After dark > Shimbashi

• Under the girders Shimbashi gado-shita新橋ガード下

  Salarymen fill the rail arches under the viaduct — grilled skewers, cheap highballs and loosened ties beneath passing trains. Many standing bars open from mid-afternoon, so the drinking starts long before the rush. Pick your own door, and expect a small otoshi.

• 

  Yakitori lanes Karasumori lanes烏森

  The lanes behind Karasumori Shrine, two minutes from the shrine-side exit, are packed with small yakitori counters and their charcoal smoke after work. Walk in on your own — these streets carry touts as well as counters.

No opening hours here — small bars keep their own, and many close without notice. Check before you set off, and ignore anyone on the street offering to take you somewhere.

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