Best Cocktail Bars in Japan

Japan's cocktail bars grew out of Ginza, where Kazuo Uyeda of Tender invented the hard shake. The best cocktail bars in Japan still carve ice by hand, keep rooms quiet and often add a ¥1,000 to ¥2,000 cover. Bar Benfiddich, nine floors up in Nishi-Shinjuku, ranks 44th on The 50 Best Bars 2026; Hiroyasu Kayama grows his herbs and works without a menu. Punch Room Tokyo at The Tokyo EDITION, Ginza is The Best Bar in Japan 2026 on Asia's list. Bar High Five in a Ginza basement takes no reservations, nor does 13-seat Bar Trench in Ebisu, and Virtù, 39 floors up the Four Seasons at Otemachi, pours sake and shochu. These are the bars we would start with.