Looking to relax and party in Tokyo? You have no end of options. Every neighborhood in the sprawling metropolis is host to a number of cozy establishments where you can drink everything from sake to craft cocktails. (or, hey, a sake cocktail!)
A review company recently put out its list of the top 10 most popular areas for getting your drink on in Tokyo. What’s surprising is not which spots made the list, but which prominent location did not.
The top 10 drinking neighborhoods in Tokyo
The report comes from HotPepper, a popular shop search and review application. HotPepper runs the survey every year. This year, they went into even more detail, breaking down popular locations by their objectives, such as “date night” or “girls’ night out.”
The survey was conducted among 7,500 respondents per month between April 2024 and March 2025. According to HotPepper, the three important criteria people had in evaluating drinking spots were:
- Proximity to work
- Value
- Exceptional atmosphere (popular, stylish)
Looking at the overall stats, the number one winner, for the sixth year in a row, was Shinjuku. This shouldn’t shock anyone. The city’s Kabukicho area is awash in fun bars, especially in the highly concentrated Golden Gai area. The area, which emerged shortly after World War II, has for decades fought off land grabs by developers to retain its character, with each tiny shop reflecting the distinct personality of its owner.
Next on the list was the Tokyo Station area, which overtook last year’s number 2, Ginza. Shinbashi, surprising no one, comes in at number 4, with Ueno and its popular Ameyoko area rounding out the top 5.
The list includes some locations that might be new to some tourists. Ebisu lands at number 8, giving this area the love it deserves. I remained shocked that more tourists don’t find their way over to Ebisu. A single stop from overcrowded Shibuya on the Yamanote, the area is home to a splendid array of Japanese and international restaurants, plus a number of small drinking spots as well as high-end cocktail and whisky bars.
Yokohama makes the list twice. First, for the Yokohama Station Area, and second, for Minato Mirai. The latter is known as a popular daytime amusement spot, thanks to attractions such as its Ferris wheel and the Renga (Red Brick) building. When the sun goes down, however, it’s also a charming and popular party spot.
At number 10, we get another hidden gem (at least for inbound tourists): Akasaka’s Mitsuke Station area. Regular UJ readers will know about Mitsuke, as it’s the location of the yummy but gut-busting Hitosuji, an all-you-can-eat karaage restaurant. (Yes, really.)
The entire top 10 list is as follows:
- Shinjuku
- Tokyo Station Area
- Ginza
- Shinbashi
- Ueno
- Yokohama Station Area
- Ikebukuro
- Ebisu
- Minato Mirai
- Akasaka Mitsuke
Why Shibuya fell to 12th
But, wait. What about Shibuya?! Why is one of Tokyo’s most popular destinations not even in the top 10 but instead is sitting at a paltry 12th place?
This is Shibuya’s first year out of the top 10. It fell two spots from last year’s number 10 position. That’s a wild ride for the location that birthed fashion hub Harajuku and was once considered the hip spot for Japan’s youth.
It’s also astounding considering the sheer volume of people Shibuya sees every day. Its train station is the second busiest in Japan, seeing almost 2.8 million visitors daily. (Shinjuku is first at three million.)
So why no love for Shibs? Researcher Tanaka Naoki says it’s because the area is so damn inconvenient.
Shinjuku has a little something for everyone – and every neighborhood is easy to access. Businesspeople can go to nearby Omoide Yokochō for a drink. The young flock to Kabukicho. Women looking for “chic” spots have Shinjuku 3-chōme.
Shinjuku also has a thriving below-ground scene. Shinjuku Station itself is home to a rich underground network of shops, with areas such as the Metro Promenade and the Subnade underground shopping mall.
Forget Shibuya – let’s go to Sangenjaya
By contrast, Shibuya Station has no such rich underground. Tanaka says that a more fundamental problem, though, is that the area lacks character. It’s a different city on the weekday, when it’s occupied mostly by IT professionals, than it is on weekends, when it’s bombarded by young people.
“The city changes depending on when you go, so people tend to think, ‘This really isn’t my town,'” he said.
Additionally, as an IT hub, Shibuya draws in a different kind of worker, one who spends at least a few days a week working from home. That’s a handicap for businesses that rely on people rolling in after work to blow off steam.
As a result, people who would in the past have drunk in Shibuya go elsewhere, with “high society” types heading for Ebisu and creatives making their way to Sangenjaya. The latter was the fastest-moving area on HotPepper’s 2025 list: it ranked in at number 16, a full 15 spots above last year’s place.
To be fair, there are plenty of charming places in Shibuya away from the madding crowd. (I wrote a rundown on this a couple of weeks back.) But the trend is clear. When it comes to letting loose, Shibuya’s no longer where the action is.
Discover the “unseen” side of Japan
Japan is on everyone’s travel bucket list. Sadly, many end up going to the same places as everyone else. That can turn what could have been a fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience into an exhausting battle with crowds.
We started Unseen Japan Tours for the same reason we started Unseen Japan: To give people a unique glimpse into Japan they can’t get anywhere else. Let us create a custom itinerary of hard-to-find spots centered on your interests. We can also serve as your guides and interpreters, taking you to places that non-Japanese-speaking tourists usually can’t access.
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Sources
再開発続く「渋谷」人気に異変。「飲みたい街」12位で“一人負け”の理由. Business Insider JP
ホットペッパーグルメ外食総研セミナー2025開催レポート ~24年度外食市場レポート / 飲みたい街ランキングレポート~. HotPepper
横浜の夜はどこで飲む？横浜の繁華街、表とウラを紹介！Nightlog
1日の利用者数が多い駅のランキング. Shingaku.net
