Tokyo’s drinking scene is one of the best in the world - here is our list of 10 nominees that stand out with their originality, quality and value to their respective neighbourhoods.
Last year’s winner. Besides the obvious high-class hotel hospitality, their signature Tokyo Station cocktail – mixed by ‘Master’ Hisashi Sugimoto, who's been with the hotel since 1958 – is superb.
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Watch the flamboyant cocktail-creating performance of Mr Hard Shake, or Kazuo Ueda, one of the most famous bartenders in Japan, at his very own simple but chic bar.
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A trifecta of rough stone, warm wood and faint light welcomes the thirsty to Hulotte – 'owl' in French – an Azabu watering hole with a unique atmosphere that perfectly suits lone imbibers.
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Run by Yuki Umemoto, this Kita-Senju bar gets its epithet from a Scottish liqueur that’s made from a whisky blend, honey, herbs and spices. It maintains a delightful shitamachi vibe but certainly doesn't skimp on quality, with some rather upscale appetisers available too.
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Seasonal cocktails are the speciality at Ishinohana, where owner Shinobu Ishigaki wields an array of fresh fruit and vegetables when creating his distinctive drinks, all in an atmosphere considerably less intimidating than at Ginza's bartending temples.
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Star Bar is bartender Hisashi Kishi's kingdom: a quiet basement spot on Namiki-dori, where everything – from the handcrafted ice cubes to the exclusive leather stools – exudes a desire for perfection, to the point that people are willing to queue for it.
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A hidden gem in Kagurazaka, the bartender here turns out exquisite gimlets that have become a public secret.
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The Mandarin Oriental Tokyo’s 38th-floor bar boasts great views of the city. The lounge aspect means it’s perfect for anything from a solitary drink to a date or a catch-up with friends.
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Fresh, seasonal fruit forms the basis for the cocktails at this classy bar. Always innovating, the bartenders here are what you'd call open-minded traditionalists, drawing on a strictly limited array of mixology approaches to give their concoctions a little extra fizz.
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Lupin is Japan’s most famous literary bar, having been loved by the literati of the Showa era and beyond. Have a Moscow Mule and slip back into a time-traveller’s trap of intelligentsia.
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