Today a brief post on a fairly new place that has opened in my neighbourhood (the general Yoyogi Uehara kind of area). On this blog, we’ve had beer bars, restaurants, beer shops where you can drink, record shops with beer and probably some other types of places that I’ve now forgotten about. But this is a first for this blog. I bring you, the first public bath (sento)/ co-working space/beer bar. I guess you probably might have guessed part of that from the name. Being a generally shy guy, public nudity isn’t my thing, but if you’re in the mood for a bath and then a beer this is clearly the place for you. Here’s what you need to know.
– As mentioned above, a multi-function premises, but we’ll concentrate on the beer part. Bar area is pretty small with limited seating. Three at the bar, a couple of seats at a small table and a bench for a couple more. Some standing space though. Sparklingly new building with a bar full of bare concrete and retro furnishings. Quite a nice space to have a drink to be honest.
– Five taps of Japanese craft beer, served in two sizes, half and pint (UK measures). On the day we visited, the prices were an eye-watering ¥900 for the half and ¥1500 for the pint, but they are UK pint measures and not US pint. Apparently the prices start from ¥700 though, so maybe we were unlucky when we visited. Tax is mercifully included in these prices. Fancy soft drinks, tea and natural wine available too.
– No smoking, no cover charge and loads of daytime opening. Bizarrely, they didn’t seem to have wifi, which I thought would have been a certainty. I didn’t ask though, so perhaps they did and I just couldn’t find the network. (UPDATE: They do have wifi). One other thing that I should mention is the fact that this is a cashless premises, so be sure to bring a card, whether it be of the debit/credit variety, or some kind of Suica type thing.
So, a unique kind of place with an interesting selling point but the prices when we were there were a big drawback. The beers were decently selected and came from what are normally a bit more expensive breweries so perhaps the blow is softened a little. As I mentioned, it has a nice feel to it, so worth a visit if money is no object to you. It’s probably quite in fitting with it’s surroundings and I’m sure will attract some local regulars.
Japanese breweries seen on tap:
AJB
Hop Kotan
Kyoto
Opening Hours:
Monday & Wednesday-Friday, 09:00-22:00
Saturday, 09:00-20:00
Sunday, 09:00-21:00
Closed Tuesday
Location/Map:
西原1-50-8, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Made a quick stop here on the weekend. Atmosphere is obviously a personal preference, but I didn't enjoy the vibes. It came across as very 'Japanese Hipster', which I'm very much not. So not the kind of place I could comfortably go for a session alone and find a chat.
As mentioned the prices are uncomfortably high. 1,000 for a half pint. Beer was decent, a nice smoked brown ale (brewery name escapes me), but…… served in a plastic cup! Say what?
Thanks again for the comment!