Watched a few of your videos and I just have to say, the selection of bars and the video quality are top notch, and like others have said, you should get so many more views. I’ve been to many of the bars you’ve visited in Europe and Asia, and looking forward to checking out the rest of your list when I return to Asia in Nov!
Got back from my Japan trip recently and based a lot of the bars I went to on your videos so I appreciate what you do immensely. We had a blast. One of my absolute favorite places we went to is above the Bellwood - BW Cave. The best and most unique highballs I had in Japan as well as some of the best Izakaya food I had. A lot more relaxed and casual than The Bellwood (which was fantastic in its own right).
Mudan’s video reminded me to come back here and show some love. Went to Star Bar, SG Cub, Bar Landscape, and Virtu on my recent trip. All were great, and the last three of those were some of my favorite bars ever. Happy I binged your content!
fun fact; the assistant bartender at ishi no hana is a huge koala fan. her instagram page has 15k followers and it has nothing but koala pictures she takes. and she goes to the zoo pretty much every other day to take pictures of koalas
Thank you. so god damn much. for the amount of effort, EXPERT curation of music, BEAUTIFUL video work, and editing. When a youtube video is so, so much more than just a youtube video, life feels just a little bit better. I seriously thank you. This must have not been easy to put together. Subscribing for sure youre a gem. Hope youre well
Love your bar visits and video format. My broke ass wont be able to visit anywhere soon but your videos feel like you take me with you! Please upload more!!!!
managed to go to many of these bars this past week, I've watched this video so often that while I was at each bar, this background music was often in my head!
Beautiful video!!! Absolutely beautiful. I love watching videos from Japan, I love me a good drink and I love me a nice place to sit… you’ve encompassed all of that within every frame essentially. Thank you, and please continue creating videos like this!
Thank you so much for making this video. We'll be visiting in the winter and are looking forward to visiting all your great recommendations. Also, the narration and video is really well done! You're an easy subscribe!
Hey thanks for watching :) I use a Sony a7c camera, as for lenses, for most shots I use the Sony gmaster 24mm f1.4 lens, and then the closeups I use a Swiss 85mm f1.8
“Cocktail Nerd”. Bahaha. Laughing because i’m a bourbon nerd… thats’s nerding out on this video. Going to Tokyo Spring 2025. Definitely checking the Bar Apollo the basement in the basement bar. Love It. Cheers!
I took a trip to Japan last year in May and used the Top 50 Bars in Asia list as a guideline while traveling and ended up giving a few of these bars a try. I tried out SG Club (Guzzle), Bar Benfiddich, memento mori, and Bar Trench. Between the four, Bar Trench ended up being my personal favorite and the only one I visited twice (time was scarce, otherwise I probably would've revisited all four).
I'm SOOO HAPPY you went to heritage. They are close friends. I really like heritage. The Japanese have very strong and negative opinions on some of the bars in your video. Albeit most are bartenders themselves. I won't mention which. However, I do agree that classic cocktails in Japan is the right way to experience cocktails. I do have to say Osaka and Kyoto have an edge on Tokyo in flavor and creativity. Nayuta, bar Shiki, Upstairz, kaktel, kazan room are leagues above Tokyo bars. Next time you're in town I'll treat you to a drink in the kansai region.😊
Ha! Just finished filming in Kansai yesterday 😂 And in terms of the bars the Japanese have strong opinions on, I’m going to assume it’s the ones that heavily cater to tourists. Which would be very silly. And for me, I’ve been in the bar industry for 20 years, I can make classic cocktails as good as anyone. I prefer bars that are going to innovate and teach me something new, bars that are going to peak my curiosity and drive to learn even more. But that’s just me 🙂
@@valianes Sorry, I just saw this. I guess I have my notifs turned off. Here is the reality from an insiders perspective. A bit long of a response, but I think it summarizes the food/drink scene in Japan. The bar scene is very cut-throat here. In Japanese society it is important to be in the "in" group. Doing something new or different can get you blacklisted from the "in" group and can cost us a lot of business. Its an unfortunate reality. There are standards to be conformed to in order to get the favor of local bartenders. There is also a level of training and skill required too. Your average NYC/London gimlet wont cut in the this word. Everything has to be perfect/near perfect to their subjective standards. It is not just tourist catered only, but a lot of tourist bars are avoided by locals. Japanese generally keep the good places secret as much as possible and purposely dont market it on mediums tourists might see. Once tourist start entering, the bar will get a bad rep. This is just par the course in Japanese society and most foreigners can't understand it. I am not Japanese, but have deep roots in Kansai, so I can get into the "in" group. Before this, I was treated like a problem everywhere I went. Its completely understandable and I hold no ill will to the Japanese. Again, I don't want to mention which bars are considered sell-outs or no longer "of quality" because I don't want to put anyone's bar down. Trench is a tourist bar, but most bartenders I know agree that it is great. That also includes Nayuta, Rocking Chair, and Ben Fiddich. Widely accepted as fantastic bars, but most of the clientele are tourists. I think they can differentiate good bars from the clientele. Sometimes its a case of "this bar is great, but I dont want to hang out with foreigners." I think the hardheaded approach to anything that isnt perfect, could be a problem in itself. I took a Japanese group of friends (who won several regional competitions) to America a few months ago. They told me he only had 1~2 good drinks the entire trip. I took them to a ton of iconic bars, so I was a bit dissapointed they thought so low of the American bar scene. NY, Miami, Cali. They are very particular about temperature, mouthfeel, balance, spirit selection, etc. If the drink isn't to their standard, its a flop. In America we really appreciate innovation, flavor, etc without judging too harshly. I try to influence the scene here by introducing new cocktails they have never heard of...the zombie, missionaries downfall, tootsie roll.
This is the video and more importantly the youtube channel I needed. I love craft cocktails and making it a point to seek them out on my trip to Japan this November! There aren't enough nights so I need to filter down this list. Did you make reservations for these spots? Also what are the average prices for cocktails in Japan. I'm guessing the usual $15 and up USD?
I've just watched all your japan bar videos and added a few places to visit in March. Any idea what bar had all those old Chartreuse bottles at the beginning of this video?
any bar serving Asahi Dry is the best bar in Tokyo IMO. Although the exchange rate made it easy to enjoy the high end places you could definitely tell by the dismayed look on their faces they did not want foreigners there, just another reminder how far they fell.
Watched a few of your videos and I just have to say, the selection of bars and the video quality are top notch, and like others have said, you should get so many more views. I’ve been to many of the bars you’ve visited in Europe and Asia, and looking forward to checking out the rest of your list when I return to Asia in Nov!
Cheers, much appreciated. Glad you enjoy 😊
Nice my friend
This video is as good as many of the 1 million subscriber travel videos. IDK how you only have 4k subscribers?
This is the BEST video on UA-cam.
In my pursuit of understanding the Japanese bartending scene, im so glad to have stumbled on this video. Your work is incredible and i appreciate it!
Have you found any recipe books or channels with good recipes? Just starting this journey and am quite overwhelmed lol
Got back from my Japan trip recently and based a lot of the bars I went to on your videos so I appreciate what you do immensely. We had a blast. One of my absolute favorite places we went to is above the Bellwood - BW Cave. The best and most unique highballs I had in Japan as well as some of the best Izakaya food I had. A lot more relaxed and casual than The Bellwood (which was fantastic in its own right).
Shout out to BW Cave and the bartenders. Animal took care of me the other week.
Great video. Hard to believe we just wandered into one of the best bars in Asia blind on our last trip. Need to try the rest!
Mudan’s video reminded me to come back here and show some love. Went to Star Bar, SG Cub, Bar Landscape, and Virtu on my recent trip. All were great, and the last three of those were some of my favorite bars ever. Happy I binged your content!
Awesome Video. I love the simplicity, quality video, and insightful commentary.
Coolest video I’ve watched in a really long time
fun fact; the assistant bartender at ishi no hana is a huge koala fan. her instagram page has 15k followers and it has nothing but koala pictures she takes. and she goes to the zoo pretty much every other day to take pictures of koalas
Thank you. so god damn much. for the amount of effort, EXPERT curation of music, BEAUTIFUL video work, and editing.
When a youtube video is so, so much more than just a youtube video, life feels just a little bit better.
I seriously thank you. This must have not been easy to put together. Subscribing for sure youre a gem.
Hope youre well
Definitely going to check out some of these when I am in Tokyo next month.
Love your bar visits and video format. My broke ass wont be able to visit anywhere soon but your videos feel like you take me with you! Please upload more!!!!
Lots more videos in the pipeline, stay tuned 😊
managed to go to many of these bars this past week, I've watched this video so often that while I was at each bar, this background music was often in my head!
Thank you so much, luckily visiting Seoul, Tokyo & Bangkok soon. You have given me so many choices.
Top shelf content here. Mojo for the win
Thank you for sharing these selections, my husband and I are going to Tokyo in nine days.
First time in. 20 years in bar. Loving the vibe!
thank you so much for these videos. you have made me unbelievably more excited for my trip to japan. great videos. you really know your stuff
Wow I'm so glad this got recommended to me. I'm sad that this was recommended to me after my 2 weeks in tokyo. Guess I have to go back again next year
Just got back from Tokyo. Went to memento mori and trench both were great! Thanks for putting this list together.
Beautiful video!!! Absolutely beautiful. I love watching videos from Japan, I love me a good drink and I love me a nice place to sit… you’ve encompassed all of that within every frame essentially. Thank you, and please continue creating videos like this!
This video is top notch, keep it up man
this video is pretty amazing
Thank you so much for making this video. We'll be visiting in the winter and are looking forward to visiting all your great recommendations. Also, the narration and video is really well done! You're an easy subscribe!
great Video with a great content. Congrats
Great video buddy.
Awesome vid. Love it
Went to Folklore because of your video! Their sake omakase was such a great experience
Thank you for this ☺️❤
This video is so high quality I'm so proud to have found you below 5K subs.
whats your gear/setup on these videos?
Hey thanks for watching :)
I use a Sony a7c camera, as for lenses, for most shots I use the Sony gmaster 24mm f1.4 lens, and then the closeups I use a Swiss 85mm f1.8
Narration always on point. Such an artistic approach to these videos. Keep ‘em coming
“Cocktail Nerd”. Bahaha. Laughing because i’m a bourbon nerd… thats’s nerding out on this video. Going to Tokyo Spring 2025. Definitely checking the Bar Apollo the basement in the basement bar. Love It. Cheers!
Revisiting this masterpiece
Wow, first Thailand & now Tokyo?! It's like you know my travel itinerary for 2023 🤔
I took a trip to Japan last year in May and used the Top 50 Bars in Asia list as a guideline while traveling and ended up giving a few of these bars a try. I tried out SG Club (Guzzle), Bar Benfiddich, memento mori, and Bar Trench. Between the four, Bar Trench ended up being my personal favorite and the only one I visited twice (time was scarce, otherwise I probably would've revisited all four).
feels like we also there.
Well done YT algorithm. Just what I needed before my first trip to Japan this December.
Gonna be looking for some cigar bars in October.
AMAZING VIDEO . anyone have a link to the music tracks used ? that was awsome too
do you need reservations for these bars? love your videos!
do they speak english?
Hey I subscribed! now you gotta tell me what that magical vitamin is, LOL; but thanks, I'll definitely be hitting up some of these
I'm SOOO HAPPY you went to heritage. They are close friends. I really like heritage.
The Japanese have very strong and negative opinions on some of the bars in your video. Albeit most are bartenders themselves. I won't mention which. However, I do agree that classic cocktails in Japan is the right way to experience cocktails.
I do have to say Osaka and Kyoto have an edge on Tokyo in flavor and creativity. Nayuta, bar Shiki, Upstairz, kaktel, kazan room are leagues above Tokyo bars.
Next time you're in town I'll treat you to a drink in the kansai region.😊
Ha! Just finished filming in Kansai yesterday 😂
And in terms of the bars the Japanese have strong opinions on, I’m going to assume it’s the ones that heavily cater to tourists. Which would be very silly.
And for me, I’ve been in the bar industry for 20 years, I can make classic cocktails as good as anyone. I prefer bars that are going to innovate and teach me something new, bars that are going to peak my curiosity and drive to learn even more. But that’s just me 🙂
@@valianes Sorry, I just saw this. I guess I have my notifs turned off. Here is the reality from an insiders perspective. A bit long of a response, but I think it summarizes the food/drink scene in Japan.
The bar scene is very cut-throat here. In Japanese society it is important to be in the "in" group. Doing something new or different can get you blacklisted from the "in" group and can cost us a lot of business. Its an unfortunate reality. There are standards to be conformed to in order to get the favor of local bartenders. There is also a level of training and skill required too. Your average NYC/London gimlet wont cut in the this word. Everything has to be perfect/near perfect to their subjective standards.
It is not just tourist catered only, but a lot of tourist bars are avoided by locals. Japanese generally keep the good places secret as much as possible and purposely dont market it on mediums tourists might see. Once tourist start entering, the bar will get a bad rep. This is just par the course in Japanese society and most foreigners can't understand it. I am not Japanese, but have deep roots in Kansai, so I can get into the "in" group. Before this, I was treated like a problem everywhere I went. Its completely understandable and I hold no ill will to the Japanese.
Again, I don't want to mention which bars are considered sell-outs or no longer "of quality" because I don't want to put anyone's bar down. Trench is a tourist bar, but most bartenders I know agree that it is great. That also includes Nayuta, Rocking Chair, and Ben Fiddich. Widely accepted as fantastic bars, but most of the clientele are tourists. I think they can differentiate good bars from the clientele. Sometimes its a case of "this bar is great, but I dont want to hang out with foreigners."
I think the hardheaded approach to anything that isnt perfect, could be a problem in itself. I took a Japanese group of friends (who won several regional competitions) to America a few months ago. They told me he only had 1~2 good drinks the entire trip. I took them to a ton of iconic bars, so I was a bit dissapointed they thought so low of the American bar scene. NY, Miami, Cali. They are very particular about temperature, mouthfeel, balance, spirit selection, etc. If the drink isn't to their standard, its a flop. In America we really appreciate innovation, flavor, etc without judging too harshly. I try to influence the scene here by introducing new cocktails they have never heard of...the zombie, missionaries downfall, tootsie roll.
@@Rynopb Not all bars, but I mean it is normal. If I were a local I wouldn't want to go to a place that is over-touristy.
@@a61374 Agreed. Some bars are too good to not go due to tourists. My regular bars in Kyoto Osaka, are non-tourist.
What is the name of the Tom Waits CD played at bar Apollo??
This is the video and more importantly the youtube channel I needed. I love craft cocktails and making it a point to seek them out on my trip to Japan this November! There aren't enough nights so I need to filter down this list. Did you make reservations for these spots? Also what are the average prices for cocktails in Japan. I'm guessing the usual $15 and up USD?
Having been there... Benfiddich really is worth the hype!
Love your bar videos. What camera do you use to get the shots in the dark cocktail bars?
Camera is an a7c, lenses are Sony 24mm f1.4 for wide, Zeiss 85mm 1.8 for close shots
Thank you sir
Love your videos. Curious what type of camera you're using.
Super blessed dawg
I concur, very blessed
I've just watched all your japan bar videos and added a few places to visit in March. Any idea what bar had all those old Chartreuse bottles at the beginning of this video?
Amazing video, going to Tokio in a couple weeks can’t wait.
What is the average price for a cocktail in one of these bars?
Thanks
It varies greatly... some as low as 1000 yen, but the bougie hotel bars can be as much as 4000 yen per drink. Most will be around 1500-1800.
Usually in Shibuya/Shinjuku around $12 in my recent travels there.
Do you need reservation in advance to visit bars in Shinjuku?
what is the music in the background love that jazz vibe
Curious about the background music. Would be great to post in your intro writeup section.
18:36 Orchard 1:3 bars returned to more than 1x
He would you rate Litts Bar in Shibuya out of 10?
there are so many bars in tokyo your liver would give out
Beautiful video, but it was more of a drink tour than a bar tour. Very little footage inside the bars.
Daiquiri Daiquiri ❤❤🎉🎉
33,000. That's a pub crawl. The cost would kill me beside my liver. Any Hard cider bars.
Sg is my favourite
my question is how hard is it to actually get into these bars? lol
I’m curious too. Bar Benfeddich sold out in less than an hour and a half. I slept in until 8:30 and missed the reservations being available at 7:00AM.
Do the Japanese drink sake anymore?
The best, but bars
Can you use Credit Cards in these bars???
Change name to bar hopper
any bar serving Asahi Dry is the best bar in Tokyo IMO. Although the exchange rate made it easy to enjoy the high end places you could definitely tell by the dismayed look on their faces they did not want foreigners there, just another reminder how far they fell.
That made zero sense.
@@bbbofficial777 then why did you waste the time to reply? Derp.
@@a61374 who the fuck asked you
No you didn't.
Loved your videos