300 Yen Bar in Ginza
Incredibly, one of the cheapest bars in Tokyo can be found in the glitzy, high-class shopping district of Ginza, nestled among the Louis Vuitton boutiques and jewelry shops.
“300 Bar” is so-called because every drink or dish is a mere three hundred yen (about three US dollars, or one pound fifty, which wouldn’t get you very far elsewhere in Ginza.) Upon arrival, you buy tickets which you can exchange for booze and food at the bar. Lots of cocktails (over one hundred, apparently), beers and small dishes are available.
Before you go, it’s worth picking up a copy of Metropolis magazine (the free, English entertainment guide to Tokyo) somewhere, because they always seem to have a free drink coupon for 300 Bar. Actually, the last time I was there, I happened upon a stack of Metropolises (Metropoli? Whatever) in a darkened corner of the bar, and I sneakily tore out a few coupons, which made the evening even cheaper. Wahey!
It’s an all-standing bar, which can be a bit grueling on the legs after a day of sightseeing, but is great after several hours of sitting on your arse in an office or English school. It also makes mingling and flirting exceptionally easy, as does the cheap, free-flowing liquor. Nice.
All in all, 300 Bar is an ideal venue to kick-start a hard-drinking night out.
Just make sure you don’t go on a drunken credit-card spending spree in the nearby shops after you leave, or you’ll be paying significantly more than 300 yen.
Info:
300 Bar
Tel: (03) 3572-6300
Address: Fazenda bldg.B1F, 5-9-11 Ginza, Chuo-ku,Tokyo 160-0023
April 9, 2007 at 9:32 am
The ticket is a good system to cut on the staff-costs, hence the cheap fare!
Great find, ain’t it?
Cheers,
Robert-Gilles
June 9, 2007 at 8:01 pm
can u get real ale in japan? Just like english ones with names like ’snotty frog’ and ‘bobby crapper’
June 11, 2007 at 2:02 am
I recently had some “Old Speckled Hen” in Tokyo, but it was ridiculously expensive.