Clubs and other hot spots in Japan

[sugarchula]

Hello, I'll be flying to Japan on vacation in September and I'm on the lookout for any underground rare hot spots in Tokyo and Kyoto. I'm definitely interested in lounges with great decor, cheap liqs in bars, exclusive shopping boutiques, etc. Any suggestions are appreciated

-s

[FRESH]

yes. Im flying out to japan today for 5 days and wanna know the ill underground bars, lounge, club, art shows ect also.

fresh

[djrajio]

Do you guys speak Japanese? If so, I can direct you to some ill places. Otherwise, you might be limited to the other foreigner areas in Tokyo and Kyoto. Although the club "World" in Kyoto is really nice as is "Metro" which is a club in the underground subway station. In Tokyo, I'd hit up "Womb" in Shibuya. Less foriegners and the best techno/dance music in Kanto region. Don't go to roppongi unless you want dirty old men and skank women. Unless ur into that kind of stuff, then its perfect. If ur into Hiphop, then go to Harlem, Vuenos, or Club Asia. Don't go to Atom, its just gyaru's and has little substance. On center-gai street, you might also want to check out The Pink Cow and Club Pure, both gaijin/foreigner bars but more of the people in-the-know and less of the skank (less but not totally un-skank). For Jazz check out Blue Note Tokyo. Peace~

[sugarchula]

I speak some Japanese...what other places could you suggest? Although, I may be considered a gaijin, I would love to check places with less gaijins. Thanks~

-s

[djrajio]

What are you into? Are you looking for expensive lounges? Trendy bars? Clubs? What type of music are you into or vibe u are looking for? In all honestly, if you look somewhat Japanese/Asian and can speak somewhat decent Japanese, the only stopping you is how much money you wanna spend. I'll be honest though, going through 100+ dollars in a night is usually the norm rather than exception. >_< But yeah, check out places that only Japanese hang out at, those are the most sincere places because they aren't there to "meet" foreigners and tend to be realer and the experience will be much more enjoyable. Gimme a little more information of what u are looking for and I'll help you out.

[sugarchula]

I'm not trying to gear towards expensive lounges as budget could be tight, but if it's a place worth going, please do recommend specifically. I'm open to anything as long as people/staff are cool and friendly and if the ambiance/place itself is unique. I'm more into dance, hiphop, r&b, reggae type of music. Any thoughts? Thanks!

-s

[djrajio]

One of the best clubs for underground/local hiphop, break-dancers, and reggae artists in Tokyo is called Club Citta in Kawasaki City. I can almost guarantee you that very few foreigners will be there but they always host the best underground/homegrown events for emerging artists. If you are into bars, I recommend Club Pure in Shibuya, only because its all you can drink and they have a good mix of foreigners and japanese, but I think the place might have gone down in quality. All the major "super" clubs in Tokyo will require you to pay around 30 bucks entrace fee w/ 2 drink included and drinks are 5 dollars a glass. But if you into going to one, I suggest Harlem in Shibuya cuz it has the best DJs, such as DJ Masterkey, DJ Watarai spinning on some nights. Also, the place has close connections with Nitro Microphone Underground crew, so sometimes some of the rappers come by and do impromptu sessions. There also seems to be a dance summit on 8/31 at Yokohama Matrix club. Apparently a lot of really famous crews will be performing as well as the R&B group L.L. Borthers. You might also want to check out Core in Roppongi, but its Roppongi so it all depends on the night. Others include Bay Hall in Yokohama, Basement Bar in Tokyo, Quattro in Shinsaibashi, Air in Shinjuku, Seco Bar in Shibuya...yeah too many. Mind you, you could always just go to a hole in the wall bar/pub and have a cheap and good ole' time. Peace!