Bar Trench in Tokyo's Ebisu has been Rogerio Igarashi Vaz's absinthe and herbal liqueur room since 2010. Eight-seat counter, vintage European fit-out, on the World's 50 Best Bars list.
Tip: Tiny room, eight seats. Cash and card accepted; the absinthe selection is the through-line, ask for a guided pour.
Address: 1-5-8 Ebisu-Nishi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0021
The SG Club in Shibuya is Shingo Gokan's three-floor cocktail house opened in 2018. Standing Guzzle on ground, basement Sip for classics, top-floor Savor for cigars and pairings.
Tip: Guzzle is walk-in and casual; Sip downstairs needs a reservation and applies a cover. Eight years running on Asia's 50 Best.
Gen Yamamoto in Tokyo's Azabu-Juban is the eight-seat counter run solo by Yamamoto-san. Seasonal-fruit tasting cocktails in four or six courses, no menu, no shaker theatrics.
Tip: Reserve the four or six-course tasting in advance; phones discouraged, photos rarely permitted. Closed Mondays.
Bar Orchard Ginza is Takuo and Sumire Miyanohara's fruit-driven cocktail counter on the 7th floor of a small Ginza building. No menu, pick a fruit, get a bespoke drink.
Tip: Take the lift to 7F. No phones, parties of four max. Cover charge 1,000 yen, closed Sundays.
The Bellwood in Tokyo's Shibuya is Atsushi Suzuki's 2020-opened bar designed as a Taisho-era cafe. Cocktail kaiseki: sakizuke, yakimono, gohan courses translated into drinks.
Tip: Ask for the cocktail kaiseki tasting if seated at the counter. The unmarked Bell Sushi room behind serves a 12-piece omakase.
AiiRO Cafe in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ni-chome is the open-air gay bar marked by a blue torii at the gateway corner of the district. Pavement crowd, mixed friendly, late-night focus.
Tip: Drinks 700-900 yen, no cover. The street outside fills up by midnight on Fri-Sat, English spoken at the bar.
Arty Farty in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ni-chome is the long-running 2F dance bar and its sister Annex. Mixed crowd, pop and house DJ sets nightly, the dance floor of the strip.
Tip: Free entry, drinks 700-1,000 yen. Dance side and bar side connect through the building; pace yourself, no last orders until close.