Must-see nightlife in Kōrakuen & Akihabara

  • Cafe entrance from inside the courtyard, Akihabara, Kagurazaka & Korakuen.

    Imasa

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    It's not every day you get to sip your coffee or tea in a cultural property. Imasa is the real deal, an old timber merchant's shophouse dating from 1927…

  • Beer-Ma Kanda

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Down an alley of sketchy-looking drinking dens is this nirvana for craft-beer lovers. It's principally a bottle shop stocking hundreds of different beer…

  • Craft Beer Server Land

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    With some 14 Japanese craft beers on tap, going for a reasonable ¥500/840 a glass/pint, plus good food (the deep-fried eel in batter and chips is…

  • @Home Cafe

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    'Maid cafes' with kawaii (cute) waitresses, dressed as saucy French or prim Victorian maids, are a stock-in-trade of Akiba. @Home is one that's suitable…

  • Cocktail Works Jimbōchō

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Jimbōchō, a neighbourhood known for its universities, now has a school for students of craft gin. Cocktail Works Jimbōchō carries some 180 bottles of it,…

  • Mugimaru 2

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This old house, completely covered in ivy, is a charmer with a welcoming owner and two of Tokyo's most famous shop cats. Seating is on floor cushions;…

  • Sabōru

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Sabōru checks the boxes of a classic mid-20th-century kissaten (coffee shop): dim lighting, low tables, lots of dark wood and strong burendo kōhī ('blend'…

  • Cafe Asan

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    With hammock-style chairs, free wi-fi and plugs for computers and smartphones, this is a popular cafe with the digital generation. Manga and anime are a…

  • Jam Akihabara

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    A visit to Akiba isn't complete until you've sipped a cappuccino topped with a frothy bear design in a maid cafe where the waitress is dressed in a French…

  • Hitachino Brewing Lab

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Sake brewery Kiuchi has been brewing its excellent range of Hitachino Nest craft beers since 1996. At this dedicated outlet you can have a very merry time…

  • Café Miel

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This charming cafe, which also sells alcohol, is stacked with antique goodies, including rocking horses, clocks, puppets, old photos and beautifully…

  • Glitch Coffee & Roasters

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Tokyo's third-wave coffee scene is seeping into the old student haunt of Jimbōchō. The speciality here is single-origin beans, roasted very lightly in…

  • Milonga Nueva

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Off an alley parallel to Yasukuni-dōri, this wonderfully retro cafe plays old tango tunes on the sound system and serves blends such as Kilimanjaro coffee…

  • AKB48 Cafe

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Can't get a ticket to see the 60-strong supergirl pop-group AKB48? Come instead to their official cafe to watch videos of the J-pop phenomenon play on…

  • Beer Bar Bitter

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This Kagurazaka hideaway has a wide range of Belgian beers on tap (from ¥800 to ¥2600 a glass) and a moody, industrial interior. Look for it above a…

  • Boo

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This quirky little place shares space with Studio Uamou and the cartoonish characters of designer Takagi Ayako. On the menu are beer, teas and light pasta…

  • Craft Beer Market Jimbōchō

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    This branch of the Craft Beer microbrewery chain, with some 30 ales available, specialises in roast chicken on its food menu.

  • Craft Beer Market Awajichō

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Pizza is the speciality at this branch of the Craft Beer pub chain, where there are some 30 ales available.