Duration
3
Group Size
Max 6
Difficulty
Easy
Meeting Point
Guest Hotel
About This Tour
Shinjuku's main streets are all neon and crowds — but slip into its narrow, lantern-strung alleyways and you land in a different era entirely. Tiny yakitori stalls, smoke curling from charcoal grills, and seats for maybe six people at a time: this is old Tokyo drinking culture, alive and unchanged for generations, just steps from one of the busiest stations on Earth. Your guide will lead you between a handful of these backstreet spots, sampling charcoal-grilled skewers, small plates, and seasonal dishes, paired with sake, shochu, or beer. Between bites, you'll get the history of why these alleys exist, how izakaya culture became central to Japanese social life, and how to order like a regular even without a word of Japanese. It's an evening that feels like time travel disguised as dinner.