Bar Kamiya

Unlike many of Tokyo’s newfangled cocktail bars—often hidden and dark—Kamiya has very few aesthetic charms. But guests don’t come here for the looks or for fancy drinks. They come because it’s a Tokyo institution and has been around decades longer than any of Ginza’s stoic drinking establishments. More a saloon-cum-dining hall than a bar, Kamiya opened in 1880 and is usually bursting with regulars crowded around formica tables drinking the house potion, Denki Bran. A weird, boozy mix of brandy, gin and vermouth, it’s often shot with a cheap beer back and is about as formal as the cocktail experience gets here. (Bar Kamiya: 台東区浅草1-1-1)