What Is a Girls' Bar in Japan? A Guide for Visitors to Tokyo
A girls’ bar (ガールズバー) is a casual bar where female staff serve drinks and talk with guests from behind the counter. It is cheaper and more relaxed than a kyabakura, and you will find girls’ bars in busy districts all over Tokyo, including Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro and Ueno.
How it differs from a kyabakura
| Girls’ bar | Kyabakura | |
|---|---|---|
| Where staff are | Behind the counter | Sitting next to you at a sofa table |
| Atmosphere | Casual, small | Livelier, often larger |
| Price | Lower | Higher, with service charge |
| Nomination | Usually none or simple | Nomination fees are common |
If you want staff to sit at your table, that is a kyabakura or lounge, not a girls’ bar.
How the price usually works
Girls’ bars also charge for time, often a set price per person for the first hour that includes ordinary drinks. Drinks for the staff are charged separately, and some add a table charge or service charge. The two girls’ bars in our venue list, both in Osaka, publish ¥3,850 and ¥4,950 for the first block of time. Prices vary, so check each venue’s own list.
What visitors should know
- Do not follow people handing out flyers or calling to you on the street. Street solicitation is restricted in Tokyo’s nightlife districts, and following a stranger to a venue is the usual start of bottakuri, at girls’ bars as much as anywhere.
- Ask the price before you sit down, including how drinks for staff are charged.
- English varies. Some venues welcome foreign guests and some prefer guests who speak Japanese. Ask in advance.
- You must be 20 or over to drink in Japan.
In short
A girls’ bar is a cheaper, casual counter bar. Choose one yourself, confirm the price at the door, and it is an easy introduction to Japanese nightlife. For prices at sit-down hostess clubs, see Tokyo hostess club prices.
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Frequently asked questions
- What is a girls' bar?
- A girls' bar (ガールズバー) is a casual bar where female staff serve drinks and talk with guests from behind the counter. It is cheaper and more relaxed than a kyabakura.
- What is the difference between a girls' bar, a kyabakura and a lounge?
- At a girls' bar staff stay behind the counter. At a kyabakura or lounge, hostesses sit next to you at your table, and the price is higher, with a service charge and often nomination fees.
- How much does a girls' bar cost?
- Girls' bars also charge for time, often a set price per person for the first hour that includes ordinary drinks. Drinks for the staff are extra, and some add a table charge or service charge. Ask before you sit down.
Also written as: girls bar / girl's bar / ガールズバー / 걸즈바
ClearTab Japan