New York Bar on the 52nd floor of Park Hyatt Tokyo reopened December 2025 after the hotel's 19-month renovation. Nightly live jazz, the Lost in Translation room reborn.
Tip: Music charge after 20:00, smart casual enforced. Window seats need a reservation; the new cocktail menu nods to the film.
Address: 3-7-1-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-1055
Maduro on the 4th floor of the Grand Hyatt Tokyo in Roppongi Hills is the late-night jazz lounge. Leather sofas, gas lanterns, deep whisky list, live music nightly.
Tip: Live music charge 2,200 yen after sets begin around 20:00. Reserve a sofa for a group; cigars allowed in the side lounge.
Bar Benfiddich in Tokyo's Nishi-Shinjuku is Hiroyasu Kayama's 17-seat counter built around herbs and spirits he grows on his Chichibu farm. World's 50 Best every year since 2016.
Tip: Take the lift to 9F; no menu, just describe what you like. Cover charge applies, reservations help on weekends.
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.
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.