Kamiya Bar
Asakusa, Tokyo
Kamiya Bar is the oldest Western-style bar in Japan, founded in 1880 by the Azumabashi crossing in Asakusa, and the home of Denki Bran, the herbal brandy cocktail invented in 1882. The ground floor is a noisy beer hall full of locals at shared tables.
More photos of Kamiya Bar
Insider tip
Buy your food and drink tickets at the entrance counter first, then order the Denki Bran with a draft beer chaser.
What the guides say about Kamiya Bar
Evening. Back to Asakusa. Hoppy Street is the open-air option, tendon stew and cheap drinks at pavement tables. Kamiya Bar, a few minutes away, is the seated one. It's the oldest Western-style bar in Japan and it still pours Denki Bran, the brandy-based house liqueur it invented in the 1880s (closed Tuesdays). One of each makes a reasonable night. Sleep early.
Eat early or eat late. Lunch in Asakusa before the crowds arrive works well, at Sometaro for do-it-yourself okonomiyaki or the open-air izakaya along Hoppy Street. After the show, Kamiya Bar by Azumabashi is the old Asakusa nightcap. Street stalls set up around the venue, but you'll face long queues once the fireworks start.
Asakusa's regular restaurants are busy on carnival day, so eat early or late. Sometaro, the 1937 okonomiyaki house near Tawaramachi, is a short walk from the western end of the route. The open-air izakaya of Hoppy Street, just west of the temple, are the natural place to end up after the parade. Kamiya Bar, by the Azumabashi bridge, has served its Denki Bran brandy since the 1880s. Food and drink stalls set up around the route too.
What's on near Kamiya Bar
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Kamiya Bar, from the weekly Tokyo events calendar.
Asakusa Samba Carnival
浅草サンバカーニバル
Time Parade from about 13:00 Station Asakusa (Ginza Line, Toei Asakusa Line, Tobu Line), 3 min walk
Competitive samba parade contest running since 1981, with thousands of dancers and escola-style floats from teams across Japan moving along Umamichi-dori and Kaminarimon-dori south of Senso-ji. Usually the last Saturday of August, starting around 1pm.
Hetarllen Mumriken, CC BY-SA 2.0 Shirasagi no Mai (White Heron Dance)
白鷺の舞
Station Asakusa Station (Tobu Skytree Line, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Toei Asakusa Line, Tsukuba Express), 5 min walk
Spectacular white heron dance performed at Sensoji Temple in November coinciding with Japan's Culture Day holiday. Traditional ceremonial dance featuring graceful movements. Often draws larger crowds than spring performance.
OiMax, CC BY 2.0 Hagoita Ichi (Battledore Fair) at Sensoji
羽子板市（歳の市）
Time 9:00 to 19:30, last day until 19:00 Station Asakusa (Ginza Line), 5 min walk
Stalls fill the temple grounds selling ornamental hagoita paddles decorated with kabuki figures, current celebrities and topical designs, alongside daruma dolls and festive food. The market descends from the historic Toshi no Ichi year-end market and runs for three fixed dates every December regardless of the day of the week.
OiMax, CC BY 2.0 Hatsumode at Senso-ji
浅草寺 初詣（修正会・新年大祈禱会）
Station Asakusa (Ginza Line, Toei Asakusa Line, Tobu Line), 5 min walk
New Year visits to Senso-ji start when the bell rings at midnight on 1 January; from the 1st to the 3rd the grounds run one-way routes and entry control.
Real Estate Japan from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0 Setsubun and Fukuju no Mai at Senso-ji
節分会・福聚の舞
Time Bean-throwing 12:00 and 14:00, Fukuju no Mai 12:30 and 14:30 Station Asakusa (Ginza Line, Toei Asakusa Line, Tobu Line), 5 min walk
Senso-ji's Setsubun features bean-throwing from a stage by the main hall, including rounds by kabuki actors and TV personalities, followed by the Fukuju no Mai dance of the Seven Lucky Gods. Asakusa's version chants that there are no demons before Kannon, so only good fortune is called in.
OiMax, CC BY 2.0 Smaller local events nearby
Tori no Ichi at Washi Shrine, Asakusa Festival
Sat 7 Nov, Thu 19 Nov · Otori Shrine (Washi Shrine), Asakusa
The November rooster-day fair at Washi Shrine, starting with the midnight first drum.
Map · Source: Asakusa Tourism Federation · 令和8年“酉の市 浅草 鷲神社” 11月7日 と 19日 二の酉までです。
Murayama Tourism and Local Products Fair Market
21 to 22 Nov · Senso-ji grounds, Asakusa
A tourism and local products fair for Murayama, Yamagata, in the grounds of Senso-ji.
Map · Source: Asakusa Tourism Federation · お知らせ。 大わらじの里 山形県村山市観光物産展 11月21日、22日に浅草寺境内で開催...
Nearby
Around Asakusa
Old Tokyo's front door, best before the tour buses arrive
Asakusa gets dismissed as touristy, and at 2pm on a Saturday it is. Go at 7am instead. Senso-ji with incense drifting and almost nobody around is a different place entirely, and the backstreets west of the temple still feel like the shitamachi Tokyo that most of the city paved over decades ago.
Asakusa has 14 places on the Roam Tokyo map: 3 shrines and temples, 3 bathhouses, 2 viewpoints, 2 bars, 2 shops, 1 park or garden and 1 restaurant. Read the Asakusa guide.
From the blog
Good to know
- How do I get to Kamiya Bar?
- The nearest station is Asakusa (Ginza Line). Kamiya Bar is in Asakusa, Tokyo.
- How much does Kamiya Bar cost?
- Kamiya Bar is mid-range, marked ¥¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Kamiya Bar?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Kamiya Bar?
- Early evening.
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