Evening Tour of Kabukicho and Shinjuku Golden Gai with Bar Experience

Explore the legendary back alleys, drinking dens and street food of Tokyo’s Shinjuku and Kabuchiko neighborhoods, enjoying a visual and culinary feast of sensations along the way. This nighttime adventure into Tokyo’s fascinating neon underbelly is a great opportunity to dig deeper into the legendary nightlife and food culture of modern Japan.

Meet up with your guide in the early evening at the Keio Plaza Hotel, continuing to the shopping section of Shinjuku, where you can explore the area’s mish-mash of trendy boutiques and fascinating shops of subculture fashions. Then head over to the Suehirotei Vaudeville Theater, one of the country’s most prestigious, before proceeding to the Hanazono Shrine, to admire its candle-lit interior and architecture, which dates to the mid-17th century.

From there you’ll continue on to the Golden Gai, a fun-filled area on the eastern edge of Shinjuku that’s home to hundreds of miniscule bars, each of which can hold no more than a handful of patrons. Stop by an izakaya, Japanese -style bar, and enjoy 1 complimentary drink. Then continue your walk with a visit to Kabuchiko district, home to a warren of streets packed with Japanese “salary men” in dark suits on the prowl food, drink and other pleasures of the night. The air is thick with the chants of touts looking to lure customers behind the closed doors of this area’s many risqué establishments.

Conclude your wanderings with a stop at Omoide Yokocho a picturesque street lined with traditional wooden shacks that are home to a variety of restaurants and bars. It’s a taste of old-world Tokyo from the 1940s, a time when the area’s dimly-lit streets were filled with black marketeers and intrigue. Feel free to enjoy drinks or dinner at one of the many restaurants at your own leisure. Your tour concludes back at the Keio Plaza Hotel.