Local Secret · Shimbashi

Shimbashi Ekimae Building No. 1 新橋駅前ビル1号館

A gloriously shabby 1966 building whose basement is a maze of standing bars, curry counters and old kissaten, the salaryman's Tokyo, one minute from Shimbashi station.

HoursVaries by shop (roughly 11:00–23:00)

ClosedMany shops close Sundays

PriceBeer + 2 skewers at a standing bar: ¥1,200

Getting thereShimbashi Station (JR Hibiya exit), 1 min

Time needed1 hour

Best timeWeekday evenings

Address2-20-15 Shimbashi, Minato City, Tokyo

About

Opposite the SL steam engine in Shimbashi's station square, Ekimae Building No. 1 (and its twin No. 2) were built in 1966 to rehouse the black-market stalls of the postwar era. Their basement and ground floors still feel like it: narrow corridors lined with tachinomi standing bars, cheap set-meal counters, a coffee shop that has not changed in decades and stalls selling lottery tickets. Salarymen drop in for a beer and skewers after work, and lunch counters serve curry and ramen for under 1,000 yen. Redevelopment talk has hovered for years, which makes now the time to go.

Highlights

Basement corridors packed with tachinomi standing bars
Showa-era kissaten and lunch counters
Ultra-cheap draft beer and skewers after 17:00
Built on the site of the postwar black market
Overlooks the SL Square steam locomotive

Tips

Go weekdays 17:30–19:00 to see the salaryman scene at full volume
Many bars are cash only and seat under 10
Lunch counters are a great value refuel between Ginza and Shiodome
Redevelopment is planned, check the building is still trading

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

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Shimbashi Ekimae Building No. 1 新橋駅前ビル1号館

About

Highlights

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