Roppongi, in Tokyo’s Minato City, is the city’s most international nightlife district. By day it is known for museums and office towers; by night the streets around Roppongi Crossing fill with bars, clubs, restaurants and hostess clubs that are used to foreign guests. Most visitors have a good night out and go home without any trouble.

The problems that do happen follow a few well-known patterns, and almost all of them start the same way: with someone on the street. Knowing the patterns is most of the protection.

What actually goes wrong

The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo has in past years named Roppongi, along with Kabukicho in Shinjuku, as an area where visitors are more likely to be targeted. The cases it described fall into three groups:

• Touts. People on the main streets late at night offer cheap drinks, a “special price” or a club nearby. Once you are inside, the price you were quoted does not cover what is on the bill.
• Spiked drinks. A drink is drugged so that the guest loses track of time or consciousness, and large amounts are charged to their card.
• Inflated card charges. A bill far higher than anything agreed is put through on a card, sometimes when the guest is not in a state to check it.

None of these are common, and none of them happen to people who walk into a venue they chose themselves and keep an eye on their drink.

Touting is banned across Minato City

Minato City’s ordinance on preventing touting, in force since April 2017, bans touting in public places such as streets, parks and stations throughout the ward, for every type of business, from izakaya and karaoke to hostess clubs. Businesses may not accept customers brought in by touts. If the behaviour is not corrected, the ward can impose a fine of up to ¥50,000 and publish the violator’s name and business.

In other words, anyone trying to lead you into a bar from the street is already breaking a local rule. Legitimate venues do not need you to follow a stranger.

The one rule that prevents most problems: do not go anywhere with someone who approached you on the street.

Walking around Roppongi at night

• Stay on the main, well-lit streets, such as Roppongi-dori and Gaien-Higashi-dori, especially after midnight.
• There is a police box (kōban) at Roppongi Crossing. If you are lost or something goes wrong, it is the easiest place to find help.
• Keep your drink in sight and do not accept drinks from people you have just met, including “free” drinks.
• Carry one card and the cash you need, and leave the rest in your hotel safe.
• Plan how you will get back. Trains stop running around midnight. Taxis are easy to find on the main streets.
• Save emergency numbers before you go: police 110, ambulance 119, and the Japan Visitor Hotline 050-3816-2787 (24 hours, English, Chinese and Korean).

Choosing a bar, club or lounge in Roppongi

The safest approach is to decide where you are going before you arrive, and walk in yourself.

• Pick a venue in advance from a source you trust, and check that it has a clear price list.
• At the door, ask for the set charge, the extension price and the service charge percentage. Our guide to how the bill works lists the five questions to ask.
• Photograph the menu or price list when you sit down.
• Put the venue’s prices into the bill estimator so you know roughly what the total should be.
• If staff will not tell you prices, leave before you order anything.

If the bill is wrong or you feel unwell

Do not sign or pay a bill you did not agree to. Ask for an itemised bill and compare it with the prices you photographed. If staff refuse to discuss it or try to stop you leaving, call the police on 110.

If you feel suddenly much drunker than you should, tell a friend, stop drinking and leave the venue. If you think your drink was spiked or your card was charged for something you did not agree to, contact the police and your card issuer as soon as you can. Our guide on avoiding overcharging covers the full steps, including disputing a card payment.

So, is Roppongi safe?

For a visitor who ignores touts, keeps an eye on their drink and chooses a venue in advance, Roppongi is a lively and safe place for a night out, with more English spoken than almost anywhere else in Tokyo. If you are also heading to Shinjuku, read is Kabukicho safe at night? If you would like a venue with the price structure confirmed before you go, tell us your plan and we will reply on WhatsApp.

To compare venues before you go, our Roppongi venue price guides show each venue’s published set price, service charge and tax, with an example total.