Visiting Japan

[yadegari6]

Heading to Japan next week, figured i'd ask the good people of this forum for any recommendations they might have. Will be in Tokyo, Kanazawa, and Kyoto along with a few day trips to nearby areas. Wasn't planning on dedicating much time towards cigars but if there are any must visit lounges or shops i'd love to be able to smoke a cigar or two while there. Also looking for any food/bar/attraction recommendations.

Cheers

Alex 

[MagicalBikeRide]

Will leave someone more familiar to give tips, but an amazing country / experience. Enjoy. 

[Nevrknow]

@yossie ?

[yossie]

21 minutes ago, Nevrknow said:

@yossie ?

Yes, I'm a native Japanese but I'm not familiar with cigar bar/lounge of the area much.

I've heard the reputation of http://www.cigarbank.jp/

There are also many cigar lounge especially in Tokyo. Cigar connoisseur , Cohiba atmosphere and Cigar club.

Hope It your help.

[Rhinoww]

We are going late October/November. Been keeping an eye out. So far my working assumption is that I’ll bring a few w me in the event an opportunity arises, but that finding Cubans in Japan has been quite difficult. 

[ChangBang]

Lets see I've been to Tokyo,Yokohama Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima, Himeji, and NIkko in 2018 and 2019.  Wasn't really smoking cigars at the time so no real recommendations for that.  If you want to any tips on those other places I can probably dig some up.

Tokyo - sushi and ramen are all over, ayce shabu shabu at nabezo, Gyukatsu is a good beef tonkatsu restaruant that are around tokyo. 

Kyoto - Went to a really nice steak bar that was off Pontocho area but looks like it closed down.  I mostly made this the starting point for my day trips to Nara and Hiroshima

[Bill Hayes]

I was in Tokyo in 2016 so I think it would of changed quite a bit. For example I purchased a bottle of Yamazaki 18yo duty free for $200AUD. Im not sure of smoking rules now but back then it was illegal to smoke anything outside except for squares drawn on the ground or designated smoking areas, The theory being it's not for children to inhale. Indoor establishments though had a choice to allow smoking, although I did smoke a few cigars sitting outside neat Ginza train station and enjoying beers with no problems. The best place to smoke a cigar IMHO when I was there was in the small level one bar in the Palace Hotel. Expensive hotel bar but at the time you could find a fine selection of Japanese whiskey and also a reasonable selection of Cubans. I imagine they would be quite pricey now. In terms of what to do, that depends on your likes. I personally like the small places that sell hot food over coals etc. Things on sticks and a cold beer. This is prevalent around train stations. Salary men, grab a snack or dinner and drink before heading home on the train. Sushi, Japanese omelettes, seafood, etc. My favourite thing was ramen for brunch. Skip breakfast and have a big ramen to fill you up until late afternoon. Pork, beef or chicken. There was even a Michellin star rated ramen bar that moved to Ginza station. Need to start lining up by 10:45am at least for 11:00am opening but lots of local places around. Tokyo is also got different areas that have different vibes - Anime etc, Ginza shopping dining, cool vibe youth dressed in outrageous costumes, serene parks and temples etc. Don't be scared of the train system. You can get an online map/etc for system and follow it easy on your phone, swapping from one line to the other and the trains are very frequent. In Kyoto, it is where people try to spot Geisha but that is just a general term. There are many dressed up like geisha but you can tell the difference by the way they conduct themselves and their graceful walk. We got a tip to go the The Man in the Moon bar and just look out the window to the hotel opposite and around the streets. We saw two in a Rolls Royce. The young protege with make-up in the front seat and the older celebrated musician in the back who wears no make-up. It's all about the ceremony. We even got side-eyed by a young one walking down the street. You can tell the difference because the locals pay respect and bow sometimes whereas the ones who aren't real are simply after some money for a photo. Probably the best meal we had in kyoto was a strange local place where the owner/chef hunts wild boar and catches wild trout. It was actually recommended by Jessica Alba in a food blog. Just fantastic tender wild boar chunks on sticks cooked over coals, delicious trout, sake. I even had candied crickets as a beer snack. Now these places may not still be there but best do a lot of research and ask the hotel for recommendations. They were always happy to help. Have a fantastic time and let us know how you go. Tokyo is my fav city, even though Harmony Lane is know as Piss Alley in Australia, ha ha! But worth a wander and protein on a stick. Cheers.

[yossie]

14 minutes ago, Bill Hayes said:

protein on a stick. Cheers.

🐓

[Duxnutz]

Are you gonna be in Osaka? Edmundo Dante’s is a good lounge with one of the friendliest owner operators you’ll find in japan. Highly recommended.

[Meklown]

Only ever been to one cigar bar in Tokyo - https://maps.app.goo.gl/R83FwfGRQvuntba4A - and it was a good experience, but don't expect cheap prices. 

Otherwise, a lot of coffee shops and the small bars (and even restaurants) allow smoking indoors. Just flash your cigar and ask before you get seated! 

E.g. This bar  https://maps.app.goo.gl/WRYmxwgMhWxQha1cA

If you're a whisky fan https://maps.app.goo.gl/z9DpvWCgUkfgjwFQA

Couple of other cool (non smoking) places that I enjoyed - 

Standing yakiniku https://maps.app.goo.gl/UCoR42s3x8mkTSKH7

Dipping ramen https://maps.app.goo.gl/d42jiGfkaCXppiEL9

Also imo worth to pop by the Yamazaki distillery while you're in Kyoto! 

[01Vert]

Paid about $100 US for a Cuaba Pacific limited edition (sorry don’t member the actual name) and another cigar. I think it was a Monte #2.    If I remember the name of the place I will post it.  Nice bar.  Quiet.  Only non Asian in the place on a weeknight.  That was in late March.  
 

The bartender said if I was in a day earlier that I would have had almost zero for a selection.  Supply had come in that morning.   
 

The cigar shop I went to in Ginza didn’t even have any Cubans available.  

[Miguel Gracias]

I was in Japan this June. I had connection at Tokyo, as flight to Okinawa was cancelled due to typhoon at that time.

Meanwhile I was there, I found a nice tiny rum bar in Tokyo called "Bar King Rum." 

Of course, I had no problem smoking my own cigars there that I brought. 

I was talking to the guy who owns it as he loved cigar as well. Unfortunately there is shortage in cuban cigars in Japan just like anywhere else. 

I handed him a single stick of Diplomaticos no.2 and he did not hesitate to pour some free Santiago de Cuba 7 years!

For the food, anywhere you go, it's hard to fail. I highly recommend using Tabelog for local's favorite. anything above 3 stars are worth visiting. 

 

[Cigarsmoker81]

I was in Tokyo in December and the only place I found decent collection of Cubans was a bar in harajuku 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZkAgrLaTVGnerGcW6?g_st=ic

 

they had decent selection but won’t let you buy more than few of hard to find cigars. I got sir Winston and siglo 5 from them !

If you love sushi and want to go somewhere fun/ relatively easy to find a  table I would recommend kyubei. It’s a bit touristy but their food is very good and they speak good English 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/bA7oNUL5Kv9HHWH58?g_st=ic

enjoy your trip Tokyo is one of my fav cities 

[yadegari6]

Thank you everyone for their insightful responses, very much appreciated!! I will take note of all the recommended spots and try to visit as many as I can. Will update this thread during the trip.

[yadegari6]

Just returned from Japan, it was a wonderful trip. The food was incredible everywhere I went from high end restaurants to a $3 bowl of udon noodles. I didn’t have much time for cigars but I was able to stop at Edmundo Dante’s in Osaka. Many thanks to @Duxnutz for the recommendation, I spent nearly an entire evening smoking cigars with the owner while having some great conversation. Also want to thank @Meklown for recommending aloha whisky, where I was able to try some once in a lifetime pours. 

[yossie]

26 minutes ago, yadegari6 said:

$3 bowl of udon noodles.

Welcome back safely.

Wow! You can eat cheaper than that, in Kagawa. Deflation is so ridiculous

[Meklown]

So glad you enjoyed it! 

[Rhinoww]

Heading over to Tokyo, Kyoto and a few side trips shortly. Any updates on cigar bars/LCDH? Staying at the Okura Hotel if that helps in Tokyo. Wife made arrangements and I have yet to get my head around geography of Tokyo other than we are near a main train station. 
This is a family trip with my adult kids, so likely not much time for a cigar other than a day out at a hot spring. But I’d love to pick up a few singles mostly for the souvenir factor. Any suggestions?

[Rhinoww]

Just walked by this place. Smoking lounge in back. Very small collection of CC up front. Jet lag and delirious so no stick here tonight, but a quick random find near first hotel. 

Bonus was antique watch store next door.

[Ford2112]

On 10/28/2023 at 2:34 AM, Rhinoww said:

Just walked by this place. Smoking lounge in back. Very small collection of CC up front. Jet lag and delirious so no stick here tonight, but a quick random find near first hotel. 

Bonus was antique watch store next door.

Must have been at night?

[Rhinoww]

14 hours ago, Ford2112 said:

Must have been at night?

Ha. Could not get the pictures to load. Wonder if it’s something with my cell service. Cigar lounge was called Le Connoisseur.  

[Fuzz]

On 10/28/2023 at 8:34 PM, Rhinoww said:

Just walked by this place. Smoking lounge in back. Very small collection of CC up front. Jet lag and delirious so no stick here tonight, but a quick random find near first hotel. 

Bonus was antique watch store next door.

Is that the one in Akasaka?

[Rhinoww]

On 10/30/2023 at 3:11 PM, Fuzz said:

Is that the one in Akasaka?

Edited to remember we stayed in another neighborhood the first night and then moved to Akasaka area. I’ll need to ask my wife where that was - I was in a sleep deprived haze

[Lamboinee]

My friend from Japan says they have like 30 different flavors of kit-kat candy bars in Japan. I don't know anything about Japanese cigar culture, but I think you should try all the kit kat flavors. 

[Rhinoww]

11 hours ago, Lamboinee said:

My friend from Japan says they have like 30 different flavors of kit-kat candy bars in Japan. I don't know anything about Japanese cigar culture, but I think you should try all the kit kat flavors. 

We have been exploring Kit Kat flavors for a while. Great stuff.