Host And Hostess Clubs
Aside from a handful of well-publicised hotel bars, the city’s dense maze of must-visit drinking dens can be quite intimidating to navigate, especially for inevitably overwhelmed and overstimulated Westerners. One of the top cocktail bars in the upscale Ginza neighborhood of Tokyo, Bar High Five is a tiny space on the 4th floor of an office building where Hidetsugu Ueno crafts exquisite cocktails. There's no menu, Hidetsugu simply asks for your tastes and will make you something accordingly. Packed to the brim with bars, clubs, and all-night revelers, Roppongi is without a doubt one of Tokyo’s most famous nightlife districts.
Located on the Ginza Corridor, a street containing a string of restaurants and bars between JR Yurakucho and Shimbashi stations, this location — while featuring the same prices and menu as the other two bars — is known for its nightlife. Head out a little later in the evening to Ginza 300 Bar 8-Chome and you will be able to not only eat and drink for just ¥300 but also enjoy live music events almost every night, with sets by regularly performing DJs and artists! Meet your friends and enjoy a premium cocktail or two together before heading out to dance the night away. Shuzo Nagumo of Tokyo’s Codename bar group agrees, citing the fresh fruit cocktail movements beginning between 2007 and 2009. Nagumo opened his first drinking den, Codename Mixology, shortly after Bar Orchard in 2009. “Ten years ago, when we started our business, nobody used fresh fruits for cocktails, except for lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit,†says Sumire.
The modern host club is a similar type of establishment where primarily male staff attend to women. Host and hostess clubs are considered part of mizu shÅbai (literally "water trade"), the night-time entertainment business in Japan. Their menu includes authentic and creative mixology cocktails, Japanese wines, soft drinks such as milk shakes for those who do not care for alcohol, as well as and using an abundance of domestic raclette cheese. As this bar is small, reservations are required for 4 or more people.
Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo offers a unique local bar and restaurant experience. Featuring a relaxed environment for handcrafted cocktails and a contemporary menu with locally sourced ingredients, the restaurant and bar serve local favorites with a twist for those food and drink-centric travelers. Start your days of exploration here with a daily buffet and delectable locally inspired creations, or end it with a drink or two by the bar. From rock-and-roll dives and swish 銀座 cocktail emporiums to 500-bottle strong whisky libraries stashed away in nondescript office buildings, Tokyo’s bar scene has long set the global nightlife standard.
Hostesses often drink with customers each night, and alcohol problems are fairly common. These problems are derived from mass consumption of alcohol by which many consequences may arise. Most bars use a commission system by which hostesses receive a percentage of sales. For example, a patron purchases a $20 drink for the hostess, these are usually non-alcoholic concoctions like orange juice and ginger ale, and the patron has purchased the hostess's attention for the subsequent 30–45 minutes. The hostess then splits the proceeds of the sale with the bar 50/50. The light or no alcohol content of the drinks maximizes profits and ensures that the hostess does not become intoxicated after only a short time at work. They employ primarily female staff and cater to men seeking drinks and attentive conversation.
A high-class venue with dim lighting and bar tenders decked out in dashing white suits, the pressure’s on to dress to impress at Y & M Kisling. The fruit-based cocktails are divine, as are the classics, all of which are prepared with skill and precision before your eyes. Japan’s first cocktail bar dates back to Yokohama during the late 19th century, says Gen Yamamoto, the owner of his namesake bar in Akasaka.