Area Guide · 6 venues

SHINJUKU

Shinjuku has every kind of night. The venue that defined Japanese punk, the jazz club that has anchored the country's scene since 1965, a near-mythical hardcore basement in Kabukicho, and rock bars built on one owner's record or guitar collection. The deeper you go into the backstreets, the better it gets.

Shinjuku Loft

Tokyo's defining underground punk venue of the 1980s — two stages, loud and eclectic, since 1976.

Shinjuku Stn (Kabukicho) · Varies by show

Shinjuku Pit Inn

Japan's most important jazz club — matinee and evening sets almost every day since 1965.

Shinjuku-sanchome Stn (2 min) · ¥1,300–3,000+

Antiknock

Near-mythical among Tokyo's hardcore fans — a gritty, hard-to-find Kabukicho basement running since 1985.

Shinjuku-sanchome Stn (10 sec) · ¥600–700 drink ticket + cover

Shinjuku Kento's

The third Tokyo Kento's — nightly 70s–80s soul, R&B, and disco covers a minute from Shinjuku Station's east exit.

Shinjuku Stn East Exit (1 min) · Contact venue

Rock Bar Crawdaddy Club

A Kabukicho basement built around British 70s–80s rock — live band sets on weekends, then 3,000 CDs on request.

Seibu-Shinjuku / Shinjuku Stn · Cover ¥1,000 + drinks

Rock Bar Gravity

A Nishi-Shinjuku hard rock bar built around the owner's 50-guitar collection, with live band nights every month or two.

Shinjuku Stn (west side) · ¥1,000–2,000