5 Best Bars in Suginami, Tokyo

This dimly lit basement bar has become a late-night haunt for anime fans. Beer, whisky, and cocktails are on the menu, while anime figurines dot the counter, and anime plays endlessly on the bar’s TV. The owners have several thousand anime DVDs in their collection, so you never know what will be on.

This 100-year-old tenement house, all dark woods and creaking sounds, is one of Koenji’s most unique bars. Part library (you can pick up and read any of the hundreds of books), it also serves cocktails and bar snacks, and even has some cocktails on the menu inspired by literary legends. Although it's only open after 6 on weekdays, it's also open from noon to 3 on weekends.

This small brewpub produces a frequently changing line-up of craft beers, often including pale ales and white beers. Whatever is on tap on any given day will be scrawled on chalkboards on the walls, as will the list of beer-friendly snacks.

If you want to experience Asagaya’s jazz scene outside of the area’s annual jazz festival, stop by this tiny, somewhat ramshackle jazz café. It was one of the areas first jazz venues when it opened several decades ago. Local musicians jam or perform here every night, in confines so narrow you might disrupt a gig trying to get to the toilet, but it’s a very friendly hangout with a reputation for great music. There is a cover charge, which varies by the show.

A small, basic venue in western Tokyo that been going strong since the late 1990s, Showboat attracts semi-professional and professional performers. Entry runs ¥2,000 to ¥5,000.