Shinjuku after midnight

Filed under food, nightlife · about 6 min read

We landed at Haneda at 6pm, dropped the bags at a small hotel five minutes from the south exit of Shinjuku station and walked straight into the crowd. Jet lag is easier to ignore when everything around you is glowing.

Omoide Yokocho

Also known by a less polite nickname, this is a pair of narrow lanes next to the tracks, full of tiny grills. Most places seat six to ten people. We tried three that were full, then a man waved us into the fourth — two stools free, a menu written only in Japanese, and a chef who pointed at things until we nodded.

Order the tsukune and whatever the person next to you is having.

Chicken skin, chicken heart, shiitake, leek, a cold beer, and a bill that was smaller than lunch at the airport. We tried to find the same place two nights later and couldn't.

Golden Gai

Two hundred bars in six alleys, many with a cover charge and room for five. Some are friendly to visitors, some are clearly regulars-only — the sign on the door usually tells you which. We ended up in a film-themed bar where the owner played old Kurosawa soundtracks from vinyl.

Small things

• The view from the free observation deck at the Metropolitan Government Building is great at night.
• Convenience-store egg sandwiches are as good as everyone says.
• The station has more than 200 exits. Pick a meeting point by exit name, not "the station".