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This is the most famous name in jazz clubs in a city that loves jazz as much as New York. It’s a second home to many fine musicians from America.
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This is a ‘gentleman’s club’, and three gents (or more), get a bottle of bubbly on the house.
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The lounge offers the finest views of Tokyo by night. By day, the imperial plaza below is still spectacular. Perhaps the best view above the tree line in all Tokyo.
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These bars—indeed, the club as a whole—are for members only, so you’ll have to cadge an invite. The FCCJ has a membership of 2,000 and the most gossipy souls aggregate here in the bars. Try Shimbun Alley on a Saturday night. The Main Bar has musicians changing all the time, also on Saturdays.
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Here is a joint with hostesses and dancers, but they’ve drawn limits: “No private or lap dancing”. This is a step up from your basic Roppongi strip joint. Look for a map in Metropolis or call the place for one.
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The ‘Lex’ is the haunt of legendary Bill Hersey, the only social columnist in town and the guy who looks after whoever is visiting, be it Clint Eastwood or Eric Clapton. The scrubby, down-at-heel Lex is itself the stuff of legends.
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In addition to the newly [open]ed restaurant, there’s a select bar in this horrendously ugly green glass new office building. Don’t judge the bar by the building. It’s quiet and tasteful, just don’t look for anything very ‘Roppongi’. This is the polite end.
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The design/ad agency/fashion publishing crowd gather here, all pretty much Japanese. To penetrate the side streets and get past those myriad neon signs, call for a map. You may still get lost on the way, but that’s part of the fun.
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This is more of a coffee bar with a stunning view than anything else, most of the day. Everything in Tokyo changed with the [open]ing of the Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills in 2003, and this is the perch from which to admire it.
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How the mighty fall! This used to be the smartest spot in the sky in Tokyo, and perhaps it still is, but we reckon that the action has moved on to Roppongi. If you’re staying at the hotel, it’s OK.
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Opinions are divided on this. Some find it hellishly noisy and the acoustics a disaster, others think that Roppongi Hills can do no wrong and this is a perfect place to find ‘dates’.
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This bar attracts a slightly older crowd. Good to settle down in this lil’ ol’ bar inhabited by the ghost of Frank Lloyd Wright, some of whose stones still decorate the place. Some find the ceiling too low and claustrophobic, others find it cosy.
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This used to be the ultimate watering hole for expats on the banking and brokering circuit, “What they laughingly call the Orchid Bar”, Lauren Bacall was heard to remark on an evening long past. These days, the stained glass decor looks tired—time for some redecoration.
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Do you want a quiet place to sit and chat with a date? Or do you want to drift in by yourself and not be bothered? This is a place for the designer crowd after midnight. That’s a fickle clientele, but for now, just for now, they’ve got it. Get that map faxed.
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Does everything revolve around Roppongi these days? If so, this is a prime suspect. This is a huge, booming, bustling barn of a place, with a massive dance floor and the noise level that’s required.
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