Off to Japan

[asmith]

Am off to Japan for a week starting today.  Have never been before, my planning is very limited I fly into Tokyo and thats about as far as I have gotten.

Any recommendations of places to go, bars to drink at cigars to smoke or general trouble to get into??

Thanks Guys.

[MoeFOH]

Go to Nikko, Smithy. Tiny little place, but well worth the visit. 

[SweAviator]

”Bar high five” in Ginza, great cocktails and crafted drinks.

Canned/bottled tomato juice overrated, they make it in front of you for your Bloody Mary. 

Small place in the basement of the building. 

[WarriorPrincess]

Ohhhh Mr Smith have a great time 

Will miss you 

[Optic101]

2 off the places I went in the past for a cigar (bring your own)

Hermit Bar Tokyo

4 Location around Shinshuku Train Station.
They have their own Whisky
Some places, like Regalo, allow Cigar smoking when not crowded.

 

Bar Zoetrope Tokyo

7-10-14 Nishi-Shinjuku
Tokyo Shinjuku-ku

Try their Whisky Sampler !

If it's Japanese whisky you want, Zoetrope is the place to head. Tucked away on a back street in Nishi-Shinjuku, this intimate, dimly lit bar boasts a collection of bottles that's unrivalled anywhere else in the city: there are 300 varieties on offer, many of which are no longer even on the market. Whisky geeks will relish the chance to sample rare bottlings from the likes of Mercian and up-and-coming distillery Venture Whisky, while beginners can start with a sampler set of choice malts from big dogs Suntory and Nikka (or opt for some draft microbrew, courtesy of Osaka's Minoh Beer). Owner Atsushi Horigami isn't just a whisky fan – he's also a massive cinema geek, and recruited the late Takeo Kimura – a legendary art director in the world of Japanese film – to do the bar's décor. Horigami likes to screen films during the evening, meaning you can watch an old silent comedy or vintage animation while sipping your malt.

[LLC]

The aquarium at Alfred Dunhill in Ginza on third floor. Cigars after 5pm.

Awesome spot for a drink and a cigar.


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[David88]

The Golden Gai bars in Shinjuku are a must, just wander/stagger through and find a seat. 

If you want to get around Japan then pick up a Japan Rail Pass. It gives you unlimited travel around Japan and is reasonably priced if you use it well. 

[Fuzz]

Liquors Hasegawa - Yaesu Underground Shopping, Naka #3 104-0028 Yaesu 2-1, Chūō-ku, Tōkyō

Huge selection of whisky and other spirits that you can try for a small fee.

[luckme10]

I would spend a day hitting up Kappabashi, Asakusa Temple and Tokyo Skytree since they're nearby:
Nearby:

Kappabashi in Tokyo is a street filled with kitchenware shops and plastic food stores as this is restaurant row where owners go to buy their plates, supplies, wrap, bags, and plastic food
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy-NPZ28--g

Asakusa Temple.
It's a huge market / Temple that's very popular.
https://fastjapan.com/en/p100331

Tokyo Skytree
The world's second tallest building 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Skytree

There is the Kirin Brewery and Yebisu Brewery. We went to the in Yebisu Brewery but the tours are only Japanese.

Cup Noodle Museum was also really crowded so it's better to get there in the morning to get a tour. 

Yasukuni Shrine is also worth taking a look at. It's the large shrine near the imperial palace that is notorious for having all of the War Officers. It's also pretty close to a yama-chan which is a chain of fried chicken wings that are famous over there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=solB0X3zokA

Ameyayokocho was also a really nice shrine that's near akihabara that's definitely worth a look.

If you see a Gindaco nearby, their Takoyaki are really good. I’m not a Takoyaki person, but theirs is really good with a crispier crust and they are huge!

-Econnect wireless routers let you connect your cell phone to the internet. Important for having google maps, foursquare (asia's linkedin for place and restaurant reviews), imessage, email, etc.  They're like 8 bucks a day to rent and you can have them sent to the post office at the airport, hotel, residenc for delivery, pickup,and drop off.
https://www.econnectjapan.com/

-The google translate app will help with some of the text translations. 

-Buy a Suica card at the train stations. It'll save you a lot of time instead of buying tickets one at a time. This also simplifies the process considerably! They're like multipurpose credit cards that in addition to having credit for using the train, you can use for various restaurants and vending machines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=TSPISZ8X6kY

-JR Pass if you plan on going to osaka or kyoto, these pay for themselves. They allow free travel on all JR railtracks, which are about half of the tracks in Japan. They were godsends

-FourSquare is like Asia's Yelp. It will have general reviews of restaurants in Japan that you can look at nearby. Download the app and you'll be able to find a good place to eat anywhere in Japan.

[99call]

Chris Broad is a brilliantly funny British blogger living in Japan,   A great deal of fun, odd things to do in Japan, are covered in his videos.

Enjoy, It's a wonderful country, filled with wonderful people. 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=aborad+in+japan

[ChanceSchmerr]

  On 11/1/2018 at 11:44 PM, Optic101 said:

2 off the places I went in the past for a cigar (bring your own)

Hermit Bar Tokyo

4 Location around Shinshuku Train Station.
They have their own Whisky
Some places, like Regalo, allow Cigar smoking when not crowded.

 

Bar Zoetrope Tokyo

7-10-14 Nishi-Shinjuku
Tokyo Shinjuku-ku

Try their Whisky Sampler !

If it's Japanese whisky you want, Zoetrope is the place to head. Tucked away on a back street in Nishi-Shinjuku, this intimate, dimly lit bar boasts a collection of bottles that's unrivalled anywhere else in the city: there are 300 varieties on offer, many of which are no longer even on the market. Whisky geeks will relish the chance to sample rare bottlings from the likes of Mercian and up-and-coming distillery Venture Whisky, while beginners can start with a sampler set of choice malts from big dogs Suntory and Nikka (or opt for some draft microbrew, courtesy of Osaka's Minoh Beer). Owner Atsushi Horigami isn't just a whisky fan – he's also a massive cinema geek, and recruited the late Takeo Kimura – a legendary art director in the world of Japanese film – to do the bar's décor. Horigami likes to screen films during the evening, meaning you can watch an old silent comedy or vintage animation while sipping your malt.

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I will second the recommendation for Zoetrope.  I was in Japan for almost a month last October, Zoetrope was my favourite spot for a whisky and cigar....

[asmith]

Thanks guys I have a bit too work with there.  Found a go kart tour of Tokyo that seems to do away with all safety and respect for the road rules that seems to perfect why to get myself in trouble.