Beat Cafe

Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa


Beat is a dive in the best sense of the word, comfortably shabby with cheap drinks (from ¥600), no cover, late hours, lipstick (blood?) red walls, random decor and an '80 and '90s cool-kid soundtrack. Look for Gateway Studio on the corner; the bar is in the basement, with scribbles on the door.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa attractions

1. Dōgenzaka

0.04 MILES

Dōgenzaka, named for a 13th-century highway robber, is a maze of narrow streets. Home to one of Tokyo's largest clusters of love hotels (hotels for…

2. Bunkamura

0.14 MILES

Meaning ‘culture village’, Bunkamura has a theatre, concert hall, cinema and museum. Offerings swing between commercial and artsy; the Tokyo Philharmonic…

3. Toguri Museum of Art

0.21 MILES

The Toguri Museum of Art has an excellent collection of Edo-era ceramics, displayed in informative, thematic exhibitions with English explanations – great…

4. Shibuya Center-gai

0.24 MILES

Shibuya's main drag is closed to cars and chock-a-block with fast-food joints and high-street fashion shops. At night, lit bright as day, with a dozen…

5. Spain-zaka

0.26 MILES

This narrow, winding brick lane is a classic example of Tokyo-style bricolage with a mismatch of architectural styles, cutesy clothing stores and a…

6. Shibuya Crossing

0.28 MILES

Rumoured to be the busiest intersection in the world (and definitely in Japan), Shibuya Crossing is like a giant beating heart, sending people in all…

7. Hachikō Statue

0.29 MILES

Every evening, Akita dog Hachikō would go to Shibuya Station to greet his companion. It's a practice he kept up everyday for 10 years after the professor…

8. Mag's Park

0.31 MILES

The rooftop of the Magnet by Shibuya 109 department store has the best views over Shibuya's famous scramble crossing. It's screened with plexiglass, so…