TOKYO-INSPIRED NIGHT SPOTS
From the capital city of Edo to the contemporary metropolis, Tokyo inspires cocktails and infuses power spots with dynamic energy.
February 2025
01.NINJA TOKYO
This is one theme restaurant that consistently stays in character. While NINJA TOKYO is now based in the historical power spot of ancient underground samurai residences below the former Edo Castle, its exact location remains an enigma. The gateway to the restaurant is Otemachi Station in Tokyo's business district, which includes Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace. Once your reservation is confirmed, you are led on a surreal journey-past fake shops, along a narrow path, past misty waterfalls and chirping crickets, down steps and across bridges to a secret door where the ninja master awaits. On the other side, you are greeted by a series of surprising occurrences before finally emerging into the restaurant itself – a dark, concealed village of finely crafted stone and wood surrounding a central Japanese garden.
Within NINJA TOKYO’s meticulously designed setting, the scene comes to life through the myriad ninja performers, both male and female, who serve and entertain the diners, who are safely ensconced in private booths. Watch as a ninja conjures magic tricks right at your table with ninjutsu tools and sleight of hand, then feel free to offer the prestidigitator a drink. The food is no less delightful, served with martial grace and efficiency as a course menu featuring Omi Sawai wagyu from Shiga prefecture. A gourmet vegan option is also available. Other dainty dishes are presented in the distinctive star shape of shuriken or even shaped into delicate cranes.
02.Punch Room Tokyo
Tokyo’s first and only authentic Punch Room at The Tokyo EDITION, Ginza is the hotel’s signature cocktail bar. Plush brocade chairs surrounded by walnut-coffered walls and ceilings create a cozy luxury setting with an Old World allure. The focus is on punch as a sophisticated mix of cultures and ingredients, and on the traditional punch bowl as a shared ritual with a deep heritage, elegantly presented and ceremoniously served.
Nestle into the second-floor bar’s wooden alcove with a couple friends to relax around a golden bowl of punch. Watch the bartender bring your chosen concoction to life with a golden ladle, as the cocktail settles into its final form in your glass. Then simply sit back and enjoy. It’s a magical, almost alchemical experience that reinforces social bonds and creates invaluable shared memories. If you’re on your own, feel free to cozy up to the counter and chat with the bartender, who will be more than happy to create a custom cocktail to suit your mood and situation.
Well beyond its contemporary reputation as a colorful party beverage, punch has a rich history dating back to the 17th century trade routes that once spanned the globe. As British seafarers picked up exotic products from Africa and India, they gradually concocted a drink derived from the Sanskrit word “pancha” (five), referring to punch’s five essential ingredients: spirits, spices, citrus, tea, and sugar.
Punch Room Tokyo’s “Wonderland” menu includes five categories of Japanese culture combined with regional ingredients from across the archipelago – bespoke cocktails inspired by classic mixology with a local twist. Try the Korakuen Garden- inspired Korakuen & Matcha - Old Fashioned -, which reimagines the classic cocktail with Japanese flair. Crafted with bourbon, matcha, kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup), peach, and bitters, it offers an elegant balance of earthy, sweet, and fruity notes.
Punch Room Tokyo
03.Bar LIBRE
Opened in 2011 in the popular district west of Ikebukuro station, the original Bar LIBRE is an underground gem in the world of mixology. If the warm wooden interior of its triangular space cradles you in the intimacy of a casual hangout, its exquisite cocktails are anything but ordinary. The deconstructed Japan-infused drinks span a wide palette of hues, textures and opacities – not to mention tastes and aromas, including seasonal fruits and unusual techniques such as liquid nitrogen.
Most extraordinary, however, is how the beverages are artfully paired with an unconventional selection of handcrafted recipients. The bar uses distinctively Japanese cultural vessels to convey the splendor of Japan to its overseas customers. Unlike with glassware, your hands and lips will feel various material textures – the result of fine craftsmanship by dedicated Japanese artists. This tactile pairing experience is unique to Bar LIBRE’s concept, even before you indulge in the gourmet sensations of each beverage.
Start off the evening with Bar LIBRE’s signature Yuzu and Green Tea Gin&Tonic – a slightly carbonated, sweet sencha apéritif audaciously served in an artist’s bowl with a large block of pure ice. Stay With Me reconstructs the classic Screwdriver with “soba” buckwheat into a soothing tea, sweetened with syrupy orange, garnished with jewel-like flora in a fine clay bowl.
04.Janu Bar, Janu Tokyo
Janu Bar is located on the 5th floor of Janu Tokyo, the world’s first sibling brand hotel of Aman in Azabudai Hills. After passing through the Janu Lounge & Garden Terrace with its iconic lampshades, you will find the Janu Bar immediately on your left.
In a refined space safely sheltered from the business district’s daytime hustle and bustle, Janu Bar serves up whimsical, creative cocktails supervised by Shuzo Nagumo, one of Japan’s leading mixologists. Channeling mixology with a unique Janu Tokyo twist, you can indulge in Janu classic cocktails, as well as unique signature cocktails directly inspired by the 16 neighborhoods of contemporary Tokyo.
One of the most intriguing concoctions is the Blur Oyster, encapsulating the sea salt air of Toyosu fish market served in an oyster shell resting on a bed of salt. It’s a playful slurp that mixes the herbal aromas of eucalyptus, rose and oyster leaf with the fruity essences of green apple, cucumber, citrus and coconuts, all based on Geranium gin and Dry Vermouth. The non-alcoholic cocktail titled “Beyond Joya”, inspired by Meiji Shrine, a prominent Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan. The cocktail mixes fermented pineapple juice with cypress, bergamot and grapefruit, resulting in a taste that combines the complexity of the forest with fruity fermentation. The clean scent of cypress and the fresh acidity of bergamot blend with the fermented elements of pineapple to relieve the tension of the day and lead you to a moment of relaxation.
