Home
Back

Dear visitor, if you know the answer to this question, please post it. Thank you!

Note that this thread has not been updated in a long time, and its content might not be up-to-date anymore.

Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/7 11:55
My friends and I are 18 and we're hoping to find a club/bar with young people.
by whoCARRRES (guest)  

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/8 12:21
No.
Drinking age is 20 in Japan.
For kids you have to hang out at arcades and the like.
by takeda's ghost (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/8 12:38
Hmm, I really wonder why people spend the time to post here and then post misleading, unhelpful misinformation.

Anyway, many Tokyo clubs are fairly strict these days, but bars and izakaya are far less so. I've never seen anyone carded at a bar, and in fact I've even met bartenders who were under twenty. I'd suggest choosing a bar based on other interests - e.g. the music they play or the type of beer they serve or whatever. You'll find young people pretty much wherever you go.
by Umami Dearest rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/8 12:54
Hmm, I really wonder why people spend the time to post here and then post misleading, unhelpful misinformation.

Well takeda's ghost is 100% correct from a legal standpoint, so I'm not sure what the issue is. We don't promote illegal activities on the forums, though underage drinking is often given a pass.

Anyway, as far as I understand it, underage clubs don't really exist in Japan, and the ones that serve alcohol are rather strict with checking ID, so that is probably not an option.

Bars and far less strict, so you may find what you're looking for there (albeit illegally).

Izakaya are not strict at all as they are basically restaurants, but they are also not exactly places where you go to socialize with strangers.
by yllwsmrf rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/8 13:26
I know many people working in pubs who are under 20. Its a very common part time job for university students. Japan doesn't have the same legal restrictions about minors handling alcohol that the west does.
Actually drinking is a different matter entirely.

It is true they're unlikely to ask ID of a westerner, its hard to tell the age of white people and they'll be afraid of an English argument.
But yes, that's illegal, people shouldn't come to Japan to break the law, there are plenty of countries out there with more reasonable legal drinking ages if thats what you are travelling for.
by takeda's ghost (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/8 19:21
The OP never said they were white, or a Westerner (whatever that means), and they didn't say they were planning to drink alcohol.

In fact underage drinking, while technically illegal, is widely tolerated in Tokyo, and bars rarely card non-white, non-Western, non-English-speaking people either. I've seen high-school kids in uniform being served drinks.

That said, OP might want to check out some bars in university neighborhoods, which might have a younger crowd than average.
by Umami Dearest rate this post as useful

To get the record straight... 2013/7/8 21:55
Working in bars are not exactly illegal if you're 18 or older and don't drink alcohol. It depends on how that bar-looking-place is registered.

Meanwhile, most prefectures, Tokyo being on top of the list, has by-laws stating that those 18 and older cannot stay outdoors after 11pm even if accompanied by their guardians. So a lot of places, ESPECIALLY game archades will have people come and check your ID once it's past 11pm and you will kindly be asked to leave if you're underaged.

That said, there are many places where minors are tolerated. Among the typical places that teenagers look for are "bars where friends work." Indeed, you can trust the bartender to a certain extent.

HOWEVER, keep in mind that those bartenders are simply adults who are breaking the law. They are not particularly smart, nor do they particularly know what they are doing. Bartenders occasionally get arrested for letting minors drink, and the minor will be taken to the police as well, if not end up in a hospital.

But MOST IMPORTANTLY, there are plenty of bars that will steal your credit card information or try to rip tourists off. Japan is not really the safest country in the world when it comes to crimes like these.

So seek information at your own risk!

Karaoke is among the typical places where local teenagers can party legally until 11pm without alcohol.
by Uco (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/8 22:24
Look, obviously its we should let people know the actual situation on the ground concerning underage drinking, but that goes hand in hand with informing them what the rules and laws are as well so they are fully aware of what they are doing.
by yllwsmrf rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/8 23:14
And yet more misinformation - the official curfew regulations are for those 17 and under, not "18 and over" (which doesn't even make sense).

There are indeed bars that will try to rip you off, so it's sensible to stay away from dodgy-looking places with touts outside in Roppongi and Kabukicho, among other places.

Karaoke boxes in Japan tend to be private-party affairs - you and your friends are assigned a room, so you don't actually get to mingle with other customers.
by Umami Dearest rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/8 23:38
Shimo-Kitazawa is one area with a lot of casual, inexpensive bars, cafe-bars, music bar-cafes, etc. with a young, student crowd.

Takadanobaba also has a big student crowd and a lot of very casual hangout spots.
by Umami Dearest rate this post as useful

Sorry 2013/7/8 23:42
the official curfew regulations are for those 17 and under, not "18 and over" (which doesn't even make sense).

You're right, Umami Dearest. Sorry for the goof.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/8 23:53
No problem. (And I think kids are allowed out with guardians - I know I've been out after 11 with young relatives from time to time.)
by Umami Dearest rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/9 01:29
And I think kids are allowed out with guardians - I know I've been out after 11 with young relatives from time to time.)

No, legally, they aren't. Check out any cinema complex website. They clearly say that, due to the by-law, they can't sell tickets for movies ending after 11pm, to 17 and younger even when accompanied by parents. So you can't complain if you get in trouble for breaking the by-law.
http://hlo.tohotheater.jp/net/schedule/009/TNPI2000J01.do

But certainly, they are tolerated in most situations. My son used to go to our neighborhood convenience store alone after midnight and the neighbor patrol group never said anything.

That said, it's always been common, even before the by-law was set, for policemen to stop teenagers roaming in entertainment districts in the middle of the night, and they would make them stay with the police until a guardian takes them home. When we were young, some friends were stopped by the police and all lied that they were born before their birthdays while one somehow said he was 19, and was taken away.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/9 02:18
Ah, I thought the general rule was that if you were under 18 you weren't allowed to be out on the town without a guardian unless you had a valid reason. (And I thought movie theaters were an especially strict exception to that general rule.)

(Anyway, it's all probably a bit of a derail from the OP's original question.)
by Umami Dearest rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/9 15:54
There may be some bartenders that are under age, however it could also be that they look very young for their age.

Young Asians, Europeans and South-Americans tend to be shorter and slimmer and look much younger than North-Americans of the same age. I notice that every couple of days in the Vancouver gyms I use. And yes there are exceptions...one Chinese guy is 21, 5'8"and 260 pounds.

The first time my parents met my Japanese buddy they thought that he was under age. They lived by a beach in Europe so we all went swimming and they definitely thought that he was 15-16 at most, not stopping to think that for him to have emigrated to North America and get a job he had to be much older.
he showed them his passport.. he was 36. He was still asked for ID at 50..

At the age of 15 and 16 school buddies and I routinely went to the same cafe/ bar to play pinball. The owner didn't say anything but he would never have served us alcohol.
Mint or grenadine with water was all we ever got.
by Monkey see (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/9 21:40
There may be some bartenders that are under age, however it could also be that they look very young for their age.

I know at least four or five people who worked as bartenders before they turned twenty, and Takeda's Ghost has also said he knew such people. I don't know why you'd assume that we were both lying about that.
by Umami Dearest rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/10 08:26
Umami Dearest,

Monkey see (guest) never accused you of lying... he/she simply thought you might not have known and only assumed that these bartenders were minors.

Seems a rather moot point anyway if indeed it's illegal.

I'm yet to see anyone name an establishment that would either welcome underage drinkers or employ minors to serve alcohol. The original poster is looking for places to go... the closet we've come to this is to name a neighbourhood or two or three but it's neither realistic nor prudent to think Shimo-kitakawa is abuzz with bars opening their doors to minors.
by seriously? (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/10 09:29
Its definitely not the case in shimokita, the bars there tend to be small local affairs where newcomers stand out.

Going to pubs near universities is probally the opposite of what should be done to drink illegally. I'd imagine such places would be the bars particularly on their guard about checking IDs.
by takeda's ghost (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/10 10:28
he/she simply thought you might not have known

So after I said I knew someone, they thought I might not have known? So they simply didn't believe me, or believe that what I was saying was true? I'm not sure how that's different from saying someone is lying.

I'm yet to see anyone name an establishment that would either welcome underage drinkers

Again, OP didn't say they were looking for a place to drink illegally, just a place to hang out where there were younger people. I imagine any of the music bars in Shimo-Kitazawa like 440 or Apollo would be fine, or a casual place like Enotria Diana or the bar at Village Vanguard, but again it's hard to suggest a place without knowing someone's interests.

For example I doubt that a couple of 18-year-olds would stand out at any branch of the Hub, but I don't know that I'd recommend the place per se....

There are also plenty of cafe-bars all over town that are probably more interesting to hang out in than renting your own private karaoke room.
by Umami Dearest rate this post as useful

Re: Are there teenage clubs/bars near Tokyo? 2013/7/10 10:57
Umami Dearest,

"So after I said I knew someone..."

Perhaps the poster mistook know for know of which tends to denote hearsay... either way their interpretation of what you said isn't particularly relevant. You've also accused people of posting misinformation and yet perhaps that is their own understanding of the situation and the law. You're using personal anecdotes to provide an answer which carry no more or no less weight than those of others. If you're going to be insensitive toward others don't be so sensitive when people imply you may or may not be telling the truth. Simple.

"I imagine any of the music bars in Shimo-Kitazawa like 440 or Apollo would be fine, or a casual place like Enotria Diana or the bar at Village Vanguard..."

Now _this_ is probably valuable to the OP.
by seriously? (guest) rate this post as useful

reply to this thread