It is Saturday, June 21st, 2025 and I’m in Shibuya at the Mikkeller bar. This is Danish beer that my friend Jonas told me about when they opened a place in San Francisco. It lasted for about 7 years but was hit hard by COVID. I’ve been to Mikkeller in Shibuya before but it was at a different location with more of an open air experience. This is a smaller place so I’m assuming they couldn’t afford the rent at the other place, Shibuya being astronomically expensive. I asked the staff if they had moved (obviously they have) but she didn’t really know.
Before coming here I went to a new bar called LOST by the YouTuber who created Abroad in Japan. Having visited Tokyo for over 24 years, I’ve seen pretty much everything I’ve wanted to so am always on the lookout for new places. I really don’t care about YouTubers but Chris has a good channel and so I thought I’d check out his bar. Being 3:00 PM I got right in and knew to slide the “secret door” to get in.
I enjoyed it not being crowded as it gave me a chance to talk with the bar tenders. I spoke a bit with Zack who, although unfortunately happens to be from Michigan (I’m from Ohio) was extremely amiable and we had a great chat. I don’t usually drink fruity cocktails but with names such as “Too much lava” and “Go Fuck Yourself” I had to give them a try. However, it was the conversation with Zack that made the experience memorable.
Here at Mikkeller there is a mix of gaijin and Japanese with a line slowly starting to creep towards the door. It isn’t far from Lost but in trying to get here a bit more quickly I found myself in back alleys where the love hotels are. I even saw a couple come out which was obviously a business transaction and she gave him a very polite thank you and goodbye. What a different world Tokyo is.
Anyway, I thought I’d have a few beers here and then make my way to my old standby, The Hub in Ikebukuro. There is always someone who will want to speak English there and it is fun to meet new people, otherwise, I’d just be writing in my blog, in the bar, like a lonely, old, (but surprisingly charismatic), old guy.
The volume of the music has increased and is a somewhat moody genre that I’m not familiar with. I’m Shazaming the songs since maybe I could get into Moody music, who knows. There is a gaijin/Japanese couple at the bar to my right. I can tell they’re not married because they are sitting too close together and being much too affectionate. The white guy is explaining something and the Japanese girl put her head on his shoulder. Definitely not married. :-).
I’m watching people walk by and realize there is still so much I don’t know about Tokyo. So many subcultures, groups, interests, entire worlds, that I know nothing about. Shibuya alone is like its own galaxy with a seemingly infinite number of businesses and things to do. Tokyo is like an entire universe. Even so, there really isn’t too much difference between neighborhoods. They are comprised of restaurants, bars, hotels, entertainment and so on. It is difficult to find the true gems and some worlds I don’t want to venture into anyway.
I do like to meet people and so I’m always on the lookout for places where one might be able to strike up a conversation with strangers. The old standby is of course The Hub, but hidden in the upper floors of fashionable districts are nestled really fun, true Japanese places without the sterile environment of The Hub. The thing is you never really know what you’re going to get without taking the leap and opening up the door. Google Maps help narrow things down but they really cannot convey the atmosphere of the place without experiencing it firsthand.
Well, I would like to strike up a conversation with someone but it doesn’t seem like this is the place to do it. I think I’ll have to head to the Hub but just don’t want to do so too early. If I go now, I’d be in bed by 8:00.
