Staggering out of the bar late one Saturday, your shirt dampened from the onslaught of spilt beer it had been unable to fend off, you listlessly make your way home. The prior five hours spent drinking and the foreseeable eighteen hours of your life spent cursing your lack of restraint, would not be in vain should you simply find your way into the nearest train station, topple down the stairs and crash into your premade futon.
Yet, what’s this? It seems someone intends to make a mockery of your responsible attempt at making it into bed before sunrise, as entry to the station has been barricaded off rendering it inaccessible.
“wHaT Do yOu MeAn 5aM!?” A slurred Google Search later reveals that almost all train lines in Japan, cease operation between the hours of approximately midnight and five in the morning. Great.
Nothing to it then I suppose. Returning to the bar seems to be your only option. However, as your mind cascades back to the sixth (or was it the sixteenth?) Jumbo Dynamite Kid you ingested earlier that evening; you can’t help but wonder whether there are any alternatives that don’t involve journeying home in an ambulance having just had your stomach pumped.
My alcohol tolerance is just fine, thank you very much. Show me your world record; “most tequila shots in an hour whilst still being able to recite the alphabet backwards” plaque and maybe you can have some rebuttal. Regardless, when I was met first met with this situation, I made the unwise decision to drunkenly make my way from Shibuya, all the way to Takadanobaba, on foot (totalling around 7km)! Luckily, Tokyo’s streets are relatively safe at all hours of the day and so I came to no harm. From that day onwards, I vowed to never let another unfortunate soul suffer such a fate.
Worry not! Here are my recommendations for how to survive in Tokyo’s neon lit nights, without resorting to alcohol poisoning. Below discover 5 things you can do after missing the last train in Tokyo.
5 Things You Can Do After the Last Train In Tokyo
1. Karaoke – Sing Yourself a Lullaby.
Personally, I struggle to walk more than five steps in Tokyo without being bombarded by a slew of カラオケ(karaoke) signs. In the past, I simply brushed these off and paid them little to no regard. However, on nights such as these, watching the looming ‘Big Echo’ tower shimmering in the distance, I couldn’t help but be drawn like a moth to a flame. Let me tell you truthfully. I am so glad that I was.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. Karaoke venues are spacious, secluded and relatively well soundproofed (although leaving the door even slightly ajar, invites the wailing of a thousand cats into your booth). The pricing isn’t too demanding either for most of the famous chains (usually topping off at around ¥2500 for five or six hours of free time between 11pm and 5am). ‘Big Echo’ have sites dotted all over Tokyo and you’d be hard pressed to turn a corner and not see one jutting out from the skyline. Heated air conditioning, a place to sit down and an extensive catalogue of hymns to sing the night away, what more could you ask for?
For a detailed look at what you can expect at a “Big Echo” karaoke bar, or a list of their various locations, please visit either: https://big-echo.jp/en/ orhttps://big-echo.jp/shop_search/ respectfully.
2. Shisha – Hope You Remembered Your ID.
Tucked away amidst the backstreets of Shibuya, Harajuku and other known late-night locations, it isn’t too uncommon to come across a ‘Chill-up’, a ‘Chill-in’ or a ‘Chill-out’ (in some rare cases, you could possibly even stumble across the ever elusive ‘Chill-shake-it-all-about’). Here, one can comfortably sink into a large sofa and let the calming music played over the speakers, aid in your relaxation.
Allow the once foul smell of vomit, discarded bentou (Japanese lunchbox) and regret that once stained the inside of your nostrils, to be replaced by the heavenly smells of pineapple, watermelon and various other flavours on offer. Admittedly, this place is not for everyone. If you despise smoking and all its subsidiaries, then be sure to steer clear. However, if you are open to the occasional puff of mizu (water)tobacco, most shisha joints are open until around 4am.They even allow for you to bring your own drinks, food and cigarettes as long as the smell isn’t too overwhelming.
As I mentioned before, “Chill-in” have stores all over Tokyo. Some of the best can be found in Shibuya but there exists a “Chill-up” in Roppongi, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro as well. Kick back, relax and puff away until morning.
For a list of locations, rules for entry and other information, feel free to visit “Chill-in’s” official website.
Also check our complete guide on the best Shisha spots in Tokyo.
3. Eateries – Can You Super-Super-Size It Please?
Don’t think I made that trek from the Shibuya Hub all the way to my dormitory in Takadanobaba on an empty stomach. Many chain restaurants hold their doors open from dusk until dawn. Get a burger. Get some fries. You deserve it! The food on offer is what you would expect to find from a restaurant open at two in the morning. Good ol’ fashioned, swimming in grease, fast food. They won’t be winning any awards for gourmet service, seeing as the food isn’t served with a pricey bottle of champagne and the chef doesn’t have an unyielding need to stuff my face full of caviar, but it makes up for that in price and, more importantly, quantity.
You know what we’re talking about here: McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King. Exactly the kind of food to fuel that last spurt of energy needed to power through until morning. Grab a seat and find out just how much food it is possible to consume in the span of three hours.
4. Manga café – Just one more episo-it’s morning already?
Perhaps you’re not in the mood for more stimulation. All you want is a place to sit down. A place that offers a variety of food and drinks that can be devoured in solitude, away from prying eyes. A place where you can binge the latest anime and manga releases or kill a few hours playing through a large selection of different games. A place where you can…take…a shower?
Wait a minute. Am I seriously telling you that there is a way that you can rid the stench of booze and sweat from your body and it doesn’t involve taking a dip in the local riverbank? Well, to put it bluntly, that is exactly what I’m saying).
An internet café (otherwise referred to as a manga kissaten or manga kissa for short) is a place where one can eat their fill of food and drink, take a nice hot shower, before adjourning to a private booth fitted with a computer and unlimited internet access. That, or grab a book from the shelf and brush up on your kanji practice. Varying between different locations, you shouldn’t expect to spend more than ¥3000 yen for a full eight hours of shut-eye.
Locations are scattered around Tokyo but there is not a dedicated chain so to speak of. Be sure to familiarize yourself with your local stores before setting off.
5. The Club – When all hope is lost.
McDonald’s is full. You forgot you ID. The Karaoke staff kicked you out for cracking too many windows with your chronological renditions of every One Piece opening theme song. You’re illiterate. If all of these traits apply to you, then spending a few hours in a club can’t be that undesirable, can it?
Whether you drank yourself into oblivion at the bar earlier that night or you just simply don’t enjoy alcohol, a club can be a haven for finding somewhere to kill time (albeit a rather expensive haven – as if Peter himself gestured for a larger tip before granting you entry through the pearly gates).
Most of the suggestions prior to this, don’t really allow for much social interaction. An isolated booth, although appealing in the right circumstances, pales in comparison to what a club has on offer. With a fresh mix of rotating faces, you won’t be short of someone new to talk to. Circle the several floors of some of Tokyo’s most popular dancing outlets, in search of new friends. So what if the person you’re talking to is too wasted to string a coherent sentence together. It beats bearing your plight to the apathetic ears of the local rats, doesn’t it? Take that motor mouth onto the dance floor and boogie down until sunrise!
I understand that in most cases, this isn’t the optimal solution. I have made the pilgrimage several nights into that overbearing and noisy discotheque when I am just frankly, not in the mood. However, if I am to sit there; drink in hand, legs well rested and heat gradually filling up my bones with warmth once lost. A passer-by joining my table and proclaiming that we are now best friends for life. I can’t help but to think that there are worse ways to spend an evening, and worse people to spend it with.
For all things Hip-Hop, be sure to check out Harlem in Shibuya as well as Club Camelot for a mix of Western and Electronic. You can find all of their information on the official website. Roppongi has fewer options but their quality is in no way lacking when compared to Shibuya. Be sure to hit up Sel Octagon or V2 Tokyo, only a short walk from the train station, for a truly good time.
Read our guide on the Top 5 Nightclubs In Tokyo for great club options for partying.
Turn That Anguish Into a Great Memory.
There you have it. A list of things to keep you busy whilst you clock watch for the first train’s arrival. Whether you’re hungry, energetic or more chilled out, Tokyo is not short of places to keep you entertained until morning. I don’t reminisce fondly of my trek through Tokyo’s backstreets trying to find my way home. Try not to let an unchangeable situation ruin what had been a pleasant evening until that point. Make the most of the cards you’ve been dealt.
I try not to make a habit of purposefully missing the last train in Tokyo so I’m sure there are countless other ways to spend the night. Let me know what you get up to during the late hours of Tokyo’s night-time down below.
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