriou

British writer who moved from London to Tokyo in 2007. She is a correspondent for the UK Daily Telegraph newspaper and her articles about Japanese lifestyle, travel and design have appeared in numerous magazines, including Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, Kinfolk, Departures, Monocle, Conde Nast Traveller, Wallpaper* etc.