Tokyo’s new destination bar is a clarion call for hedonism and a luxe night out
The stage for the party is set. Ian Schrager, the co-founder of New York City’s legendary 1970s nightclub Studio 54, has brought Japan’s first Edition hotel to Tokyo. The playful, opulent five-star Tokyo Edition, Toranomon opened in 2021, shimmering like a too-good-to-be-true mirage in a gray office district gradually evolving into a chic entertainment hub. Next to the hotel’s main entrance, the Gold Bar is a glittering beacon for pleasure seekers and cocktail connoisseurs.
Instead of disco balls and strobe lights, the Gold Bar gleams with gold leaf and glossy marble. Drinks harken back to America’s “golden age” of cocktails (the 1860s-1910s) when iconic libations such as the martini, daiquiri, and Manhattan were invented. On the menu, cocktail categories such as “fizz,” “sour” and “punch” explore the era’s dazzling creativity that bubbled over even as the jaws of pre-Prohibition clamped down.
But before you drown in the heady swirl of time travel and Gatsby-esque glamor at the bottom of your glass, the Gold Bar wants to remind you that you’re in the world’s greatest metropolis. Japanese crafts like yakisugi (charred timber) influence the décor and Japanese ingredients like Yamazaru barley shochu (a distilled spirit) infuse the classic drink recipes. The food changes seasonally with locally renowned rotating guest chefs and music from DJs. Live acts span styles like house, hip hop, and jazz.
Tokyo Edition, Toranomon marries Schrager’s boutique hotel credentials and contemporary design flair with the Marriot brand’s global corporate clout. They built it—and people came. The Gold Bar has already been embraced by Japan’s fashion and creative set. Pandemic-weary international visitors ravenous for nocturnal revelry are destined to be next. Welcome to the new golden age.
Address: L1, The Tokyo Edition, Toranomon, 4-1-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, TokyoWeb: www.goldbaratedition.com/en/
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