Whether it’s because we’re getting more health-conscious than before, tightening purse strings to save money, or just finding that getting black-out blitzed is becoming more than a little passé, non-alcoholic nights out are becoming ever more popular. Especially among the young, alcohol-fueled social gatherings are more and more being passed over in favor of simple, sober fun.
But with Japan’s gay culture — especially the gayborhood of Nichome — being firmly based on getting nice and loose with a beer or a cocktail in one’s hands, what alternatives are there for LGBTQ+ people who want to go out and have a good time that they’ll be able to remember the next morning? Fret not, there are tons of things to do that don’t need to give you a headache the next day!
Karaoke
The quintessential Japanese evening pasttime, there are places to warm up your voice all over the country, and this goes double for Tokyo. Nichome is a fantastic place for karaoke, offering both the box and bar varieties.
Box karaoke is the most popular form in Japan, and is appropriate even for those who are nervous about their singing voices. Box karaoke establishments have small rooms for you and your friends, and often offer food, unlimited soft drinks, and have smoking rooms for those who need to spark up every now and again.
But for those who are used to and prefer an audience, bars in Nichome are notorious for having karaoke microphones that can be passed around to show off your singing voice to the crowd. This is more for the social butterflies amongst us, but it can be a rush to have a tipsy crowd cheer for you while you are still clear-headed (and as a bonus, you’re less likely to slur your words!).
Board Game Cafes
Tokyo, along with may other cities across the world, has embraced the tactile, social joys of board games, and board game cafes have sprung up all over the place. And luckily for enthusiasts of games from Monopoly to Settlers of Catan, there is just such a cafe mere minutes from Nichome.
Saikorobukuro, which means “dice bag,” bills itself as the perfect place for a chill hang out spot and safe space for any group of people, from a married couple on date night to young ladies having a girls’ night out. The friendly staff will be able to recommend one of their 250+ to you depending on your mood or the kind of game you want to play, from strategic mind games to funny card games.
The majority of games here are in Japanese, so some linguistic ability is required if you’re unfamiliar with the rules, but you should be able to handle games you are familiar with — and if you happened to bring your own, you’re welcome to play them here!
Video Game Arcades
Want something a little more digital, but left your console or PC at home? Well, grab a fistful of ¥100 coins and head to the arcade! While in the West the video game arcade may have gone the way of the telegram and whatever it was we had before sliced bread, in Japan arcades have continued to thrive as places for people to come together and enjoy some pixel-perfect pleasure!
Just a short walk from Nichome lies Shinjuku Sportsland, which contrary to its name is a thriving home for gaming enthusiasts. It has a wide range of crane games, rhythm games, and fighting games. It is often even the host of fighting game tournaments, so if you can get prepped in time, perhaps you could show off your Street Fighter 6 skills — though be warned, the fighteres here are generally top notch.
If you’re willing to venture a little further afield, Akihabara is the otaku capital of the world, and has a huge range of multi-level arcades with everything from dancing games to train driver simulators. It’s also great to people watch gamers with insane skills at titles you’ve never heard of before!
Art Galleries
On a date? Want to show off how cultured you are? Don’t want to stray too far from the warmth of Nichome? Don’t worry, there are galleries you can taker your beau to show off how skilled you are at interpreting visual art and how your delicate sensitivities are to be admired just as strongly as tey are to be envied (note: works best if you visit the gallery before hand and look at the notes next to the work).
First, we have photographers’ gallery. As its title suggests, this gallery is dedicated to photographic art. It is jointly run by a diverse group of photographers, whose aim is to allow artists to make their work with the public and instil and encourage empathy through photography to all visitors, and prevent art from becoming a plaything of the elite.
Another nearby gallery is the Ken Nakahashi gallery. Founded in 2014, this gallery has a regularly changing set of exhibitions, featuring photography, painted art, and sculpture from Japan and abroad. The purpose of the gallery is to express humanity from many different sources, and it has regularly featured work from acclaimed artist Yuki Harada.
In Summary
Shinjuku Nichome is still a great place for those who want to knock back a few beers and flirt, but if you’re not feeling a drink lately, there are plenty of other options available to meet people or hang out with friends for those who are high on life!
