Bar Lupin opened in 1928 and is one of the oldest continuously operating cocktail bars in Japan. The basement room is preserved Showa era — wooden bar, art deco fittings, vintage Japanese cocktail glassware. Yukio Mishima drank here regularly. So did Junichiro Tanizaki and several generations of Japanese writers.
The cocktails are classical and unfussy. The bar pours immaculate Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, and the original 1920s Lupin cocktail named for the bar. Hand-cut ice. Slow stirring. Japanese discipline at its most heritage.
The crowd is older Tokyo professionals, literary enthusiasts, and visitors who came for the history. Pair with Bar de Ronde in Akasaka for a complete heritage Tokyo cocktail evening.
