St. Patrick’s Day: where to drink

It was hard to get into the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day last year – coming, as it did, less than a week after the March 11 quake and tsunami. Such is the allure of a cheap pint of Guinness that even the threat of power cuts, aftershocks and nuclear meltdowns wasn't enough to deter some people from celebrating back then, but we can safely assume that things will be a little more raucous this time around. While the main event in Tokyo is the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday afternoon, you won't have to look far this weekend to find some good craic – and seeing as how March 17 falls on a Saturday this year, you shouldn't have to call in sick at work the morning after, either.

Here are some of the drink deals you can look forward to at Tokyo's pubs this weekend, ordered according to what matters most: the price of a pint of Guinness.

¥900 or under

Hub
The faux-British pub chain is offering ¥810 pints of Guinness at all branches until Sunday, along with 10% discounts to customers wearing green on St. Patrick's Day itself.
Locations throughout Tokyo. pub-hub.com

¥800 or under

Hobgoblin
Pints of the black stuff will be going for ¥800 all day on Saturday, and you can order a ¥999 Irish roast or Irish breakfast to soak up the alcohol. People wearing green can also expect 'a free shot of something green', though that sounds faintly ominous to us.
Akasaka: B1F, 2-13-19 Akasaka, Minato-ku; Roppongi: 3-16-33 Roppongi, Minato-ku; Shibuya: 1-3-11, Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku. www.hobgoblin.jp

¥700 or under

Failte
Shibuya pub Failte is getting the music out of the way early this year. After performances of traditional Irish jig on Tuesday and Wednesday evening, the weekend is all about the drinking, with ¥700 pints (including Guinness and Kilkenny) and green beer all day on Saturday and Sunday.
5F Shibuya Sede Bldg, 1-5-2 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku. failte.jp

The Shannons'
Pints of Guinness and Kilkenny come down to ¥700 during happy hour (5-7pm Fri-Sat, 11am-7pm Sun) at this long-running Shinagawa watering hole. Head back to The Shannons' after the parade on Sunday and you might also score a free drink.
1-11-6 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku. www.avalon-intl.co.jp/shannons

¥600 or under

Tap Borrow??
They've already started the Paddy's Day celebrations at Tap Borrow??, where customers dressed in green can get ¥600 pints of Guinness until Saturday. Turn up inappropriately attired, and it'll still only cost you ¥700.
2F, 3-18-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku. www.tapborrow.jp

¥500 or under

Seamus O'Hara
Head to Meguro on Saturday and Sunday for ¥500 pints – including Guinness, Kilkenny and the day's guest beer – plus nourishing grub like roast lamb (¥1,500) and Irish breakfast (¥1,200). There's traditional Irish music on Saturday evening, then The Mutiny supply something a bit punkier the following night.
B1F, 3-12-3 Meguro, Meguro-ku. www.seamus-ohara.com

The Irish Times
Get an early taste of Paddy's Day when representatives of Chicago's Trinity Irish Dance troupe perform at The Irish Times #1 on Thursday evening (7pm start), then head back on Saturday for ¥500 pints of Guinness at both branches.
The Irish Times #1: 2-9-16 Shimbashi, Minato-ku; The Irish Times #2: 2-8-17 Shimbashi, Minato-ku. www.theirishtimestokyo.com

Dubliners
If your St. Paddy's celebrations don't feel complete without an appropriately branded T-shirt, you can get one here (¥2,500 a pop). Pints are knocked down to ¥500 at all branches of Dubliners on Saturday (including Guinness, Kilkenny and Murphy's), with live music to sweeten the deal.
Ikebukuro: 1-10-8 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku; Shibuya: 2F, 2-29-8 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku; Shinagawa: B1F, 2-16-3 Kounan, Minato-ku; Shinjuku: 2F, 3-28-9 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku; Toranomon: 1-1-18 Toranomon, Minato-ku. www.dubliners.jp

Biervana
After hosting a reunion party for last year's St. Patrick's Day parade queens on Wednesday night (complete with ¥500 pints of Murphy's), Biervana plonks itself at the centre of the action on Sunday. There's a parade pre-party from 11am-1pm, where ¥4,000 gets you a a carvery brunch and free-flowing Murphy's, then you can sink ¥500 pints of Murphy's at the after-party from 4pm.
2-13-10 Nagatacho, Chiyoda-ku. biervana.com

Paddy Foley's
No discounts on beer, sadly, but you can drink yourself ragged on ¥500 Jameson shots on Saturday, then (if you really must) do the same with Bailey's the following day. There's also live music promised on both days.
B1F, 5-5-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku. www.paddyfoleystokyo.com

¥100 or under

County Clare
Guinness for ¥100? This is the kind of special offer that bankruptcies are made of, and County Clare knows it. The Tachikawa pub will be selling its stout at rock-bottom prices from Friday to Saturday, but you'll need to have special tickets (available until March 15) to qualify for the discount. If you miss out, don't fret: you can still get half-price Irish whiskeys and cocktails all weekend.
2-15-21 Akebonocho, Tachikawa-shi. clare-pub.com