Our guide to Izakaya hopping (in Asagaya)
May 26, 2025
(はしご酒 / はしござけ)
Literally, it means “ladder drinking”
But really, it’s Japan’s way of saying bar hopping - moving from one izakaya to the next, climbing the rungs of a night out, drink by drink, bite by bite.
Unlike a typical pub crawl where the goal might be to get smashed, hashigo-zake is more about the journey. Each stop has its own vibe, its own specialty dishes, its own characters behind the counter. You don’t rush. You enjoy each place for what it is, then move on when it feels right.
It’s social, casual, a little spontaneous. The perfect way to explore a neighbourhood and let the night unfold.
Pro tip:
The first stop is called 一軒目 (Ikkenme),
the second is 二軒目 (Nikenme),
and if you’re still standing — 三軒目 (Sankenme).
A creative pocket out west on the Chuo Line. This is where our friends Ryota and Aya run their cosy little modern izakaya — a place where they play with flavours from Italian, Chinese, and French cuisine, but always with their own twist. Every dish gets the izakaya treatment, reimagined to suit the casual, communal vibe.
A selection of other locally known Izakaya hubs we visited alongside friends who lived in Tokyo.
Salaryman Central. You'll spot a few tourists here, but nowhere near the crowds of Shinjuku. This is where the after-work energy feels the most authentic — rows of izakayas buzzing with suits, beers, and the low hum of office gossip
Very local, very real. Tucked up in the northern suburbs, Akabane’s charm lies in its maze of narrow alleyways packed with tiny food and drink joints. It’s our salaryman friend Kaz’s stomping ground — a guaranteed cultural deep dive for travellers willing to venture off the beaten path.
👀 Beauty lies in the unknown.
For us, that unknown was the night ahead.
Earlier that day, we’d been filming with Ryota and Aya - the first faces of our SUIKA film series. They run a small, homely little izakaya in Asagaya, a neighbourhood that feels like its own creative bubble. [Link to their story here.
But even after packing down the gear, the day wasn’t done. In Japan, there’s a rhythm to how people wind down after work. You don’t just clock off - you shift scenes. You slide into another seat, in another izakaya, this time with friends, good food, and a steady stream of drinks. That’s where the real unwinding happens.
4:15pm
Our crawl started close to their own spot, Ao Zuki (map link). They brought us to Kaburaya Asagayaten (map link), an izakaya they hit up regularly.
Now, figuring out what to order is part of the fun. Skewers of all kinds - chicken, pork, offcuts you don’t usually see - plus all the side dishes built to go with a drink in hand. Ryota asked what we felt like, but we wanted to see what their go-to orders were.
Sausage skewers
Fried pork skewer(the exact one escapes me, but the taste didn’t)
Yakiton(can’t recall the specific cut, but it slapped)
Liver Sauce- Aya’s choice.
Sounds niche, but this was a highlight. A deep, savoury broth with tender meat, this bright orange bowl that just worked.
Kawa (皮)-Chicken skin.
Crispy, fatty, addictive. Basically a must.
Bonjiri (ぼんじり / 尾肉) – Chicken tail.
Juicy little morsels packed with flavour. Criminally underrated.
Potato Salad (ポテトサラダ)
A Japanese izakaya essential. Always hits the spot.
To drink:
Matcha Chuhai: three rounds in.
Refreshing, dangerous. The kind of drink that goes down too easy and sneaks up on you.
二軒目 (にけんめ | nikenme)
5:05 pm
Before we knew it, it was time to climb to the next rung. This time, we were joined by Shinjiro - a friend of Ryota and Aya’s, a regular at their place, and a bit of a mystery man. Gallery curator by day, English-Japanese translator by necessity, he slid into the group like he’d been there the whole time.
Our next stop was Koshikawa (map link), another of their familiar haunts. The warmth from the staff hit different after walking through the winter cold - that kind of welcome that makes a place feel like home, even if it’s your first time there.
This round, we were introduced to a classic Japanese salaryman drink: Hoppy.
Think of it like Japan’s answer to a low-key beer. It’s actually a beer-flavoured, non-alcoholic soda, but when you mix it with shochu (as you’re meant to), it becomes a budget-friendly, sessionable drink. Light, crisp, and built for long nights. Less alcohol, more pace. It’s old-school, but still a go-to for locals who know how to drink smart.
For food, we pivoted towards the sea - a change of pace for the palate.
Tako (octopus), maguro (tuna), kingfish, mackerel, hotaru ika (firefly squid), and arc shell. A showcase of texture and subtle ocean flavours.
The kind that revives you from the inside out.
Sweet rolled egg omelette. Simple, familiar, always welcome on the table.
These were lighter bites - little palate refreshers - but in hindsight, it felt like we were being prepped for what was coming next…
三軒目 (Sankenme)
6:30pm
This was where things started to ramp up.
As the local workday wound down, reinforcements arrived. Shinjiro’s wife joined us, along with Hitomi and Atsumi - two more friends of Ryota and Aya. By now, the drinks were well and truly flowing. Dishes kept hitting the table. But what stuck with me most wasn’t the food - it was the people.
Despite being new faces, there was an ease to it. Stories were shared, lives exchanged, laughter bounced around the table. For a few hours, we weren’t just visitors passing through Tokyo. We were in it. Present. Immersed.
Somewhere between sips and skewers, Ryota hit peak izakaya mode - the giggles kicked in, his bubbly energy filling the room.
Mid-conversation, he kept squeezing my biceps, absolutely fascinated by my explanation of how climbing builds muscle in ways you don’t really notice. I wasn’t expecting a mini fitness demo mid-bar crawl, but that’s izakaya magic for you.
From here, the night gets hazy. The exact dishes blur, but the photos fill in the gaps. Plates of food, clinking glasses, and wide grins.
For Ryota, Aya, and Shinjiro’s wife, this was the final stop. They peeled off home, the night’s climb complete. But for the rest of us - there was still one more rung to climb.
最後の一軒 (さいごのいっけん | Saigo no Ikken)
10:50pm
With our stomachs satiated, Shinjiro showed us to one of his local watering holes, Route 45 , (https://maps.app.goo.gl/nbpUpyqBKUjQJW28A ), a small bar tucked away in an alley. There, a lady dressed in a maid-like outfit manned the counter.
Shrouded in a dark blue veil of neon, we sat as 5 bodies pressed against the counter.
Behind the counter stood a woman dressed in a maid-like outfit - quirky but somehow fitting for the space. Five of us squeezed up to the bar, bodies pressed shoulder to shoulder, as music pounded from the speakers overhead. True to form, no drinks were had without a little something to snack on.
Enter: Shiokara (塩辛).
A notorious izakaya delicacy - fermented squid guts, mixed with salt and sometimes malted rice. (make like callout)
Salty, pungent, slimy. An acquired taste, to put it politely.
For Jason, this was his final boss battle of the night, each bite testing his resolve.
For me, the soy milk chuhais Shinjiro kept ordering had me ready - taste buds dulled, inhibitions lowered - and I powered through with surprising ease.
12:50am
Perched on the fourth rung of the izakaya ladder, it was finally time to call it. The night had run its course.
We'd lived the magic of hashigo-zake - one drink, one stop, one story at a time.
