Jasmina Mitrovic

A true cultural phenomenon in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Ai Yazawa’s manga built a universe where fashion is a second language and heartbreak is always waiting just past the train tracks. Nana, Paradise Kiss and Neighborhood Story captured Tokyo in a way that made every café, side street and cigarette feel cinematic. Yazawa’s characters drift between joy and despair, dressed in Vivienne tartan and strawberry-pink frills, moving through the city with the kind of style that makes even loneliness look iconic. The stories remain unfinished on the page, but Tokyo itself still holds fragments of Yazawa’s world. Some of these places are semi-official ‘pilgrimage’ spots, others just feel uncannily like her panels come to life. For anyone still chasing that Yazawa mood – whether you’re a devoted fan of Nana or simply drawn to her sharp take on youth and fashion – these six locations will pull you right into the frame.RECOMMENDED: The coolest neighbourhoods in Tokyo

Tokyo’s nights never sit still. One day it’s a fashion pop-up with free drinks, the next it’s a basement rave that feels like it might not end until the lights come on. The city’s nightlife is messy, stylish and impossible to keep up with, but that’s part of the pull. Every weekend there’s another room packed with fashion kids, DJs, and strangers you only think you’ll never see again. So forget the konbini beers – there’s too much happening out there. Club nights, live shows, art parties, collaborations that only last a few hours before they disappear into memory. It’s sweaty, chaotic, and can sometimes be overwhelming, but always worth leaving your comfort zone for. This list is your shortcut: the events that matter right now, the ones you’ll regret missing when everyone else is talking about them on Monday.RECOMMENDED: Your ultimate round-the-clock guide to the capital

Yuri Horie has always captured the Tokyo you feel more than see – the neon, the nostalgia, and the beauty and weirdness of everyday life here in Japan. Her new photobook 浪漫 (Romance) vol.3 -日常 (Everyday)- peels that world open, focusing on people chasing romance in the quiet cracks of daily life. In earlier volumes, Yuri explored ‘romance’ as a concept; now she turns to how it survives in the mundane. She photographs decotora trucks, festival rituals, tattoos, nightlife and street fashion – not as spectacle, but as lifelines to feeling. In vol.3, she stitches these threads across landscapes and faces, turning what’s usually unseen into what stays with you. The pop-up will showcase the new photobook, where she traces how nostalgia and rebellion still course through Japan’s streets in quiet, ordinary moments. Alongside the book release will be limited-edition goods that will allow you to take home a slice of romance. 

If you ever wanted to be the main character in a Wong Kar-wai film, Harmonica Kitchen gets you close. Located in the cramped, lantern-lit alleyways of Kichijoji’s Harmonica Yokocho, it’s three floors of organised chaos, each with its own mood. The rooftop terrace is the rarest gem here – red lanterns swaying above, smoky air drifting into the night sky, and just enough view of the streets below to keep you feeling like the city is yours. Pair it with a cold pink beer or something fried and salty, and you’ll forget you’re anywhere near a train line.

Sober is the kind of place that blends Shibuya nightlife with traditional staples. Mahjong tiles clack from one side of the room, while soba noodles and cocktails flow on the other. Its name comes from the Japanese pronunciation of 'soba', and 'bar' which sound like 'sober', acting as a cute nod to what Sober actually is – a soba bar. Sober operates under the same group as – and is located very close to – famed techno club Mitsuki, strip club Madam Woo and Carbon Bar, so the possibilities of a full-service night are just at your fingertips. A cigarette at the counter here feels like the finishing touch to the atmosphere.

Araizarashi is a neo-izakaya that doesn’t try too hard but still feels effortlessly cool. The interior mixes modern design with funky old furniture, giving it the vibe of a place where the night could go in any direction.

As Ebisu grows shinier with every passing year, Kissa Ginza stubbornly keeps its velvet grip on the past. Inside, red seats glow under the soft green light of desk lamps, the kind of moody illumination you’d expect to find in an old movie set. A small disco ball sometimes spins quietly overhead, scattering light across couples and solo drinkers alike, while retro hits hum from the jukebox. No wi-fi, no outlets – if you pull out a laptop here, expect to be scolded. This is a café that insists on human connection as currency, second of course to cash.

Closet Child is one of the best spots for anyone chasing second-hand punk, goth or lolita, but this branch in Harajuku strips it back to a single obsession: Vivienne Westwood. The racks are packed with the brand’s cult classics: orb necklaces, corsets and platforms, sitting alongside rarer archival finds at prices that don't feel like a personal attack. A few posters and signage nod back to Vivienne’s iconography, but the interior focus stays on the clothes themselves – t’s not a styled-up showroom. If you’re into Vivienne, this is the only Closet Child that matters.

Tokyo’s most famous fashion school, Bunka is where some of the city’s most radical designers were shaped before going on to define runways globally. The campus itself is a strange mix of clinical classrooms and experimental style spilling out onto Shinjuku sidewalks, with graduates and current students in fits that often feel a season ahead of the industry. While it’s obviously not a tourist attraction in the usual sense, if you’re chasing fashion inspiration or even thinking about where to study, Bunka is the spot – and the starting line for so much of what ends up on Tokyo’s streets.

Cherry has been open for more than sixty years, and walking in feels like stepping straight back into the 1960s. The entire café is bathed in deep red – velour seats, walls, even the light feels tinted with nostalgia. The food is as charming as the interior, with fruit parfaits and pudding à la mode that come served looking straight out of a magazine spread. Cherry has been featured countless times in local magazines and even made an appearance in the cult gourmet manga Famires Iko (Let’s Go to Family Restaurants). Affordable and unpretentious, it’s the kind of kissaten that earns loyalty by never changing.

Right beneath the chaos of one of Shibuya’s busiest streets, Metro Kissa offers a kind of underground nostalgia. The decor is wooden and retro, complete with decal plates and parfaits that arrive looking too perfect to be food. It’s rare for a kissaten, but laptops and wi-fi are welcome here, so you’ll often find people working at their own pace in between cigarette breaks.

Dhali Curry looks like a portal to another dimension: blue neon lights, wild murals, and art installations that sprawl across the walls like graffiti in motion. On paper it’s a curry restaurant, but at night it mutates into a music space with events that feel more like underground parties than dinner service. Keep an eye out for the bells in the restaurant. The wrong cord pulled at the bar can get you roped into a compulsory tequila shot. It’s chaotic and fun, and the curry still manages to be delicious through it all.

Singapore Night is one of those places you only find if someone tells you about it. The hours are strange, so you’ll need to call ahead, but once inside you’re in a world that mixes cocktails with a dreamlike interior. A full-sized tree stretches through half the space, its branches tangled with the eclectic furniture and record collection that gives the bar its identity. The music is curated with care, making it as much a listening room as a drinking spot. It feels more like stumbling into a secret than visiting a bar.

Hidden in the backstreets of Tokiwadai, Kissa Koyuki is a café gone gyaru fever dream. Leopard-print seats, heart-shaped glasses, Hello Kitty shrines and a daruma that’s been fully gyarufied – every surface is packed with tulle, flowers, and sparkly knick-knacks that feel like they were ripped straight from a deco Tumblr board. Owner Koyuki-san has turned the café into her personal wonderland, with local artist works plastered across the bar and walls. The menu runs the standard kissa fare, from cakes and tamago sandwiches to thick toasts and soda floats, all served with the same sense of maximalist cuteness. Even the bathroom is lined with dekotora posters, making the whole place a love letter to over-the-top style. A trek up to Itabashi never felt so worth it.

Hysteric Glamour isn’t new to flipping cultural icons, but this time they’re dragging the women of One Piece through their rock’n’roll-pin-up lens. Nami, Robin, Boa Hancock and Vivi show up across tees, denim and jackets, mashed with Hysteric’s usual Americana graphics and sleazy-retro attitude.
 Instead of cosplay-adjacent iconography, this collab feels more like bootleg streetwear you’d want to thrift and flex. It leans hard into what’s given Hysteric its name: loud prints and irreverent sex appeal. So you can wipe away worries of sifting through a back-alley rack in Shibuya next to vintage Marlboro jackets and fake Metallica tees. Photo: Hysteric Glamour x One Piece The line-up is lean but punchy: four graphic T-shirts, a mesh cap, an open-collar shirt, and a reversible sukajan bomber jacket with Nami embroidered on one side and all-over artwork on the other. Prices run from ¥15,400 for tees up to ¥132,000 for the sukajan – squarely in Hysteric’s usual range.
 Photo: Hysteric Glamour x One Piece The release drops October 4 at Hysteric Glamour flagships across Japan (Shibuya, Nagoya, Osaka, Sendai, Kyoto, Fukuoka) and the brand’s web store. If you missed the pre-order window on Zozovilla, this is your shot. More from Time Out TokyoFamilyMart has opened its own clothing store in TokyoThe world's first Dragon Ball Store is opening in Tokyo Station this NovemberMichelin Guide Tokyo reveals newly starred restaurants and more for 2026The Summer Hikaru Died is getting a stag

Navigating Tokyo’s nightlife scene can feel like stepping into a circus. One look around reveals endless options for revelry that can take you well on into the early morning – but the act of actually walking into a new space, especially one you’ve never set foot in before, can be daunting. So, to spare you another night posted up in front of your go-to convenience store, we’ve curated a list of events happening around the city this weekend that are guaranteed to be worth the effort. With Tokyo Fashion Week in full swing, this weekend’s line-up promises a wave of stylish people, move-inducing beats, and a whole lot of fun. Photo:Yagi Exhibition. x Kangol Presents: Rabbit Museum Yagi Exhibition x Kangol Presents: Rabbit Museum at Domicile Tokyo Sep 5-12Reiji Okamoto is a man of many musical titles, but above all, he's a connector of Tokyo’s underground – This time he's teaming up with renowned British brand Kangol for the fourth round of their cult collaboration. The Rabbit Beanie returns, updated with a few design changes, and a multitude of colours. Alongside the garment’s official release will be an exhibition of one-off custom versions created by 21 iconic local artists at Tokyo’s fashion and cultural syndicate, Domicile Tokyo. The exhibition launches Friday with an opening reception and will remain on view through September 12. The collab celebrations will spill over into Monday with a Rabbit Party being held at Shibuya’s Music Bar Lion. Expect live sets, seasoned DJs an