Tokyo Night City Where to Drink & Party. Judith Brand
so it was removed. Live reggae starts from eight p.m. with DJs dishing up an excellent mix of house and Latin dance favorites in between sets.
Open from 6 p.m. till 5 a.m.
every day.
Square Bldg. B1F & B2F,
3-10-3 Roppongi,
Minato-ku.
(03) 3478-0087
¥¥¥
Cave
Unpredictability has been this venue's middle name since it opened a few years ago. Nothing ever stays the same, but the heaves and sighs of a changing clientele are almost audible in this club. The nuts and bolts of the place make going here worthwhile, so to avoid disappointment in terms of who else you might find, I suggest taking your own group of party people. Two sizable black-as-night dance floors and an excellent range of DJs throughout the week make dancing here a highly contagious and deliciously addictive activity. The darkness quotient also makes it a great place to brush up your steps if you are at all shy. One of the only drawbacks is the club's relatively small mezzanine bar area. Sweaty, dehydrated escapees from the dance floor practically line the length of the interior waiting for some relief. But, as the dance floors are so dark, this will be your only opportunity to check out who's there. Despite its variability, it remains a fairly hip place to hang out.
Open from 8 p.m. till 3 a.m.
Sunday to Thursday and from 7
p.m. till 5 a.m. on Friday and
Saturday.
M&I Bldg. B1F & B2F,
34-6 Udagawa-cho,
Shibuya-ku.
(03) 3780-0715
¥¥
J Trip Bar Dance Factory
This venue offers a unique opportunity for firsthand observation of the Shibu-kaji (Shibuya casual) set— that mob of Japanese youngsters who dedicate their lives to the L.L. Bean catalog, but who think they are assuming a kind of Californian cool. This sociological offshoot from Tokyo's ever-evolving selfish youth have found (or rather created) their niche in this basement dance hall. Don't be fooled by the colorful psychedelic retro-60s murals all over the walls—you won't see too many punters who match the decor. The crowd depends on the night but they always tend toward young. Various DJs have regular slots on different nights of the week ranging in bias from soul to neo-surfer music—so check ahead to make sure. On the weekend, you can get down to a suitably mixed bag of hyper dance and disco. No bogus place this, dudes. There are not many dance clubs worth knowing about in Shibuya besides this one and Cave, so people pile in on the weekend.
Open from 6 p.m. till 12 a.m.
Sunday to Thursday and later on
Friday and Saturday.
Kokusai Bldg. B1F & B2F,
3-16 Udagawa-cho,
Shibuya-ku.
(03) 3780-0639
¥¥¥
Lexington Queen
The Lex first flung its doors open in the days when there were few party alternatives and has survived through the demise of all its original competitors. Part of the reason for its longevity is that it is actively co-hosted by this city's most seasoned social diplomat— Bill Hersey. The club is inconsistent in terms of party voltage, but because of Bill's strong Hollywood and Billboard ties, he frequently throws parties for visiting celebrities. You will occasionally run into a real movie star or the members of a flavor-of-the-month heavy metal band hanging out at the bar. The place was swamped with fans both inside and out the night Guns'n'Roses dropped by. The decor is getting a bit shabby these days and could definitely do with freshening up. Also, the dance floor is backed by revolving mirrored panels, so if you have long hair or are wearing flowing clothes, don't get too close—you might end up as part of the light show Isadora Duncan style. Models with composites get in free.
Open from 6 p.m. till at least 12
a.m. every day.
Urban Bldg. B1F,
7-13-2 Roppongi,
Minato-ku.
(03) 3401-1661/3475-0672
¥¥
J Trip "Wanna Dance?"
This used to be an exclusive members-only club but the owners recently reopened in a funkier public-access vein. With Tokyo's economic future hanging in limbo, people are less willing to throw their money into expensive club memberships and are now more inclined to pay as they play. The interior was revamped by Koshin Sato, who recently redid the Paladium in New York. He has managed to create a suitably dark yet playful effect by injecting some very colorful neo-pop highlights into the furnishings. An impossibly large raffia-like flower looms over the dance floor and bright donut-shaped cushions decorate the lockers. The dance floor is not enormous but seems to accommodate everyone, especially since the Drug Store opened upstairs and stole the drink and mingle crowd. The darkness quotient makes some of the stairs fairly treacherous, so be warned. They feature an excellent range of DJs and music throughout the week, so drop by and pick up a schedule.
Open from 7 p.m. till 5 a.m.
Sunday to Thursday and till 8
a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The Wall B1F & B2F,
4-2-4 Nishi-azabu,
Minato-ku.
(03) 3409-7607
¥¥¥
Juliana's
Wembley Japan, part of an international leisure specialist group, made sure they did their homework before opening their Tokyo club. The Japanese like a little pomp, splendor, and snob value when they step out in the evening. Appropriately aloof door people wearing snappy shoulder-padded jackets and wireless headsets control admittance. The entry is like the airlock in a spaceship. Tendrils of dry ice from the laser show inside enfold you as you enter the enormous belly of the beast beyond. A large central dance floor is flanked by ringside viewing and dancing platforms with adjacent bar and seating areas. Mezzanine VIP lounges are strategically located in see-and-be-seen corners. A host of international staff, including DJs and lively dancers, are employed by the club to pump up the vibe—and they do. The only drawback is the clientele. They tend to be a very average Homat and salaryman/OL mob, but maybe that's because it's so expensive. Don't forget your wallet.
Open from 6:30 p.m. till 12 a.m.
every day.
1-13-10 Shiba-ura,
Minato-ku.
(03) 5484-4000
¥¥¥¥¥
DJ Bar Ink Stick
In spite of the fact that this club is located on the top of a fairly modern building in Shibuya, it feels like a converted barn on somebody's lower forty. It is a big, dimly-lit, and sparsely furnished space with a bar down one side and a DJ booth in one corner. Whoever decorated the interior scores high marks for originality. The entire roof is hung with an interesting assortment of hats, like an upside-down mushroom farm, and the walls are variously covered with collections of hubcaps, wooden boot-sizers, and masks.