Kizuna Bar Lien

One of the more modern bars in Arakicho, Kizuna Bar Lien’s liveliness spills out on to the street, drawing in locals and foreigners alike. It’s light, bright and full of banter, with a snazzy, lipstick-red couch in the back corner just next to the karaoke monitor. On the evening we visited, there were two jovial guys at the bar, one of whom proudly revealed that he often gets called the Japanese Jean Reno (he does actually look like the actor). Suffice to say, it's the kind of place where you're bound to have at least one interesting encounter. As owner Yoshitomo Simohigashi – who used to be a mikoshi (portable shrine) carrier in traditional festivals – tells us: 'Things can get quite noisy here.'