By Brian Johnston

Copyright brisbanetimes

Shinjuku Nichome is the city’s gay neighbourhood. Yasukuni-dori is lined with karaoke chains. Shinjuku Sanchome has lots of small, relatively sedate izakaya eateries. A little further away is Shin-kubo Koreatown, where you can get your fix of K-pop, ginseng and bulgogi.

Artsy, ramshackle Golden Gai is a maze of 200 small bars, and with its rusty signs, peeling doors and tangles of electric cabling feels like a shantytown. Air-con units bulge above the street, groaning and clanking. Lane 5 might be the nicest of all the alleys, with its lamps and lanterns and chandelier hanging outside Albatross. With so many bars, you’ll always find one to suit: some raucous, some genteel, some welcoming (“If you have a problem, ask me! I love English & you”), others with committed regulars disapproving of foreign interlopers.

The epicentre of Shinjuku’s frenzy is bar-dense Kabukicho, the red-light district but also a party destination that gets wild after the trains stop at 1am. Touts, extortionate cover charges, disappearing credit cards and drink spiking aren’t uncommon, so keep your wits about you.