3 Best Nightlife in Aoyama, Tokyo

This premier live jazz venue isn't for everyone: prices are high, sets short, and patrons packed in tight, sometimes sharing a table with strangers. But if you want to catch Pat Metheny and Larry Carlton in a relatively small venue, this is the place. Expect to pay upward of ¥11,000 to see major acts, and ¥6,500 to ¥9,000 for most others.

Koji Ozaki is the closest thing Tokyo has to a superstar bartender. This demure septuagenarian, who still works one week per month, has been crafting cocktails for half a century, and he's known for both his perfectionism and creativity. Ozaki designed not only the bar he works behind, but the glasses he serves his creations in (some of the best in the city). All bartenders arrange the bar's flowers. You need to dress up (avoid short pants or flip-flops by all means), and remember, this is a place for quiet relaxation.

Aoyama's dressed-up drinkers hang out on the stylish terrace. Drinks are big, pricey, and modern—think martinis in multiple fresh-fruit flavors such as kiwi. The terrace overlooking the Shinjuku area is particularly comfortable in spring and summer.