Shinjuku Izakaya & Nightlife Tour: A Local’s Food & Drink Experience

Marty W.United States

Exploring the vibrant nightlife of Shinjuku was fascinating..and delicious! Although the huge subway station Shinjuku was partially under construction and therefore had no signage with the Google map labels for the correct exit, we finally found ourselves a block from our meeting point with Hiro. An enthusiastic and delightful guide, Hiro helped us view a different side of Tokyo. From the Godzilla plaza with food trucks, to amazing, small restaurants and the late bar scene, we enjoyed our time with Hiro. Perhaps about 2 (to 3!) decades older than the usual bar customers, we still had so much fun! Thank you for an enjoyable evening!

Hiroaki was an absolute joy to work with. Easy to talk to Super great at communicating for us and had a lot of great ideas about the area asked him to show myself and family how to get places he explained the transit system where things were how things are set up just a really great guy and did really great work. We’re very appreciative that we are able to meet and work with him.

Hiro made us feel very comfortable going to places that we otherwise would have been unlikely to go in — down an alley into little places with only a few seats that served delicious yakatori or to a tiny bar with only 6 or 7 seats where there were very friendly bartenders and we ended up chatting with other patrons. Hiro was knowledgeable yet casual, funny and flexible. Most importantly, he made sure we only went to places or ate food that accommodated my shellfish allergy.

Hiro was great. Great knowledge and a fun personality. We had fun visiting several Izakaya's. He showed us an area that we would have never found on our own. Awesome Evening!!

Hiroaki is a fantastic guide. He took us to several tiny izakaya in Shinjuku that we would have been too intimidated to go to. (Plus, most did not have English menus.). I highly recommend that you go on an empty stomach because there are so many delicious things to try. And Hiroaki knows what is good and can eat as much as anyone. We really loved the final “dive bar” he took us to in Golden Gai. We highly recommend Hiroaki to anyone who is interested in the Shinjuku nightlife! Thank you for a great evening Hiroaki-San!!!

Our tour with Hiro was amazing! 10/10 would recommend him to show you this vibrant and iconic area of Tokyo. We ate food we never would have tried otherwise and experienced local favorite spots that were “hidden” to have a more authentic experience. Don’t wait to book this tour!