Tokyo Vs Singapore Nightlife
This is an indirectly INSEAD related topic(but only limited to Singapore campus since fonty has no nightlife). I have been in Tokyo for quite some time and my opinion regarding nightlife has been formed.
When one person, especially young one, compares different cities regarding work one of the most important factor is the quality and availability of Nightlife. All work no play makes john a dull boy(did I get this correctly?). Nightlife includes places to go and enjoy a dinner, bars to talk, clubs to drink and everything else that belongs to the night.Most people suggest that Tokyo has one the best nightlife if not in Asia then in the world. Maybe! I personally I do not agree. I think Singapore and Hong Kong is better in this section. Lets start by discussing Tokyo.
Tokyo first of all is a very big city, but most places are small, or the big ones are outside Tokyo(like Ageha). An overview of available places to go out in Tokyo include: Bars, Clubs, Specialised bar, Hostess clubs, red light places and karaoke. The major areas to go out are: Roppongi, Shibuya, Shinjuku-Kabukicho and others which I do not know.
Roppongi is close to where all the bankers/foreigners work. It is a sleazy place with a lot of people trying to lure you to their bars. There are a lot of places where foreigners go after work. Heartland and A971 are the most known ones. Roppongi is also full with hostess clubs or other kind of specialized bars. Like S&M bar, Geisha bar, Schoolgirl Bar. Everything can get what he or she wants. There were also some clubs in Roppongi but they were closed down. I do not know why. In Roppongi a lot of bars close at 05.00 AM on weekends but some go up until 08.00 AM. For most foreigners the first time they visit Roppongi bars or clubs they will think they are in the western world(with so many foreigners going there, hard to miss it). Of course there are also a lot of advertisers with tities bar or special "bars". NEVER go there they will skin you alive.
Shibuya is more Japanese oriented with a lot of love hotels(places to meet somebody better for a short time), Clubs who are focused on trance and go on until 10.00 AM, bars to enjoy drinks and more pink places. The crowd is younger and more unique. Shibuya is full with shibuya-girls; the Japanese girls with orange/dark blond hair girls who love getting an artificial tan and wearing ultra low skirts/shorts. There is a club next to my place where sometimes I go have a drink after work on my own so I can clear my head and relax. While I am going there regularly I feel like the SUPER outsider. I am the only non-japanese in that place and believe me it feels VERY strange.
Shinjuku is a crazy place. This is where all the crazy things happen. Though I have never been there that is what I have heard. The red light district is there and is supposed to cater to any kind of desire a human being may harbor.
SO what is unique to Tokyo? Japanese love to get drunk. If you think the british and Irish drink wait till you meet Japanese. One expat once told me Japanese drink because they need to escape their daily life. Who knows? Definitely though if you walk after midnight you will bump into the salarymen getting drunk all around Tokyo. Karaoke places are a very famous choice to go out and have a good time. It is not my cup of tea so I will go to the main point immediately.
Hostess clubs. Hoestess clubs are places where mostly guys go and women come and talk to them. By the way it is freaking expensive, one hour may cost 100 Euros and more per person(not including drinks, which are overpriced). Women come and talk with the clients, mostly listen to them. Laugh to what they have to say and keep them company. No there is NOTHING else included, Nothing. Japanese seem to love this kind of entertainment. Me, being a foreigner, I do not understand why I have to pay to talk with somebody while she Is getting paid to make me feel better. That is fake and shallow. But that is just me. They do not cater to me. The client is a Japanese salary man(sometimes older). The same clubs exist for women called Host clubs. I once had an offer to become a host(that is a compliment meaning I am good looking!). I should have accepted that hour if one takes into account the hourly earning a good and interesting host can make just by laughing and smiling.
Members clubs/bars are places where mostly guys go and pay an entrance fee, a service charge, a table charge and the price for a drink. I did that only once and It was my mistake I didn’t ask for all the details in advance. A drink at a members’ club cost me 7200 Yen, just a drink! As I learned to my detriment negotiating in Japan doesn’t work. At those places you can be introduced to other women(they will say they are single but most probably employed by the bar). If they introduce women to you, you have to buy them at least 2 drinks. I have never done this before but I am more than certain that they are “directed” to order/select the most expensive drinks on the menu. Personally I do not want to find out.
Going out in Tokyo can be very painful. I am lucky since I am situated “close” to the places I go out. My cab fare is no more than 1500 Yen to 2400 Yen. Those not very lucky, who live where only the train has access to(unless they want to splurge on a taxi) have to stay out until 5.00 AM when the subway starts running again. The first month when I was living outside Tokyo I had to crush at peoples’ places unless I wanted to party non stop. One time specifically I went home at 08.00 AM since my first train started at 07.00 and it took around 1 hour to reach my door.
I have found some places in Tokyo where mostly foreigners go and I join them for a drink, other than that Tokyo is not my Cup of tea when it comes to nightlife.
Singapore & Hong Kong are amazing on the other hand. First of all the weather makes the people more willing to go out. There is a charge that Singapore is too small and not enough of places. That is not true there are many places and they are concentrated; Clarke quay and Boat quay, Suntech, Mohammed Sultan! Yes there are limited places compared to Tokyo but they are bigger and closer to each other, better atmosphere, bar hoping is feasible, not so sleazy(with the exception of Attica). Easy to meet people and friends there since it is so much concentrated. Sentosa is one of the best places to go which I will do ASAP as I visit Singapore. HK is a more elite place. It is very small so all the nice places are members clubs mostly to avoid regulations and to have a loyal crowd that makes a strong community. My HK experience is a bit limited, I will try to update after my next trips.
That was a long post! I hope I will start enjoying Tokyo nightlife more in the near future. And that is a brutal FACT!
Zanat0s out!
Konsta (Kondo San),
Congrats on your SEO status (ranking) (Search Engine Optimazation). Number One (1) for Tokyo Nightlife Single Man. You have officially labelled yourself as an `admitted` loser in the total Tokyo dating ecosystem.
By John I assume you are refering to `little john`.
Okay, a rebuttal:
I think you had a bit of success in Singapore and in Hong Kong (women-wise) and are surprised to find that women in Tokyo have evolved beyond Neanderthals such as yourself. Your smooth humming `greek accent` (by the way the i hear the ladies prefer french and english and aussie and American English over Greek gibberish), your rico-suave looks, Ferragamo Boots, Musky Cologne, and patchy stubble haven`t really gotten you much success. So you base your low-score ratio with women to grade the night life of a city. When in reality, you are in fact highlighting your insecurity, that too on the Web. Once again, did I congratulate you on your No. 1 Single desperate Man in Tokyo status (kidding).
Anyway, my point is, to enjoy Tokyo you either have to be better looking (Cannot fight against genetics now can we!!!), be smarter (which you already are), or be well endowed (which you are probably not, `little john`. So, what do you do??? You adapt. You assimilate into the culture, your make an effort to actually learn the language, and you try to blend in more, rather be a loud arrogant `gaijin` (that includes me, so chill brotha (you outlier)). This will open up a million night life options to you and you will actually enjoy more. Perhaps you may even like it better than Singapore or Hong Kong. Perhaps you may realize that Asian Women have also evolved and your foreign looks isn`t all they are facinated by anymore, but they want more. So, I would like to read your blog entry 2-3 years after you have been in Japan (Tokyo).
Another point, you like most other foreigner in Japan, only consider Japanese food to be Sushi. You are ignorant. This is a Country that has been awarded top honours for its gastronomy. 191 Michellin Star restaurants (who really cares what the french think anyway). The food is top class. The warmth and honesty that the people exude is top class. The safety you experience for a City with a population with 12 plus million is top class.
Now how this all compares to Singapore or Hong Kong is subjective. It is a personal preference. Quality of life is also another factor all together. But, pls do not criticize a country for your own insecurity.
`the other outlier @ TCI`
`Ashigaru`
Posted by: Other Outlier in Tokyo | March 13, 2008 at 14:32
Konsta (Kondo San),
Congrats on your SEO status (ranking) (Search Engine Optimazation). Number One (1) for Tokyo Nightlife Single Man. You have officially labelled yourself as an `admitted` loser in the total Tokyo dating ecosystem.
By John I assume you are refering to `little john`.
Okay, a rebuttal:
I think you had a bit of success in Singapore and in Hong Kong (women-wise) and are surprised to find that women in Tokyo have evolved beyond Neanderthals such as yourself. Your smooth humming `greek accent` (by the way the i hear the ladies prefer french and english and aussie and American English over Greek gibberish), your rico-suave looks, Ferragamo Boots, Musky Cologne, and patchy stubble haven`t really gotten you much success. So you base your low-score ratio with women to grade the night life of a city. When in reality, you are in fact highlighting your insecurity, that too on the Web. Once again, did I congratulate you on your No. 1 Single desperate Man in Tokyo status (kidding).
Anyway, my point is, to enjoy Tokyo you either have to be better looking (Cannot fight against genetics now can we!!!), be smarter (which you already are), or be well endowed (which you are probably not, `little john`. So, what do you do??? You adapt. You assimilate into the culture, your make an effort to actually learn the language, and you try to blend in more, rather be a loud arrogant `gaijin` (that includes me, so chill brotha (you outlier)). This will open up a million night life options to you and you will actually enjoy more. Perhaps you may even like it better than Singapore or Hong Kong. Perhaps you may realize that Asian Women have also evolved and your foreign looks isn`t all they are facinated by anymore, but they want more. So, I would like to read your blog entry 2-3 years after you have been in Japan (Tokyo).
Another point, you like most other foreigner in Japan, only consider Japanese food to be Sushi. You are ignorant. This is a Country that has been awarded top honours for its gastronomy. 191 Michellin Star restaurants (who really cares what the french think anyway). The food is top class. The warmth and honesty that the people exude is top class. The safety you experience for a City with a population with 12 plus million is top class.
Now how this all compares to Singapore or Hong Kong is subjective. It is a personal preference. Quality of life is also another factor all together. But, pls do not criticize a country for your own insecurity.
`the other outlier @ TCI`
`Ashigaru`
Posted by: Other Outlier in Tokyo | March 13, 2008 at 14:33
Japanese definitely drink to blow off stress. The societal pressure is loosened only when at home or drinking I think. A guy I know has missed only 3 days of drinking in 30 years!
Posted by: Shibuya | April 18, 2009 at 12:04