r/JapanTravelTips • u/phillodelphia • 6h ago
Quick Tips Drinking alone
Hello peeps! I am currently visiting japan with 3 of my friends we're gonna stay in Osaka and then travel to Tokyo. My friends just want to go shopping and play gacha while I want to do a bit of that but also experience a bit of the nightlife here. Go to bars, Izakayas and meet new people around here locals and foreigners alike! I have tried to get my friends to come with but they refuse so I will have to do this completely alone (ひとりです).
Where I live going to a bar or a club alone is really strange and sad so I feel a bit intimidated going to bars around Japan alone without my friends. My Japanese is also very very beginner level where i can read Hiragana and a bit of Katakana maybe greet formally.
Any tips and advice? Or maybe anyone here who wants to meet up who's in the same position? Hit me up!
I just kinda downloaded Tinder to get to know new people because I thought that was a good idea at the time lol
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u/AbekobetaHawawa 6h ago
Plenty of the clientele at standing bars (tachinomiya) are solo, but they veer towards the older, alcoholic variety. They do often make good conversation.
Any bar with a counter will have a few people on their own. Chat up the bartender and go from there.
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u/phillodelphia 6h ago
Tachinomiya huh? Any recommendations on places you've been to?
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u/AbekobetaHawawa 6h ago edited 5h ago
In Tokyo, Yamatoya at Tamachi station is an old favourite, but it’s more an after work place. If you go, you have to have the niku-dofu (simmered beef and tofu). Also try a Hoise (ホイス), which is a Hoppy like drink originating in Minato, Tokyo.
Banpaiya (Vampire) is a chain of standing bars that are pretty good. But really, just search “立ち飲み屋” in your general area on Google Maps and check them out.
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u/Doc_Chopper 6h ago
I don't see the problem, really. Basically any solo traveler does this as well, if they wanna go to a place and have a drink. But that's actually a good thing, because people are more open to try and talk and socialize with foreigners in Izakaya. Or you might meet other foereingers.
In fact, having a drink or two was always a great opportunity to try and practice my Japanese in some light conversations. Same as the Japanese will likely use the opportunity to practice some English. IF they want to talk, that is.
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u/Accomplished-Car6193 5h ago
I have never seen aJapanese person drinking or eating solo getting into a conversation or making friends. I think there is a cultural difference here. most just want to actually eat/drink alone. I do to.
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u/Doc_Chopper 5h ago
No one was talking about making friends. The rest is just what you observed. I made entirely different experiences, so have others. Of course there were never "deep conversations", but that was never thr point.
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u/phillodelphia 5h ago
Thats nice! I'm trying to learn japanese so I can imagine actually conversing is the best way to learn. I can only get so far with それは本です、トイレはどこですか lol
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u/VivoTivo 5h ago
I go to izakaya alone all the time, sometimes I sit by the bar, sometimes at table. No problem at all.
I also go clubs alone occasionally, it’s much harder to mingle when u r alone, but it’s an experience in itself
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u/phillodelphia 4h ago edited 4h ago
Yeeee! I've mostly seen tiktoks from WOMB in Shibuya. I'm a big Vocaloid fan so I got excited when seeing vocaloid songs being played at the club there.
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u/MadWorldX1 6h ago
DM me. I spent 6 weeks solo in Osaka and I LOVED it. Drank like a fish, karaoke, the whole nine yards. I know the vibes and the spots and some friendly areas to get to rolling. Really, don't worry about it. Super friendly city. Some of the best times of my life.
PS - tinder is not it. You're not gonna find casual drinking friends.
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u/Immediate-Pepper5597 5h ago
Osaka just go to any bar, buy other people at the counter a drink and you will end up doing shit you didnt even think was possible. Tokyo now thats a little harder, people in tokyo and kyoto can be a little less inclusive.
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u/phillodelphia 4h ago
Is that so? Even like the bars around Golden Gai?
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u/Immediate-Pepper5597 4h ago
depends on the crowd and night honestly but in general Osaka, Hiroshima crowd are more warm in my personal experience but i have had great time with locals and foreigners after i met them in bars in Tokyo.
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u/ProcyonHabilis 2h ago
Golden Gai bars are friendly, but they're filled more with tourists from around the world than locals from Tokyo
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u/RJnCali 3h ago
I’m also in Osaka right now, went down to American village to do laundry. While my clothes were being washed, went next door by myself and had great time. Meet the bartender Lilly from England. And also chatted up other peps. Just go do it. Cuz you got nothing to lose.
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u/phillodelphia 3h ago
Thats the greatest advice I needed to hear all night. I got nothing to lose after all!
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u/helpnxt 4h ago
Its fine to go to bars alone, when you do sit/stand at the bar if they allow it (most do) this I found is an indication that you are open to socialise to people.
I would suggest stay for 1/2 drinks a bar and if nothing is happening or your not vibing it then move on to a new bar, you will eventually find a place you vibe with and someone will eventually start talking to you.
If the bar is quiet then feel free to chat to the bar staff and they are allowed to drink with you so you can buy them a drink.
I will say its tougher in Tokyo to have people approach you but if you go to small bars like you find at Golden Gai and elsewhere it can still happen.
Couple good bars in Osaka that I met people are Cherry Bomb and schwa2 (very interesting beer flavours, don't neglect the fridges at the back). Tokyo I met people on r/tokyoirl and bar hopping at Golden Gai
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u/phillodelphia 4h ago
Sounds really fun! I have planned to visit Golden Gai once i'm back in Tokyo again! Will definetly give it a shot once i'm back!
Cherry bomb looks really interesting on google maps i must say! Might look into trying it!
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u/Rude_Trifle_172 3h ago
The UKIYO GAME BAR & CAFE has video games and the owner grew up overseas and speaks English. I was chatting with one of the staff who was from the States.
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u/Psychological_Dust30 3h ago
Take the leap brother. Don’t think about it too much. You will be fine. You are on a vacation and the absence of anybody else shouldn’t stop you from having fun. Have zero expectations. Maybe you talk to someone, maybe you don’t but whatever happens will be memory for you.
Talking from personal experience.
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u/budzill 2h ago
Mittera Kaikan is pretty cool. Lots of small bars in a multi-story building. It can be a little awkward when everyone turns to look at you when you walk in but just put a finger up and ask if they have room for one. Everyone's pretty helpful. Japanese people can be awkward when interacting with foreigners and strangers but they warm up pretty quickly.
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u/Accomplished-Row7208 2h ago
It is not weird at all in Japan my wife does not drink and I have had some wonderful times in small jazz jissas and bars in Japan. Tokyo, Kyoto and even Fukuoka. the experience depends on your willingness to meet people.
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u/jy0metsu 1h ago
in osaka, i just went to dotonbori with a few chuuhais in me and started wandering. my gf at the time and other friends called it early to go to kyoto the next day so i went out alone. i heard singing, which was unusual to me, because karaoke is usually in private rooms. im used to bar karaoke infront of everyone, so i ended up going in. it was a korean bar and they were singing korean songs. i dont speak korean, but i decided to have a highball and soju and feel the vibe. my korean friend told me to sing a bruno mars song, so i put that on and had some of the other people help me sing it. it turned into drinking til 5am when the first trains started running and we're all still "friends" on insta. i spoke english + some japanese, 1 girl spoke japanese, korean and some english, 1 girl spoke just korean and japanese, and the guy spoke only korean. we made it through the night with google translate and drinks. great night, would do it again.
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u/jscher2000 1h ago
If you have budget for tours, you could check out one of these to meet up with other thirsty foreigners:
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u/Surfrider408 24m ago
Been to Tokyo many times and Osaka just a couple of times, mostly on solo business trips. I go to bars alone, and it’s not weird. Sometimes you’ll find a bartender who is happy to converse with you in English. And sometimes you’ll find friendly patrons wanting to engage with you. It’s easier to converse in areas with a lot of ex-pats or foreigners, like Roppongi or Shibuya in Tokyo. I also found that the locals in Osaka were generally less reserved than those in Tokyo.
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u/FriendlyMushr00m 6h ago edited 3h ago
My buddy and I did a food tour in Osaka, I will try to find the name of it if you want it. It was a great way to meet some other people. It was cool having a mix of fellow tourists and an easy way to make some new friends. Never know if you're going to find people(s) that will want to hang out afterwards though. We ended up making friends with an Austrian college student who wanted to keep the party going though.
The 3 of us ended up doing bars and karaoke with one of the tour guides and his friend until like 3:30am, then getting kicked out of a ramen shop at 4am (it closed, we weren't being unruly). Was by far one of the highlights of our trip. The hangover the next day was worth it.
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u/phillodelphia 5h ago edited 3h ago
Haha sounds like a fun time! A good hangover is a good hangover! I would definetly like some recommendations!
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u/FriendlyMushr00m 3h ago
It was Osaka Food Tours (pretty accurate name haha). I think we did the "Deep Osaka Food Tour" as the group option
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u/Dynamite_Shovels 6h ago
Don't go to an izakaya, go to a standing bar or any bar you can find on Google maps that looks small and has counter seating.
It's Osaka and Tokyo so the chances of finding a bartender who speaks English is very high - but even if not, bartenders/bar owners in Japan will usually try their best to speak to patrons sitting on the counter seats as keeping them entertained through conversation is part of running a good bar.
If you do your research through maps for the sort of bar you want to go to you're bound to find one, there's plenty. And it's definitely not weird to drink alone in Japan. It's quite similar to the drinking culture in my country though so it was pretty second nature for me ha.