Decide where to go tonight

Girls Bar

Female staff make your drinks and chat with you from behind the counter. Because nobody sits at your table, it is not classed as hosted entertainment like a hostess club; you pay a timed cover charge plus drinks, which makes it easier to walk into.

Snack Bar

A small bar run by a proprietress known as the mama, who serves and talks with you across the counter; bottle keep and karaoke are the core. Regulars from the neighbourhood are typical, you pay a cover charge plus drinks, and it costs less than a hostess club.

Lounge

A quieter, more upmarket form of hostess club where you are served at sofa seating. It is licensed the same way as a hostess club and closes by midnight unless a local by-law extends hours; prices are higher than at a hostess club and many lounges require a reservation.

Bar

A place where you order drinks at the counter or a table; staff do not sit with you. Bars that serve alcohol after midnight register as late-night alcohol-serving restaurants, so unlike hostess clubs they are not required to close at midnight.

Pub

In Japan's nightlife districts a "pub" is usually not a British-style bar but a venue, such as a Filipina pub, where female staff sit and drink with you at your table. That format is licensed as hosted entertainment and closes by midnight except where a local by-law extends hours.

Concept Cafe

A café-style venue built around one theme, such as maids, uniforms, anime or kimono, where you eat and drink while chatting with staff in costume. Prices are lower than at a hostess club, and the theme carries the evening even without Japanese.

Other

A catch-all category for nightlife venues that don't fit neatly into standard classifications, from quirky concept bars to unique lounges.