Review

Bar, Isn’t It is not very easy to find, a challenge to which all but the determined will surely surrender; the bar is situated on the top floor of an inconspicuous building that’s a considerable distance along a cul-de-sac, and there’s little to suggest the bar’s at the top of the building once you arrive - a small rectangular sign is all that tells of its existence. Once it’s established you’re in the correct building, through the glass door and in the building’s lobby, a further challenge is the elevator that’s broken - standing in the elevator pressing the button for the 3rd floor is futile. Bar, Isn’t It is the home to the Tokyo Comedy Store, yet the biggest joke is finding the place.

Finally arriving at the floor below Bar, Isn’t It, you discover that the final set of steps is outside, virtually climbing the roof of the building. On one of Tokyo’s dark, balmy, rainy evenings, climbing these external steps is like a scene from a Tim Burton movie, and one expects the batsign to light up the night-sky and Batman to go rushing past - for a brief moment Tokyo is Gotham City, or perhaps Gotham City is Tokyo.

Arrival is worth the effort, as all food and drinks are ¥500 (£2.81) and Bar, Isn’t It is the second most popular bar in Roppongi, after Gas Panic, for Japanese women to meet foreign men, which they are extremely keen to do - apparently; the bar is teeming with groups of sexy Japanese women.

It’s large bar that seems more like a club, with a high ceiling, a large area for dancing/mingling with the women and a stage that would make a great venue for live music if comedy weren’t the new rock’n’roll. The aura of the place is very dark and claustrophobic - despite the space - with red lights and a bar that seems to be part of the set of Alien, from which the bar’s eponymous ’Beer, Isn’t It’ is sold through several hatches. If getting to the bar is too problematic, there are several vending machines that dispense cans of Kirin.

Most eye-catching is a very blue ’G-Shock’ cabinet, and movies are projected onto the wall whilst a DJ spins the tunes. The movies are also projected onto the undulating wall above the food bar, which gives it a grubby appearance.

There are plenty of lockers in Bar, Isn’t It, but nowhere near as excessive as stools: there are numerous stools along the entire length of the walls and plenty of stools and tables in areas recessed from the main bar, an ideal location to watch the abundance of Japanese women.

In hindsight, Bar, Isn’t It was busy, yet I was the only male and the only foreigner there. Excellent news, apart from the fact I was oblivious, too busy making notes for this review. I hope you appreciate it, as your interest is my loss...

Review by mr_psm