Nagoya Nightlife

This classic British pub in the heart of Nagoya is popular with locals, expats and tourists alike. They have Guinness on tap plus a large range of English ales. There's a darts board and Live Premier League dominates the large-screen TV.

2F 1-4-3 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya
Tel: +81 52 232 4360.

This is a stylish international bar and restaurant near the Nagoya TV Tower with multilingual, all-female staff. There's a decent cocktail menu and their weekly pizza and Ladies nights are very popular.

B1F 3-6-15 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya
Tel: +81 52 971 8888.
Website: www.mybarnagoya.com

This wildly popular sports bar close to Fushimi Station has electronic darts, a pool table, live music and internet access. Shooters also serves Mexican and Italian bar food.

2F Pola Building 2-9-26, Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya
Tel: +81 52 202 7077.
Website: www.shooters-nagoya.com

This large club in the Sakae neighbourhood has three rooms and includes a VIP area and a sunken dance floor with a state-of-the-art sound system. An international crowd lets loose to feel-good music - hiphop, house, reggae, dance classics - every night of the week.

This is another popular club in Nagoya which attracts an international crowd and manages to merge music, sports and dining into one space. This venue also hosts weekly pole dancing lessons. Steps is the only nightclub in Nagoya open until 0600.

Hasegawa Building, 2F, 3-2-29 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya
Tel: +81 52 242 7544.
Website: www.steps-nagoya.net

The largest nightclub in Nagoya, iD Cafe constantly attracts big crowds with its DJs, dancing, bars, fun and action on five floors. Depending on the night, entry includes anything up to four drinks.

Mitsukoshi Building, 3-1-15 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya
Tel: +81 52 251 0382.
Website: www.idcafe.info

This is one of Nagoya's most famous jazz clubs, attracting both big stars and less established talents from Japan and overseas. There are two 'stages' a night and during the interval it's possible to have a delicious meal at Blue Note's restaurant.

B2F, 3-22-20 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya
Tel: +81 52 961 6311.
Website: www.nagoya-bluenote.com

This popular live music club,specialising in Motown and R&B frequently host live acts directs from the USA. There's a restaurant area where you can enjoy a meal whilst listening to a live performance, or a standing area where you order drinks.

B1F, 4-2-10 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya
Tel: + 81 52 263 4710.
Website: www.garys.jp/eng_garys.html

A wide range of live music, from electro to rock to art pop, can be heard in this unique space – once an old factory – in the Imaike area of eastern Nagoya. The Plastic Factory also hosts a variety of art events and exhibitions. Check the website for details.

32-13 Kanda-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya
Tel: +81 90 9894 9242.
Website: www.plasticfactory.jp

This theatre is in the castle grounds and hosts performances of Noh – classical Japanese musical drama. The Nagoya theatre is renowned for its beautiful lighting and rich acoustics. The stage was constructed from 600-year-old Japanese cypress trees. There is an earphone guide system to help visitors understand the performance they are watching.

1-1-1 Sannomaru, Naka-ku, Nagoya
Tel: +81 52 231 0088.

At the Aichi Prefectural Art Theater (inside the Aichi Arts Center), it is possible to see performances of classical music, and occasionally traditional Japanese music, such as koto (Japanese harp) and shakuhachi (bamboo flute), in the concert hall. Ballet and modern dance performances are also held here, as well as theatre productions, although these are nearly always in Japanese. A mini theatre hosts experimental and innovative performing arts productions.

Art Plaza, 1-13-2 Higashisakura, Higashi-ku, Nagoya
Tel: + 81 52 971 5511.
Website: www.aac.pref.aichi.jp/english