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Renowned places like Mizutani, Sushi-Ya, and Hatsune run upward of $250 a pop. You don’t just drink these cocktails you worship them. Here, low-alcohol, Technicolor juice–based drinks are made with fruits and vegetables like kiwi and tomato and combined with shochu, sake, and other light spirits. That’s the name of the owner, bartender, and, as far as I could tell, only employee. My new favorite spot is an eight-seat bar called Gen Yamamoto. The drinks are mixed with style and grace. Star Bar, High Five, Mori Bar, Tender Bar, Bar Radio…Tokyo’s cocktail temples are legendary.
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And the menu of pâtés, charcuterie, and other rustic French food will have you saying: Wait, where am I? Welcome to Tokyo, home of the best wine bar in France! Inside, customers gather around wine barrels that double as tables, drinking from the impeccably curated, mostly biodynamic, and occasionally funky selections lining the wall. This tiny oasis, a short walk from bustling Shibuya Station, might be Tokyo’s worst-kept drinking secret (as evidence, check the line that forms nightly at five). In the case of Ahiru Store, that means doing the best take on the kind of natural-wine bar that’s more closely associated with the 10th arrondissement of Paris. The Japanese famously excel at taking one country’s good idea and turning it into their great idea. Go! And if you find out why Jim Jarmusch’s film is on a continuous loop, please let me know. Owner Tomoyuki Soga mixes Sherry-based cocktails, including the signature Myoga Sherry and Tonic made with muddled myoga (a type of Japanese ginger). It’s the size of a walk-in closet and specializes in all things Sherry. I was trying to find a “secret” sushi joint when I stumbled upon Taimei Bar.