Good clubs in Tokyo?

[PaulDG]

At long last, I will finally be going to Japan next week. (Business). But I will have a spare weekend to do some sightseeing. I plan on taking the shinkansen to Tokyo, and will probably spend a Saturday night there. Can anyone recommend any good clubs to go to? I don't want to go to the Westernized places like Gaspanic, or probably anyplace else in Roppongi.

Thanks...

[NoReGReTSs]

I was going to recommend club XROSS in Roppongi. I used to know one of their DJs. Lots of women, and pretty decent music.

http://www.club-xross.com/

[F3D]

my fav club is Club Atom in Shibuya
I always hang around Shibuya so ...

theres a techno club called Womb, entrance fee is around 3-4000 yen though, and it gets super crowded after a while. but if youre into techno (techno .. not "techno") its madness

but Atom is 1000yen until 23:00 (11PM) and drinks are 500
got 3 floors I think - I only stay on one though

hiphop floor, trance/house floor, psytrance floor


but yeah, if youre into hiphop and mtv crap, and looking for a place with a creap entrance fee ... I'd say Atom

[YesJapan Teacher (George)]

I haven't been to many clubs but I am a fan of the clubs that aren't free to get into. You tend to find a lot more people crammed into the free ones and they tend to be wilder. I really enjoyed the Muse in Roppongi Hills. I saw a lot of nice girls and the place had a great atmosphere. I believe it cost about 2000 yen to get in.

Gas Panic is probably one of the worst places in my opinion. It's free to get into and SUPER crowded. I walked in and promptly walked out. I am not much of a clubber and enjoy an izakaya much more. But izakaya are much more fun if you are going with a bunch of friends instead of alone, but I guess that is true of any night on the town

George

[PaulDG]

Alas, I went to Japan, and could not get to any clubs. I developed severe blisters on both feet, so I could barely walk the free weekend I had.

[Kinzokusei no Inu]

Bah...Roppongi....what a joke. In all my trips to Japan, tonight was my first true Roppongi experience.

So this is what Tokyo nightlife is all about to so many foreigners eh? Pathetic. It's no wonder so many gaijin never seem to break the surface of Japanese culture, if they have to cling to their comfort zone like this. I actually felt some sort of culture shock in Japan for the first time ever, because it was so different from what I'm used to. And I heard more English in an hour, than I've heard in three months in Japan.

As for that strip where Gas Panic is, that's one to avoid for sure, unless you enjoy being constantly hounded by a seemingly inexhaustible supply of foreign pimp-type dudes trying to get you into their shady strip-club whore houses. Don't give those suckers an inch, or they'll take you for every penny you have.

You know, if you want to meet cool people in Tokyo at clubs, my recommendation is to go to live houses in places like Shimokitazawa or the area around Kichijouji. If you speak Japanese with the band members and other people there (because, trust me, in normal parts of Japan people don't speak English), you'll likely make some really good friends. For example, just last week, I went to a live show, and afterward was sharing some drinks and good conversation with the singer. Well, it just so happens that she works as an elevator girl at Tokyo Tower, and earlier today I was treated to a free personal tour of the place by her. It was really cool of her, and such a nice person. But looking around the scene in Roppongi, like, who am I going to meet here?, I'm thinking. Glancing around, all I see is worthless disease-dripping skank, that I want nothing to do with.

So yeah, thumbs down to Roppongi from me. If you come to Tokyo, there's a lot of better options than that. Incidentally, the only real reason I was in Roppongi, was to see a certain band I like play, and that as well was a culture shock for me. It was the first time I'd ever been to a live show in Japan where gaijin outnumbered the Japanese. Probably 80% gaijin in fact. And the Japanese chicks that were there....I dunno ....there's something different about them ....but I guess they fit the scene.

[planeteuropa]

haha, I remember last summer when I went to Japan and tried-out roppongi. It was a nightmare, everywhere I went I was hounded by all the koku jins or the middle Eastern dudes. I was out with my Japanese friends and these 2 こく　じん f^%$cks asked me to give their club a shot, I walked in and the place was empty so I was like "oh, F^%$ck this we gotta go!" they kept insisting and then my Japanese friends were scared and tried to be polite to them and I was like "Yo, F^%&CK all that polite sh$#, let's go"(I know japanese people are polite but what extream f^%$cking politeness they have). So as we were leaving the scene this one middle eastern F^%$ck was like"hey man, you don't have to be so rude, this is Tokyo the 2nd capital of the world; if you don't have any money you should'nt be here". So then I was like..."Yo, F&^%ck you man, I am not Japanese O.K.? I am Central American and grew up in Miami Florida. I am not Japanese, I am not polite or kind or anything like that, so i will f^%ck you up!!! Do you want me to F%$#ck you up?!" He got quiet real quick. F^%$ck Roppongi and F^%$ck all the gaijins in Roppongi!!!

[Kinzokusei no Inu]

I have to concur wholeheartedly with the sentiment of that last statement.

If Roppongi was all I had to look forward to here, man, I'd never be back. I can find a whole lot better of that kind of action just staying in Vancouver (and much less aggravating).

To remind myself of the things I love about Tokyo, today I went and saw Mix Market play yet again at the Shinjuku Marble. I was the only gaijin in the whole club and it was great. And probably the best I ever seen them play and Yutty sing.

If you study Japanese, forget Roppongi... waste of your time and money.
If you can't get by without a gaijin peer group of some sort because you feel lost here.... well...I guess Roppongi might be your sanctuary.