300 Bar Ginza: Drinks for Cheap in the Heart of the Luxury District

September 29, 2024

300 Bar in Ginza is the first standing bar in Ginza which opened in 1992, making this place a piece of Tokyo’s nightlife history that’s tucked in a small lane across Ginza’s iconic luxury street where you can find the top designer brands having their own piece of the street with lavishly decorated buildings.

300 Bar Ginza's entrance. — The street entrance to 300 Bar.

This cozy bar is actually located in a basement just a stone’s throw away from popular spots in Ginza such as the Seiko House Clock Tower, Mitsukoshi Department Store, Nissan Showroom and the iconic Uniqlo store in Ginza, so going to this place won’t be a hassle.

And while Ginza is known for the high-end destination that it is, 300 Bar is one of the few nightlife spots in the area where you can find cheap drinks and bar chow for only ¥300.

Ticket System (300 yen per ticket) at 300 Bar Ginza. — Ticket System at 300 Bar Ginza. Get a ticket for only ¥300.

Well, it’s not really ¥300 per food or drink but it’s actually a total of ¥330 when you factor in the tax. Either way, it’s still pretty cheap here considering you’re having a drink right at the heart of Ginza, one of the most luxurious districts in Tokyo. And there’s no cover charge (it’s free entrance) too.

Stairs leading to the basement going to 300 Bar Ginza. — Go down the basement to get to 300 Bar.

First off, immediately after the street-level entrance you gotta get down the basement then approach the bar to get your “tickets”. One ticket costs ¥330 (including tax) which is then equal to one order of food or drink (¥330 = 1 ticket = 1 food or drink). Each person needs to purchase a minimum of 3 tickets at ¥330 each, and if you buy 10 tickets, you get an additional ticket for free. If you don’t have enough cash with you, no worries because they also accept credit cards or IC cards.

Ticket stubs at 300 Bar Ginza. The branch where you bought your tickets is printed in the ticket, but you can use 'em in any of 300 Bar's three branches in Tokyo. — The ticket stubs at 300 Bar Ginza (I only have two remaining 😛 ). The branch where you bought your tickets is printed in the ticket, but you can use ’em in any of 300 Bar’s three branches in Tokyo.

Customers getting drinks at the bar. — Customers ready to get their drinks at the bar. Just present your ticket in exchange for any food or drink item from their menu.

Once you get your minimum of three tickets, simply present one ticket to claim a food item or a drink from the bar. Their food selection is western and pairs well with their drinks (more bar chow than actual meal). As for the drinks, you can choose from an exhaustive list of over 150 cocktails, from Japanese Mojito to Plum Liqueur.

Drink menu at 300 Bar Ginza. — 300 Bar Ginza’s extensive drink menu. What I like about it is that you’re able to sample Japanese drinks that the uninitiated wouldn’t really think of otherwise – such as Highball, Shochu, Sakura Drop, and this glass of Choya Umeshu plum liqueur on the rocks.

Food and drink menu at 300 Bar Ginza. — The food option is plain and minimal and more western than Japanese.

Bartender pouring out drinks at 300 Bar Ginza. — Bartender ready to pour out my first drink of the night (I think).

Now I might just be thirsty at the time after walking around the city the entire day, but it felt like there wasn’t enough drink in each glass and it’s more ice than the actual drink, hence it felt like the drink went quickly and felt a little watered down. Maybe it’s another case of shrinkflation, since its price hasn’t changed (stayed at ¥300) since ’92? Not sure about it though.

A glass of Choya Umeshu plum liqueur. — A glass of Choya Umeshu plum liqueur on ice.

The crowd at the bar is diverse and the staff can speak english pretty well, so you get that international feel, having people from everywhere (as well as locals) in this small basement. I went there early in the evening on a weekday, so it started out pretty chill and uneventful with just me and a handful of people in the bar, but the scene went more alive as the night went by when more people started coming in.

The crowd at 300 Bar Ginza. — There is a decent amount of people even on a weekday at 300 Bar Ginza.

They have Japanese toilets with the control panel at 300 Bar Ginza. :) — May be too much info… but just so you know, they do have a proper toilet at the bar so you don’t have to worry about the loo.

The bar featured in this post is their main branch (their first branch that opened back in ’92), but they actually have two other branches – if you happen to purchase more than you can consume, no worries because the tickets have no expiry, and you can use your spillover tickets for next time at any of 300 Bar’s three branches:

The original since 1992 (the one featured in this post) Three Hundred Bar 5-Chome in Ginza: B1 Fazenda Building, 5-9-11 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
Three Hundred Bar 8-Chome also in Ginza which opened in 2005 in the Ginza Corridor street: B1 Suga Building, 8-3-12 Ginza Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
Three Hundred Bar “Next” in Yurakucho-Ginza area, which opened in 2014 and is their largest bar that can accommodate 120 people: B1 Murasaki Building 1-2-14 Yurakucho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006

300 Bar Ginza is open daily from 5PM to 2AM. Visit their website at 300bar.com.