Shinjuku Izakaya And Golden Gai Bar Hopping Tour

Jake was amazing!!! So fun! Highly recommend!

An enjoyable evening that was well organised by our guide Jasmine. Some lovely food and unique bars with and informative and knowledgeable guide. Recommended.

Had an awesome time experiencing the night in Shinjuku, Golden Gai with Hiro! Group of 8 that had a ton of fun!

Dude was awesome! Had a blast! Would definitely recommend him to anyone.

Hiro’s a rock star! We had a great time.

We had a great experience being shown around with Sean! 10/10 time

Great experience! Greatly timed tour with a local tourist, visiting popular destinations!

Hiro was great! Awesome time, cool sights, lots of drinks!

Good experience, Hiro was amazing.

Sean & Jake are the best guides! They know their stuff and have excellent recommendations. After the tour, if you and they have the time, they'll take you to more bars! Sean & Jake are so welcoming and sociable and open to any and all questions regarding Shinjuku and Tokyo!

Amazing energy, familiarity, and humor!! Sean had us laughing and comfortable. He made an otherwise intimidating evening in Golden Gai very approachable and easy, the entire point of it choosing to hire a guide

Thanks to Sean it was great time!

Hiro was a great guy, he gave a lot of extra suggestions on the most inconspicuous spots in Japan, not just Tokyo. He had a lot of good suggestions. He even took photos and such because I was the only one there. He knows a lot, a whole lot. Even the obscure island, Ogasawa. He's very knowledgeable. I do want to visit Ogasawa as my next destination. I recommend this tour again!

Sean was great and we went into places we would never have gone in ouselves. Great yakitori!

Sean is an extremely friendly tour guide and gave us a tour to Memory Lane, Kabukicho and Golden Gai. Would definitely recommend! We learned a lot from him.

Great tour guide, very knowledgeable.

Navigating Shinjuku’s nightlife on your own can feel overwhelming, but this Izakaya and Golden Gai Bar Hopping Tour was easily one of the biggest highlights of our trip to Tokyo. Stress-Free Access to Hidden Gems: Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane) are famous for their tiny, atmospheric bars, but many can be intimidating for tourists due to cover charges, seating limits, and Japanese-only menus. Having a knowledgeable local guide meant zero guesswork—we walked straight into incredible, authentic spots we never would have discovered or felt confident entering on our own. Delicious Food & Fantastic Drinks: The food pacing was spot on. We enjoyed freshly grilled yakitori skewers, savory gyoza, and local izakaya specialties, washed down with refreshing highballs, draft beer, and sake. Unbeatable Atmosphere & Great Company: The energy shifting from the smoky, nostalgic lanes of Omoide Yokocho through the neon buzz of Kabukicho into the intimate, character-packed micro-bars of Golden Gai was phenomenal. Our guide was engaging, witty, and shared fascinating cultural context about Tokyo’s drinking culture. Whether you are traveling solo, as a couple, or with friends, this tour is a fun, social, and seamless deep-dive into Tokyo’s iconic nightlife. Cannot recommend it enough!

Sean was an excellent tour guide and very knowledgeable. He made us feel so special and welcome and gave useful insights about the do and don’ts in Japan. He introduced us to people and places we never thought we’d see. He made our first day in Japan a pleasure.

I had an excellent and great tour with Hiro-san. Meeting location was clearly stated and I saw him immediately at the site with a sign of the tour for clear mark. I have been to Tokyo 5 times and I always wondered about the Shinjuku area and its izakaya and bar areas. Hiro-San showed me and explained me the history of the city that I never really understood in my past visits. I had learned a lot from him about Japanese drinking and eating culture. Golden Gai, was indeed a place and I don’t understand before. Now I can come to the area without a problem because of Hiro-San. I would recommend this to all first timers in Tokyo and it is very fun.

Hiro was awesome! It was incredibly nice to have just my girlfriend and I and Hiro in the group: we got a proper tour and most importantly we could all chill like friends and drop the formalities. The food options were all amazing! Next time we come back we would absolutely join our friend again! Highly recommend this tour, and most importantly our tour guide made it really special!

Hornets amazing. Had the best time! He was very informative and answered all my questions. Would highly recommend!

Great tour - guide was easy to talk to and very knowledgeable.

Great tour, good chat, Sean was awesome

We booked the Shinjuku Izakaya and Golden Gai Bar Hopping Tour through Viator and ended up having an absolutely unforgettable night thanks to our guide, Yota. One thing worth noting up front — the Viator listing mentioned the tour being around two hours, but when we arrived, Yota explained the full experience was actually closer to three hours. Since we had other plans later that evening, he was incredibly accommodating and adjusted the pacing of the tour for us so we could still experience as much as possible within our timeframe. Really appreciated that flexibility. The meeting location was fairly easy to find, though there were several different tours gathering in the same area, so definitely make sure you’re looking for the correct guide and sign. As it turned out, we were the only two people booked for that particular tour, which honestly made the experience even more special because we had our own private guide for the evening. The night started in the Shinjuku izakaya area where Yota guided us through an incredibly tiny passageway behind the restaurants — almost like discovering a hidden backstage section of the city. We went through an unassuming door, climbed an extremely narrow and steep staircase, and suddenly emerged into this tiny upstairs dining area tucked above the street below. It felt surreal and like something out of a movie. We had skewers and drinks there, and the atmosphere alone made it memorable. Because of the shortened schedule, Yota adjusted some of the original plans and instead brought us to another restaurant where the experience completely escalated in the best way possible. The “all you can drink” portion combined with what felt like nonstop food coming to the table was incredible. Yota ordered dishes through an iPad while explaining the food, customs, and dining culture along the way. Sushi, edamame, dumplings, torched fish, cheese-covered chicken skewers, omelette dishes, desserts — it just kept coming. The servers were incredibly friendly and everything felt welcoming, energetic, and authentic. After dinner we headed into Golden Gai, which was every bit as atmospheric and fascinating as we’d hoped. Yota first took us into a tiny little spot called “Bar Lonely” with maybe one small table and a few bar stools, playing 70s music surrounded by anime and pop culture decor in this wonderfully dimly lit setting. From there, we wrapped up the evening at the legendary horror/heavy metal bar Deathmatch in Hell, sipping Japanese whisky in one of the smallest and coolest bars we’ve ever experienced. Huge thanks to Yota for being friendly, thoughtful, informative, and incredibly accommodating throughout the night. He made us feel comfortable immediately and gave us a night in Tokyo we genuinely will never forget. Highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting an intimate, authentic, and memorable Shinjuku and Golden Gai experience.

We booked the Shinjuku Izakaya and Golden Gai Bar Hopping Tour through Viator and ended up having an absolutely unforgettable night thanks to our guide, Yota. One thing worth noting up front — the Viator listing mentioned the tour being around two hours, but when we arrived Yota explained the full experience was actually closer to three hours. Since we had other plans later that evening, he was incredibly accommodating and adjusted the pacing of the tour for us so we could still experience as much as possible within our timeframe. Really appreciated that flexibility. The meeting location was fairly easy to find, though there were several different tours gathering in the same area, so definitely make sure you’re looking for the correct guide and sign. As it turned out, we were the only two people booked for that particular tour, which honestly made the experience even more special because we had our own private guide for the evening. The night started in the Shinjuku izakaya area where Yota guided us through an incredibly tiny passageway behind the restaurants — almost like discovering a hidden backstage section of the city. We went through an unassuming door, climbed an extremely narrow and steep staircase, and suddenly emerged into this tiny upstairs dining area tucked above the street below. It felt surreal and like something out of a movie. We had skewers and drinks there, and the atmosphere alone made it memorable. Because of the shortened schedule, Yota adjusted some of the original plans and instead brought us to another restaurant where the experience completely escalated in the best way possible. The “all you can drink” portion combined with what felt like nonstop food coming to the table was incredible. Yota ordered dishes through an iPad while explaining the food, customs, and dining culture along the way. Sushi, edamame, dumplings, torched fish, cheese-covered chicken skewers, omelette dishes, desserts — it just kept coming. The servers were incredibly friendly and everything felt welcoming, energetic, and authentic. After dinner we headed into Golden Gai, which was every bit as atmospheric and fascinating as we’d hoped. Yota first took us into a tiny little spot called “Bar Lonely” with maybe one small table and a few bar stools, playing 70s music surrounded by anime and pop culture decor in this wonderfully dimly lit setting. From there, we wrapped up the evening at the legendary horror/heavy metal bar Deathmatch in Hell, sipping Japanese whisky in one of the smallest and coolest bars we’ve ever experienced. Huge thanks to Yota for being friendly, thoughtful, informative, and incredibly accommodating throughout the night. He made us feel comfortable immediately and gave us a night in Tokyo we genuinely will never forget. Highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting an intimate, authentic, and memorable Shinjuku and Golden Gai experience.

Let me start by saying, Sean is a national treasure. The food and drinks were good, but Sean’s company and conversation made everything better. During the tour Sean taught us much about Japanese history, culture, and life. Though the tour was only a few hours, the cherished memories will last a lifetime. I would highly recommend Sean as a tour guide, and plan to get more tours with him in the future. If you’re looking for an authentic experience, Sean is the perfect person for it!

We had such a fantastic time with Sean and the other couple on our tour! From the very beginning, it felt less like a tour and more like spending the evening with close friends. Sean speaks perfect English, is incredibly kind and welcoming, and knows the area so well. His warmth and knowledge made the whole experience feel effortless, fun, and truly memorable. We would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone visiting the area!

It was a nice tour. We got a Japanese guide for the Golden Gai

Paid for a 3 stop, all you can drink + food experience just to find out from the guide right when we met that we will have to pay everything ourselves. After showing him our booking confirmation where it clearly states that we have booked exactly what we were expecting he called the office and they told us we cannot get a full refund. Now he has been on the phone with the company and waiting for them for almost 1 hour. Meanwhile we just have to sit and wait without any food or drinks. This seems to happen quite often since they just mix up the tours and he said that we could also not be able to do the three spots that were advertised to do either. So all in all this is the worst tour we have ever booked and we never get to experience any part of it AND didn’t get the refund after waiting for ONE HOUR although we gave them every option to make this right. So if you want to save yourself a headache book with anybody but them!

Hiro is the man and i really enjoyed this tour!!!

Yayoi-San was so kind and knowledgeable. I was a little late to the tour because I couldn’t get a taxi in time and yayoi-San was very accommodating and responded promptly to pick me up when i eventually got there. He then took us to a karaoke bar as the group wanted to keep hanging out. 10/10 recommend.

Excellent night exploring Golden Gai and memory lane with Hiro.

Hiro our tour guide is amazing!! So informative and friendly and so easy to talk to. He was so full of great information and so engaging!! He knew so much about Omaide and Golden Guy bar area. You will be lucky to get him as a tour guide.

My tour guild was very informative about the city and took me to some very interesting places! We had some great conversations and was incredibly pleased with how the tour went! Would do again!

Sean was absolutely amazing! We had a great time with him. He was extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. We will only use him for tours from now on. :-)

Sean was a joy to spend time with Enthusiastic about showing us the best of Japan We felt at home and had a great time We will look forward to seeing more

Sean was great and gave us a lot of great recommendations, also took a lot of time to discuss with us, we had a lot of interesting discussions and spent good times together

What a great time - Sean was a blast. Totally recommend when in Tokyo. Great food, excellent drinks and a great insight into the true sights of a part of the city.

Sean gave us the experience we’d get if we went out with our BEST friend from Tokyo…laid back, socialising, giving us the sense we belonged and were welcome in every place we went to.

The evening i looked forward most of my 3 weeks in Japan was just very dissapointing. We payed quite a hefty price for just doing 2 bars. We got a few bites (like 2 skewers/pp). On top of this they promise ALL YOU CAN DRINK at one of the 2-3 bars you visit, This did happen kind off. You a place you could get all you can drink for 2 hours but we had to pay extra for this. Not only was this supposed to be included but we even overpayed based on what the price was we payed 1000yen too much per person. It was quite nice to connect with other tourists and get to know the two other couples who joined in. However all of us felt cheated once we had to pay extra for the all you can drink... If you want a good night out and talk to some people there's better and CHEAPER ways to do so. Won't use their service again.

We didn't get what we paid for which was very disappointing. We were promised three different venues over three hours with a drink in each venue and 6-8 foods. What we got was a leader who turned up 10 minutes late (causing stress), two venues, two drinks and 3 tiny skewers and a bag of chips to share (yes really!) and just two hour tour. The leader was good but he was disorganised and slow in getting drinks. Maybe I wouldn't be so critical if I hadn't done a fabulous bar tour the next night (Best Experience Japan with Akira Wada, again booked through Viator). We asked for a partial refund but was declined without explanation. I have always used Viator to ensure quality operators but this time they let me down.

We didn't get what we paid for which was very disappointing. We were promised three different venues over three hours with a drink in each venue and 6-8 foods. What we got was a leader who turned up 10 minutes late (causing stress), two venues, two drinks and 3 tiny skewers and a bag of chips to share (yes really!) and just two hour tour. The leader was good but he was disorganised and slow in getting drinks. Maybe I wouldn't be so critical if I hadn't done a fabulous bar tour the next night (Best Experience Japan with Akira Wada, again booked through Viator). We asked for a partial refund but was declined without explanation. I have always used Viator to ensure quality operators but this time they let me down.

Hiro was an awesome guide. It ended up being a personal tour and he was epic telling me all the history and walking around Shinjuku city. Highly recommend!

The tour didn’t much the description at all! We essentially went to two bars, had a couple of drinks and a bit of food and left. The guide was a very nice young man, but didn’t have anything to share about the places we visited, traditions or history. The whole experience was well below expectations. Try a different one!

Great fun and great insights on our Shinjuku bar tour. So much fun! Hiro was a terrific guide, knowledgeable, high energy, great people skills. Highly recommended!

Hiro was amazing, super fun tour guide. Very friendly guy! He was just shooting the sh&t with us and throwing back beers. I got to see the city at night and it was incredible. It made me want to move to Tokyo. 10/10

We have a great time with Hiro. He is a great guide, example great experiences in Japan in general.Hiro-san is very informative and fun, very welcoming

Our tour of Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai was such a memorable experience! Despite a minor hiccup with the meeting location at the start, our guide quickly resolved the issue and ensured we didn’t miss out on anything. We began at Omoide Yokocho, a charming maze of narrow alleys filled with tiny izakayas and the mouthwatering aroma of grilled yakitori. The atmosphere was lively, and our guide gave us great recommendations on what to try. Next, we ventured into the iconic Golden Gai, where we hopped between a few of its unique, closet-sized bars. Each spot had its own quirky personality, and our guide shared interesting tidbits about the history of the area and its deep ties to Tokyo’s nightlife culture. The highlight of this stop was definitely the adventurous spirit we summoned to try habusaki—snake-infused sake! It was surprisingly smooth and made for a fun and daring experience to bond over.

Hiro was the best!! You need to get him to do more tours! S/o to Narita-San for the photos. Definitely would recommend this tour! Hiro is my hero!!!