GaijinPot

Nightlife

Astounding Variety

The number and variety of nightlife options in Japan is astounding, and with no mandated closing times you can party around the clock. Not every establishment will welcome gaijin, however, so be prepared. The more Japanese you know, the more options you’ll have. But even with no nihongo skills, you’ll find plenty of welcoming bars, pubs and clubs around major stations. Tokyo, of course, is the party capital.

Shibuya and Shinjuku

Try Shinjuku for a raucous–some may say sleazy–night out. Shibuya is teeny-bopper heaven, but even it has something for everyone.

Shimokitazawa

And although it’s not near a major station, Shimokitazawa deserves special mention for its college-town feel and abundance of unique and relatively cheap establishments.

The Pong

And then there’s Roppongi, by far the most gaijin-friendly nightlife area in Japan. Some love it because of this, and some hate it, but no one can deny the spectacle.

Live Concerts

Good Bands

In Japan you’ll have the opportunity to see some really good foreign bands play in really small venues because they’re not known in Japan yet and can’t fill a stadium. It isn’t unusual to end up chatting with the talent after the performance.

Free Magazines

There are numerous free magazines that keep the foreign community informed of live concerts and events. Metropolis (English) and Juice (Japanese/English) are two such magazines in Tokyo. Check out our “Books and Online Publications” section in this resource section for more.

The Great Outdoors

There are lots of mountains to climb in Japan. Although many places can be accessed by train, to get to some of the really beautiful places you’re going to need some wheels – public transport won’t get you there anytime soon! The Central Alps and Southern Alps are beautiful.

Many places have “rope-ways” or cable cars and to get the top requires only about a 1-2 hour hike. You’ll also find camping grounds in frequent locations.

Japanese Sports

Traditional Japanese sports are great fun and a good way to learn Japanese and learn about Japanese customs and ceremonies. Try the local community halls for information or local public sport centers.

Some of these sports might include: Kyudo (Archery), Karate, Judo, Kendo, Sumo. Most clubs are very happy to have foreigners learn their craft. Their is deep respect for the teachers in the clubs so be humble, listen attentatively, learn and have fun!

Western Sports

You might not be able to catch your favorite sports on TV here but you can probably find a local or regional team to play on. Japan is big on indoor sports so you can find an indoor sports team (volleyball, badminton, table tennis, basketball etc) to play with in virtually any city in Japan. Same with major Japan sports like baseball, soccer and golf.

Most people on these local teams really play for fun. This is the biggest difference that most Japanese people comment on: the Japanese team members are there for the sport, the foreign team members are there to WIN (sometimes at any cost!).

Other sports like ice-hockey and squash aren’t main stream so it might take some research at your local sports centers to find out where you can start playing these sports.

Some minor-in-Japan sports that are quite popular with the locals are: rugby union, touch rugby, ice-hockey.

Sports like cricket will be run by the local Indians or Aussies – not many locals playing this sport. Rowing is around and popular in some schools. You may have a hard time finding a decent squash court, but they are around.

Sports on TV

You’ve got to get cable or satellite TV to really indulge properly. Japanese TV usually doesn’t televise major international sports live. Your alternative to getting cable yourself is watching the games at sports bars around town.

Pachinko

Pachinko machines are a like cross between a pinball and a slot machine , found in “pachinko parlors” complete with their low-hanging cigarette smoke, incessant noise and bright, flashing lights.

The aim of the game is to shoot balls drop through an array of pins/nail and into a centrally positioned gate which ‘wins’ the player more balls and a spin of the digital slot machine in the center screen – where striking jackpot can win even more balls. To get started all you need to do is buy some balls to load into the machine and try to win even more – the more you win; the better the prize you can exchange the balls for, once you have finished playing.

Whilst gambling outside of state-held racetracks is strictly illegal, the authorities effectively turn a blind eye to the common practice of players visiting a small exchange center located nearby and separate from the parlor itself, where players can conveniently exchange their winnings for cash.

Traditional Japanese Theater

There are four kinds of Japanese traditional theater. There is Bunraku which is a form of puppet show, Sho Gekijo or small theater, Noh/ Kyogen with its elements of slapstick comedy and Kabuki which is perhaps the most well known form of traditional Japanese theater.

Probably the place to go and watch Kabuki is at Kabuki-za in the Ginza area of Tokyo; tickets cost from 15,000 yen, although once in a while half-priced tickets are offered to foreign patrons.

Movie Theaters

Both subtitled and dubbed foreign movies are shown in cinemas throughout Japan; whilst prices are relatively inexpensive it is well worthwhile keeping an eye out for when your local theater has ‘Special’ days- cinemas often offer discounts for students, couples, mothers, children and women on different days of the week to try and drum up more custom.

Karaoke

Karaoke is the hugely popular; whether it be at home, in a bar or a plush studio there are plenty of places for you to sing to your hearts’ content.

Studios offer private rooms, paid for by the hour (with prices varying according to which drink plan you select) a range of food is also usually offered on separate menus – just call your order in from the phone in your room.

Western song collections are widely available, with songs from artists as diverse as Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, The Beatles and Carpenters.

Japanese Culture

Why not take advantage of being in Japan to learn, in depth and at first-hand about an aspect of traditional Japanese culture; from Martial Arts to Tea Ceremony (chado), Caligraphy (Shodo) to wearing Kimono or playing the Shamisen there’s certain to be a school near to where you live or work for you to study at.

English language Radio and Television

Tune into these local stations with English programming;

AFN
Is American Forces Network airing at:
810 AM throughout Kanto area
1575 AM throughout Sasebo
and 648 AM in Okinawa

Inter FM
is aired in Tokyo on 76.1 MHz and Yokohama on 76.5 MHz

For TV, whist terrestrial channels offer some programming available in English, signing up with your local Cable or Satellite TV provider will open up a world of programming (sports, movies, dramas and music etc.) not too dissimilar to that you’d be able to watch back at home.