Kozue & New York Bar
Park Hyatt Tokyo, Shinjuku
When in Tokyo, a visit to the Park Hyatt offers two very popular bars with towering views from the 40th floor of the Shinjuki district. When the weather permits, it’s also possible to spot Mt Fuji in the distance. New York bar is a live-music venue, hosting top international jazz musicians nightly – while guests can sip on classic and contemporary cocktails. Meanwhile, Kozue, the hotel’s sake bar, has stylish dark wood interiors which creates a calming and subdued atmosphere in which to try any of the 15 different sakes on the list. If the setting and the hotel seems familiar, you may recognise Park Hyatt Tokyo as the hotel where the movie Lost in Translation starring Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray was filmed.
3-7-1-2 Nishi-Shinjuku,
Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo
High Five
Ginza
A small and intimate bar experience can be found at High Five, which overlooks the Ginza railway tracks. Background jazz music accompanies the highly creative and thoughtfully prepared cocktails for which the bar and its head mixologist Hidetsugo Ueno are renowned. Observe up close and personal the art of blending, pouring, mixing and temperature control of the artisan cocktails, with Japanese old classics and house specials. It’s a true show here as you await your special concoction at High Five.
4th floor, 26 Polestar Building, Tokyo
Bar and Lounge Majestic
Shiodome
With glass ceiling-to-floor windows, the Bar and Lounge Majestic in Shiodome is perched 250 metres above the ground offering very special views over Tokyo and Tokyo Tower. It’s part of the Fish Bank Tokyo restaurant where the oysters also have a reputation of their own.
41F Shiodome City Center
1-5-2 Higashi-Shimbashi,
Minato-ku, Tokyo
Star Bar
Ginza
If High Five is on the high side of Ginza, Star Bar is covertly tucked deep in basement room surrounds which is quite deliberately hard to find – but certainly well known among cocktail and whisky experts around the world. Just a handful of guests are permitted inside who usually pay a cover charge – with the intent being that the discerning patron will linger and savour their cocktails.
Sankosha Building B1F
1-5, 13 Ginza, Tokyo
Chinois
Shibuya
There’s a Chinois in Shibuya and also Ginza and they are some of the most popular wine bars in Tokyo. The cuisine is fused between Japanese and French flavours, with skilled sommeliers available to match to your dish from an extensive wine list with selections from around the globe. Their signature dish is foie gras donburi and they are also known for their weekend champagne brunches.
A2 Building 8F Udagawa-Cho 28-4,
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo