Practice real Japanese over drinks — learn to order, chat with locals, and discover the hidden izakayas that tourists never find.
Every Friday evening, we meet at a cozy local café in Shinjuku for a 60-minute Japanese lesson with one of our professional teachers. Then we head out — bar hopping through two of our favourite izakayas where you put everything you just learned into practice, ordering drinks and food in Japanese, chatting with the staff, and making friends along the way.
This isn't a tourist experience. It's the Friday night that locals have — and you're invited.
Why it works
Before we hit the first bar, your teacher walks you through exactly what to say — how to order food and drinks in Japanese, the names of dishes you'll actually see on the menu, and a few dining customs that will make locals smile. No awkward guessing at the counter.
We take you to the kind of places that don't have English menus, don't appear on TripAdvisor, and are packed with locals every Friday night. These are our partner venues — the staff know us, and they love when our students try to speak Japanese.
Because we've partnered with these venues, you're not just a random tourist stumbling in. The staff are patient, encouraging, and genuinely happy to help you practice. Mess up your order? They'll laugh with you, not at you — and help you try again.
The evening
Real words from travelers who learned with us.
Tai was such a professional teacher — patient, warm, and genuinely invested in how I was doing. Within a week I went from freezing up at the convenience store to actually joking with the staff. The café lessons never felt like a classroom; they felt like meeting a friend who happened to be teaching me Japanese.
I'd spent months on apps and could barely say a word. Two mornings of walking the neighbourhood and ordering lunch in Japanese did more than all of that combined. Being taken to the places where people actually live — not the tourist spots — completely changed how I saw Tokyo.
What surprised me was how natural it felt. We'd learn a few phrases over coffee, then use them an hour later at a tiny local shop. The teachers remember exactly what you struggled with and bring it back the next day. I left with real confidence — not just a list of words.
Pricing
The $75 covers your Japanese lesson and the guided bar-hopping experience. Food and drinks at the café and the two izakayas are paid separately, as you order — so you only pay for what you enjoy.
Your guided Friday night experience