Three Reasons Why MagicalTrip's Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour is Popular!
Shinjuku is home to one of Japan's largest entertainment districts. People from all over Japan and worldwide visit daily, with Shinjuku Station holding the world record for daily passenger traffic at approximately 2.7 million people.
In Shinjuku, visitors can enjoy nighttime bar hopping and exploring restaurants serving exquisite cuisine. It's also recommended to stroll through different areas of the district, each with its unique atmosphere and characteristics.
MagicalTrip's tokyo bar hopping night tour offers these experiences with local guides who introduce visitors to hidden gems and locations known only to locals.
In this article, we'll introduce one of MagicalTrip's most popular tours: the Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour in Shinjuku.
We'll explain in detail why this tour is popular and what makes it attractive. Later in the article, we'll also introduce MagicalTrip's tours in other Tokyo areas like Shibuya, Harajuku, and Ueno.
Please use this article as a reference to choose the perfect tour to enhance your Shinjuku & Tokyo sightseeing experience.
What is MagicalTrip's "Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour"?
The Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour by MagicalTrip is a drink & food tour that takes you to about three carefully selected bars and izakayas in various Tokyo neighborhoods. These tours are conducted in popular nightlife areas like Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ueno.
At each bar and izakaya, participants enjoy alcoholic beverages and delicious meals. Each neighborhood where the tour takes place has its own unique characteristics. The guides carefully select establishments where you can enjoy local specialty dishes and experience the authentic atmosphere of each area.
A distinctive feature is that these are small-group tours, allowing participants to spend time with guides and other group members in a friendly atmosphere. The tours are designed to let you experience Japanese drinking culture while enjoying dinner and drinks with locals.
Details of “Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour”
Bar hopping (hashigo-zake) is an essential part of Japanese drinking culture. So what exactly is bar hopping in Japan?
What is Bar Hopping?
Bar hopping refers to visiting multiple bars in one night to enjoy drinks. In Japan, particularly when going to izakayas, it's common to visit several establishments in one evening. This is called "hashigo-zake" in Japanese. Typically, people spend anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours at each establishment.
The advantage of hashigo-zake is that you can experience various types of establishments. Even within the same area, you'll find izakayas that specialize in different things - some known for their excellent food, others for their reasonable prices, stylish atmosphere, or lively ambiance.
The food served with drinks, called "otsumami," also varies by establishment, from traditional Japanese dishes to Western-style cuisine.
Experiencing different atmospheres, meals, and drinks while moving from place to place is an important aspect of Japanese drinking culture.
MagicalTrip offers these bar hopping tours to help visitors experience authentic local nightlife in Japan.
What is MagicalTrip?
MagicalTrip is a company that provides local guide-led tours in Japan.
Key features of MagicalTrip tours:
- Travel experiences that deeply immerse you in local culture
- Guidance from local experts who know their area intimately
- Unique experiences in places not found in guidebooks
MagicalTrip is not your typical group tour that simply visits tourist spots. The guides, with their extensive local knowledge, take you to both famous attractions and local hangouts. The greatest appeal of MagicalTrip is the opportunity to deeply integrate with local communities and experience unique moments that regular tourists cannot access.
MagicalTrip offers many comprehensive tours at reasonable prices. The convenient online booking and payment system makes it easy to arrange your tour. Additionally, their customer support is available in five languages, ensuring peace of mind regarding service quality.
Why is the "Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour" by MagicalTrip So Popular? 3 Key Reasons
Among MagicalTrip's various offerings, the Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour in Shinjuku is particularly popular.
On this tour, you'll explore nighttime Shinjuku with your guide, visiting three recommended bars and izakayas.
Let's examine the three main reasons for this tour's popularity in detail.
Access to "True Hidden Gems" That Tourists Rarely Find
The Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour is popular because guides take you to exceptional establishments in Shinjuku that tourists would struggle to find on their own.
Shinjuku is Japan's largest nightlife district, home to countless restaurants and bars. Many venues are small, intimate establishments with wonderful atmosphere.
Particularly in areas like Omoide Yokocho near the West Exit and Golden Gai near Kabukicho, you'll find rows of traditional small bars. These establishments offer delicious food and drinks at reasonable prices.
Many of these places have unique atmospheres where regulars and visitors often socialize and drink together.
Through this tour, you can easily access these hidden gems that would be difficult to discover otherwise.
Expert Local Guides Select the Best Venues
Furthermore, the guides know Shinjuku inside and out. From chain establishments to small independent shops, they carefully select and introduce you to the best venues among Shinjuku's countless bars and izakayas.
While Shinjuku's popular spots are often fully booked at night, the tour ensures smooth entry through advance reservations.
The bar hopping tour in Shinjuku also specially accommodates vegetarian menu options. While vegetarian and vegan options are still relatively rare in Japanese restaurants, you won't have to worry about this on the tour.
Note that vegetarian menu availability varies by location. If you're planning to participate in other areas, please check the tour overview page before booking.
Guides provide detailed explanations of each venue's menu and their recommendations. You can enjoy the best food and drinks in Shinjuku at prices much lower than usual.
5 Attractions of the Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour by MagicalTrip
The Tokyo Bar Hopping Night Tour offers five fascinating highlights. For instance, you can enjoy carefully selected exquisite dishes and drinks while learning about Japanese drinking culture from your guide, including proper izakaya etiquette. The tour offers numerous benefits, such as opportunities to befriend locals and safely enjoy Shinjuku's nightlife.
Let's explore these five points in detail.
Experiencing Japanese Drinking Culture While Enjoying Delicious Food and Drinks
On this tour, you can experience unique Japanese drinking culture while savoring excellent dishes at Shinjuku's izakayas and bars.
An izakaya is a Japanese-style pub aimed at casual diners. The main appeal of izakayas is their affordable yet delicious food served alongside drinks.
Dishes served with alcohol are called "otsumami" (appetizers). Every izakaya offers a wide variety of otsumami, including standard menu items like sashimi, salads, karaage (fried chicken), yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), pizza, and fried rice.
Many establishments offer dozens of additional menu items, including meat and fish dishes. It's common practice to order large plates and share them among friends as appetizers.
During the tour, you'll experience these fundamental aspects of izakaya culture, including appetizers and proper toasting etiquette. Your guide will thoroughly explain each cultural element and answer any questions you may have.
Exploring Shinjuku with Experienced Guides
The tour features experienced guides who possess extensive knowledge about ensuring tourists enjoy their night in Shinjuku.
What I found particularly interesting was how guides incorporate quizzes and teach Japanese drinking games to enhance the experience. This helps improve group dynamics and may even lead to interactions with other customers at the establishments.
Guides also provide detailed explanations about cuisine, food culture, and sake. Additionally, Shinjuku is a historic area with distinct characteristics in different districts. Ask about interesting stories, such as how Omoide Yokocho, an alley lined with retro bars, evolved into its current form.
Opportunities to Meet Locals at Authentic Establishments
Shinjuku attracts people from all over Tokyo. Many who work nearby or simply love drinking in Shinjuku have their favorite regular spots.
The tour visits these local hotspots. From personal experience, it's not uncommon to befriend people drinking at the same or neighboring tables, especially in the intimate establishments of Omoide Yokocho.
Tokyo residents are most friendly when they're at izakayas. With the guide's assistance, don't hesitate to interact with locals despite any language barriers. You're guaranteed to have an enjoyable time drinking together.
Safely Explore Potentially Dangerous Nighttime Shinjuku
While Japan is known for its safety, Shinjuku at night does present certain risks. In areas and establishments that tourists should avoid, there are risks of being overcharged or getting involved in troublesome situations.
Guides who know Shinjuku well can lead you to local establishments while avoiding dangerous areas.
The tokyo bar hopping night tour by MagicalTrip includes visits to establishments in Kabukicho. Some streets in the Kabukicho area are crowded and feature aggressive solicitation for restaurants and bars. It's somewhat challenging for tourists to safely explore this area alone at night.
With a tour, you can walk safely with a guide while moving between establishments. If you're visiting Shinjuku for the first time, we highly recommend joining a tour first.
All-Inclusive, So You Can Join Empty-Handed
This tour includes sufficient alcohol and dinner-worthy food for an enjoyable night out. Therefore, you can easily participate without bringing anything.The tour includes 2 drinks at the first establishment, all-you-can-drink at the second, and 1 drink at the final stop. You can enjoy cold beer, sake, and shochu at each location.
Additionally, at Japanese izakayas, we recommend trying "chuhai" - shochu mixed with soda or juice. Recently, uniquely Japanese flavors like green tea highball and yuzu sour have become extremely popular among international tourists. I personally love drinking umeshu, an alcohol made from plums.
Furthermore, look forward to delicious meals at the izakayas visited during the tour. The tour includes three selected local dishes such as yakitori, gyoza, meat dishes, fish dishes, grilled vegetables, and tofu dishes.
At the end of the tour, if you wish, you can remain at the final bar to continue enjoying yourself.
We recommend thoroughly enjoying a night in Shinjuku, the city that never sleeps.
MagicalTrip Offers Other Popular Tours for Tourists
So far, we've introduced MagicalTrip's popular tokyo bar hopping night tour in Shinjuku. MagicalTrip offers various other tours that are extremely popular among tourists visiting Japan.
MagicalTrip provides various types of tours including bar hopping tours, strolling tours, food tours, and cultural experience tours. Historical tours visiting ancient shrines and temples in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka are also popular.
Here, we'll introduce 5 popular tours that let you enjoy other attractive Tokyo areas besides Shinjuku - Shibuya, Akihabara, Ueno, Harajuku, and a sumo culture tour in Ryogoku. We'll explain each tour's overview, attractive points, and important notes. Please make good use of these tours to enjoy Tokyo's distinctive neighborhoods.
Shibuya Bar Hopping Night Tour in Tokyo
This bar hopping tour takes place in Shibuya, the center of Tokyo's youth culture. First, meet your guide at the famous Hachiko dog statue, take a brief stroll through Shibuya, then visit a total of three establishments including izakayas and pubs to enjoy dinner and drinks.
The highlight of this tour is discovering hidden gems where you can enjoy delicious meat dishes with your drinks in Shibuya. In this neighborhood full of popular restaurants, you can enjoy specially selected Japanese meat dishes like teppanyaki and meat sushi.
If you want to enjoy Shibuya, one of Tokyo's main entertainment districts alongside Shinjuku, this is a highly recommended tour.
My personal recommendation is the nighttime scenery of Shibuya, with its glowing neon buildings and unique atmosphere around the Scramble Crossing. Please pay attention to these while walking around.
・Meeting point: Under the TSUTAYA sign at QFRONT, 21-6 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
・Tour area: Throughout Shibuya
・Start times: 18:00, 19:00
Akihabara Anime & Gaming Adventure Tour
This tour offers an immersive experience into Akihabara's anime and gaming culture. During this 3-hour adventure, you'll visit anime and game figure shops, retro gaming stores, arcades featuring "purikura" (decorated photo booths), and maid cafes. Just like our tokyo bar hopping night tour by MagicalTrip, this tour is expertly curated to give you the best experience possible.
The highlight of this tour is the efficient exploration of Akihabara, the holy land of anime culture. In fact, many of Akihabara's most interesting anime shops and spots are not easily visible from the outside, and they're scattered throughout the area. This makes it time-consuming for tourists to explore the district on their own.
By joining this tour, you can visit Akihabara's best spots within just 3 hours. This popular tour is perfect for both devoted anime and game fans and those who want to experience Akihabara's unique culture for the first time.
At the maid cafe, you can even take photos with the maids (cafe staff dressed as cosplay housemaids)!
- Meeting point: In front of the ticket office right outside the Electric Town exit of JR Akihabara Station, 1 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Tour area: Throughout Akihabara
- Start time: 14:00
(The cafe visited may change depending on circumstances.)
All-You-Can-Drink Bar Hopping Tour in Ueno
This bar hopping tour lets you experience the retro downtown atmosphere of Ueno in Taito Ward. The tour includes visits to two izakayas (Japanese pubs) and a local ramen shop. Alcohol and dinner-equivalent food are included in the tour price.
The highlight of this tour is the opportunity to fully enjoy drinking in Ueno, an area famous for its concentration of bars. At the second establishment, you'll experience the "nomihodai" (all-you-can-drink) system common in Japanese izakayas, where you can order unlimited drinks within a set time period.
Bar hopping through several izakayas and ending the night with ramen is a quintessential part of Japanese drinking culture. The tour concludes with a visit to an excellent ramen shop. The ramen tastes especially delicious after a fun night of drinking, so don't miss this experience!
The Ueno tour is perfect for those who want to enjoy drinks in a lively, down-to-earth atmosphere with a retro downtown vibe. It's one of MagicalTrip's most popular tours with high satisfaction ratings. Since it's close to Asakusa, we recommend joining this tour if you're planning to visit this area.
- Meeting point: In front of the Ueno Object at Ueno Station Hirokoji Exit, Atre Ueno WEST, 7-1-1 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Tour area: Ueno Ameyoko and throughout Ueno
- Start time: 18:00