12 Best Bars in Shinjuku, Tokyo

Many great gay nights out begin at this welcoming street-corner bar, which is hard to miss because of its torii shrine gate and all the patrons spilling out onto the street. This is the perfect place to put back a few cocktails, meet new people, and get a feeling for where to go next. The crowd is mixed, with locals and visitors mingling for hours or just meeting up for a quick drink.

Cheap and cheesy, Arty Farty is hit or miss. It's a good spot to go with a group of friends to kind of take over the place. Or it might be a nice spot for single travelers to find a group of like-minded folks. Be ready to pay to get in, though this cover charge does include a drink.

An eclectic clientele is drawn to this tiny, artsy bar decorated with gilt-framed paintings, deer heads, and numerous chandeliers. Luckily, its sign will light your way in Golden-Gai's tiny alleys.

Though there's jazz here most nights, on Friday evenings, the basement of this club is the place to be for nearby, sister-property Jazz Spot Intro's jam sessions. You can enjoy Tokyo's take on Italian food while you're waiting for the music to start.

This venerable bar claims to be Shinjuku's oldest—established in 1951—and has hosted actors and filmmakers like Yukio Mishima and Akira Kurosawa among many other luminaries. It's also one of several bars that claim to have invented the popular chu-hai cocktail (shochu, a distilled grain spirit, with juice and soda). The atmosphere is vibrant, the four floors are almost always packed, and food is served. There is a small outdoor seating area, but keep in mind that smoking is allowed in some areas.

This might be Tokyo's swankiest gay lounge—just over-the-top enough to put you in the mood for a great night out. It hosts a variety of DJs, as well as nights with go-go boys, and the staff will whip you up a cocktail as soon as you can make your way to the bar.

Claiming to be the one of the friendliest bars in the neighborhood, GB has been a fixture in the Ni-chome gay district for decades. On weekends, rather quiet and reserved gentlemen, mostly in their thirties and forties, gather around the wooden bar, and it is also quite popular among foreign residents and visitors—especially before a night out.

With vintage lamps and a café-like ambience, this is a relaxed, cozy bar for women. Men accompanied by women are welcome on most days, but Saturday is a women-only night. The location on a lively corner in the center of the Ni-chome LGBTQ+ area makes it another good starting point for a night out. It also hosts events that you might want to stay for.

This could very well be the world's smallest jazz club. An evening here is like listening to live jazz in your living room. Live acts are trios at most, with no space for a full set of drums or amplifiers. Simple, homemade Japanese cooking (free of charge) helps make this a truly intimate experience. With 10 seats and no standing allowed, reservations are recommended. Entry costs ¥3,500–¥4,500.

This small basement jazz joint hosts many up-and-coming acts from around Tokyo nightly. Though these jam sessions often don't cost more than the price of a drink; other nights, when well-known acts are playing, there's a cover charge. Either way, this place provides some of the best jazz experiences in Tokyo, particularly during Saturday evening jam sessions. A Friday night jam session and other events are held at its sister location, the Cotton Club, which has more space and serves Italian food.

Covered in Euro-cinema posters and named after a French movie, La Jetée is a tiny bar, which makes conversing (in Japanese, French, or English) a challenge. To find it, look for the he cats painted on the door, and head up the narrow staircase. If you can't find it, Golden Gai has hundreds of other equally quirky and hard-to-find places you might stumble upon.

They say that most major jazz musicians have played at least once in this classic Tokyo club now tucked into a basement. It stages mostly mainstream fare with the odd foray into the avant-garde. The emphasis here is strictly on jazz—and the place resembles a small concert hall. Entry runs ¥3,000 in the evenings and includes a drink. Some shows are pricier, and you might want a reservation.