Enjoy Japan's Nightlife Like a Local with TOMOGO!’s Bar-Hopping Tours
In a more reserved society such as Japan’s, social drinking is a way to encourage free and open conversations without too much regard for hierarchy or prior familiarity. Japanese people even have a word for it: “nomunication,” a combination of the Japanese word “nomu” (“to drink”) and the English word “communication.” Izakaya pubs are aplenty all over Japan, unwinding with drinks after work is a common pastime, and nomikai (drinking parties) are commonly held to celebrate special occasions and milestones such as the launching of a new project.
With social drinking playing such an important role in Japanese culture and society, a bar-hopping tour is a great way to experience Japan for both first-timers and repeat visitors. It’s an opportunity to visit popular spots and best-kept local secrets alike, to sample Japanese alcoholic drinks and dishes, and to do as Japanese people do by engaging in some nomunication.
If you’ve ever wanted to experience Japan’s izakaya culture without the awkwardness of not knowing what to do or order, and/or visit bars and izakayas that aren’t the usual chain brands, you’re in luck! TOMOGO’s selection of local-led walking tours also includes bar crawls across Japan’s prime nightlife spots. Read on to learn more about our bar-hopping tours.
Why Go Bar-Hopping with TOMOGO?
At TOMOGO!, we leave it to locals—be it Japanese guides who’ve lived in the same area all their life, or long-term foreign residents who are well-integrated into their communities—to lead our tours. After all, we believe that locals know their areas best.
For our Japan bar-hopping tours, our guides are all fun-loving young Japanese who love to drink and party, and are thus well-versed with the city’s izakaya and bar scene. Though our tours are held in well-known tourist districts such as Tokyo's Shinjuku and Shibuya, trust our guides to take you to their favorite watering holes beyond the popular spots.
(Of course, you will at least pass through the popular spots, making these tours suitable for first-time visitors to Japan—but still fun enough for repeat visitors!)
As our bar-hopping tours do not follow a fixed itinerary, your guides will pick the perfect izakayas and bars for you based on the vibe you’re looking for and other preferences. Forget about booking a place on your own and worrying whether it will live up to its hype online; your guides will select establishments that they can personally vouch for.
What’s more, depending on your group’s mood for the night, who knows: perhaps you might start out in, say, bustling Shibuya, but move to a more low-key izakaya a few stations away. One thing’s for sure: no two nights are ever exactly the same on our bar-hopping tours!
Most importantly, the human touch is what makes all the difference on our tours. You’ll not only learn how to enjoy an izakaya like a local, but also spend your night out with fantastic company, leaving you with irreplaceable memories.
What to Expect on a TOMOGO! Bar-Hopping Tour
At TOMOGO!, our bar-hopping tours generally last for about four hours. To ensure that everyone has a good time, we keep our group sizes small. Start the night by meeting in or right outside the nearest station; your guide will message you which exit or landmark to gather at.
After walking through the area to see some of its iconic landmarks, indulge in dinner and drinks at a local izakaya. Then, head to another bar or pub selected by your guide depending on how you and your group are feeling after dinner. Enjoy lively conversations and get to know your group better over drinks and quick bites, before finally wrapping up the night by returning to the nearest station. On the walk back, you’ll receive further travel advice and recommendations from our local experts to help you get the most out of your trip to Japan.
4 TOMOGO! Bar-Hopping Tours to Book
Whether you’re a solo traveler seeking new friends while visiting, or a group of friends looking to hang out with the locals, you’re guaranteed a memorable night out on a bar-hopping tour with TOMOGO!. Here are four bar-hopping tours that you can book with us, all taking place in Tokyo, the dynamic, vibrant city that never sleeps. Expect more bar-hopping tours in other Japanese cities to be added soon!
1. Shinjuku: Bar Hopping & Neon Backstreet Tour
Though Golden Gai may instantly come to mind when it comes to drinking spots in Shinjuku, let our local experts take you past this now-world-famous drinking alley, to hole-in-the-wall places tucked away in Shinjuku’s back streets. By the end of the night, you’ll have learned that there's so much more to Shinjuku’s drinking scene!
2. Shibuya: Bar Hopping with Locals
Walk past the ever-busy Shibuya Scramble Crossing and the shop-lined Center-Gai Street to enjoy great food, drinks, and conversation at bars and pubs hidden in relatively quieter alleyways. There's no way you'll get lost with a guide helping you navigate this bustling area and pointing out recommended establishments along the way.
3. Asakusa Nightlife: Bar Hopping Through the City's Pulse
Though Asakusa may be better known for daytime activities such as visiting the famous Sensoji Temple and Nakamise-dori Street, some of its back streets can also be quite vibrant at night, thanks to establishments that stay open well past 6:00 PM! Hit Asakusa's izakayas with a TOMOGO! local expert, and who knows; you might be able to try lesser-known Tokyo specialties like monjayaki, a savory pancake-like dish that's similar to okonomiyaki.
4. Ueno: Bar Hopping in Old Tokyo
Like Asakusa, Ueno is another Tokyo district that tourists usually visit during daytime. See Ueno in another light on a bar-hopping tour with us, as our guides take you to bars and pubs with a more local and retro vibe, where you might find yourself sitting so closely next to other patrons—and maybe even strike up conversations with them!
If none of these tours are up your alley, stay tuned for more Japan bar-hopping tours, book an early-evening time slot for our Omakase Tokyo tour and leave it to us to plan the perfect bar-hopping adventure for you, or contact us for more information on customized tours!
