We check out Hitori, a bar in Shinjuku with an admission system like nowhere else.
There’s no shortage of places to knock back a few cold ones in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. With the busiest train station in the world serving the neighborhood, Shinjuku has a constant stream of businesspeople, shoppers, and sightseers coming in and out of the area, and when they get thirsty, there’s block after block of skyscrapers packed with bars and pubs waiting for them.
But there’s only one bar like Hitori, which is a bar for only one-person groups.
Written right on the sign on Hitori’s heavy wooden door is a notice saying “A bar limited to parties of one.” So while anyone is welcome, you’ve got to come unaccompanied. Heading out with a date, friend, or coworker? Sorry, you’ll have to find somewhere else to grab a drink.
Our Japanese-language reporter Mariko, who’s a veteran of such by-herself excursions as a solo sakura party, stopped by Hitori to check it out for, and by, herself. When she arrived, there were about a half-dozen other customers sitting along the counter in Hitori’s cozy, smoke-free interior. She’d imagined that a bar that doesn’t let you bring other people might with you might be a gloomy, oppressively silent place, but to her surprise the customers, who’d all arrived separately, of course, were cheerfully chatting like old friends.
Likewise, the staff was cordial and welcoming. “Hello,” the bartender greeted her. “Please, have a seat here,” he said, while motioning to an empty spot at the bar.
Mariko ordered a drink, but wasn’t sure what to do next. Should she jump into the conversation that was already going on, or wait until someone felt like talking to her? Sensing her confusion, the bartender got the ball rolling as he set her drink down in front of her. “Is this your first time here?” he asked. “How did you find out about us?”
As Mariko answered, the other customers chimed in with their own stories too, and before Mariko knew it, she’d been folded into their conversation. Rather than being a holding area for individual solitude, Hitori has a laid-back, accepting atmosphere, and the prevailing attitude is “If someone shows up, we’ll talk with them.” That made Mariko’s evening very different from some of our team’s previous “Tokyo alone” experiences, such as drinking alone at a revolving sushi restaurant or spending the night alone in a love hotel. As a matter of fact, aside from those first few nervous moments when she walked through Hitori’s door, Mariko didn’t really feel like she’d spent much time really “alone” at all, because of how kind and inclusive everyone was.
A few of the other customers were also first-timers, but there were also some repeat customers in the mix. Mariko asked what it was that everyone liked about the place, and some of their answers were:
“When you’re here, it’s sort of like a mix of being out by yourself and being out with others. It feels just right, and you get to talk with a lot of different people.”
“At other bars, if I talk to women I don’t know, sometimes they think I’m trying to hit on them and get upset. Here, we all just talk naturally with each other, and it’s easy-going and fun.”
“I go to other bars too, but sometimes there are groups of coworkers sitting next to me. The bosses end up preaching to the others about work, and it’s exhausting to have to hear that. But because everyone here comes by themselves, that sort of thing doesn’t happen.”
Speaking of work, Hitori’s owner had never worked as a bartender prior to opening the bar last year. “But that means I wasn’t bound by what people usually think a bar should be like,” he says, “and so I was able to think of what kind of place I wanted Hitori to be on my own. I want it to be a bar that offers customers a fun chance to meet new people.”
So even though Hitori’s unique admission system means it’s unlikely to be a place where everyone knows your name when you sit down, odds are they’ll all know it by the time you leave.
Bar information
Hitori / ひとり
Address: Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Kabukicho 2-46-7, Dai-san Hirasawa Building 7th floor
東京都新宿区歌舞伎町2丁目46−7 第三平沢ビル7階
Open 7 p.m.-2 a.m. (Monday, Wednesday), 7 p.m.-midnight (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday), 7 p.m.-5 a.m. (Friday, Saturday)
Website
Photos ©SoraNews24
Related Articles
- Area
- Category
*Prices and options mentioned are subject to change.
*Unless stated otherwise, all prices include tax.
Limited time offer: 10% discount coupons available now!
Recommended places for you
-
Birthday Surprise x KUJIRA ENTERTAINMENT DINING
Other Restaurants
Shinjuku
-
Tsukiji Outer Market
Old Towns (Shitamachi)
Tsukiji
-
The Imperial Palace
Other Architecture
Tokyo Station
-
LAUREL TOKYO
Other Restaurants
Shibuya
-
TOKYO KAIKAN
Other Restaurants
Ginza
-
Ameyoko Shopping Street
Old Towns (Shitamachi)
Ueno
-
Where to Eat in Yokohama: 10 Must-Try Restaurants for Yakiniku, Izakayas, Unique Dining & More
-
The Complete Guide to the Kintetsu Rail Pass
-
The CASIO S100: How CASIO's Masterpiece Calculator Redefines Business Elegance With Japan-Made Reliability
-
12 Unique & Fun Tokyo Food Tours to Enjoy in 2024
-
Everything You Need To Know About the Kyoto-Osaka Sightseeing Pass
-
Step Into the Story: Inside Immersive Fort Tokyo
-
NEWoMan Shinjuku’s Amazing Food Court: Savor Delectable Dishes from Early in the Morning ‘til Late at Night!
-
A Toast to Grande Polaire! Discover Japanese Wine With the Best of the Best
-
5 Best Shops for Cheap & Yummy Japanese Snacks Along Asakusa's Nakamise Shopping Street!
-
Tokyo Station Top 10 Sweets Ranking!
-
Tokyo Tsukiji|Tsukiji Area Map & Sightseeing Information
-
10 Major Cities in Japan: Which One Should Top Your Bucket List?
- #best ramen tokyo
- #what to buy in ameyoko
- #what to bring to japan
- #new years in tokyo
- #best izakaya shinjuku
- #things to do tokyo
- #japanese nail trends
- #what to do in odaiba
- #onsen tattoo friendly tokyo
- #daiso
- #best sushi ginza
- #japanese convenience store snacks
- #best yakiniku shibuya
- #japanese fashion culture
- #best japanese soft drinks