Casual sushi bar in Kichijoji Harmonica Yokocho. Lunch special: 1,000 yen for an omakase sushi plate. 

Citylight Book at Yoyogi-uehara is the type of independent bookstore where I would wish to hang every week. It opens in the afternoon and runs through late night as a bookstore, as well as a meet-up place, a bar for book lovers. Founded by Kaminaga-san, a veteran who had worked with publishing industry for many years before creating his own version of bookstore, this is a cool place to browse for new titles of books and magazines of a wide range of genres/topics. The second floor works as a nice study room too. CABO, the mix place where the bookstore is located also offers other original selection of snack bar and fine dining. You can easily drift in and out, encountering interesting souls in the hood. I had a book launch and talk event here in May, 2024. It's been such a wonderful experience, good crowd and good vibes only! 

Staying with DDD, a renovated boutique hotel introduced me to the Nihonbashi area where there is full of beautiful contrast between historic and modern cultures. Really enjoy the convenience of the location. The room is electrically designed that is so warm and cozy. The in-house gallery and cafe are also worth checking! 

If you are into "Midnight Diner"-esque night experience but not into a crowded Shinjuku scale, then this is a good alternative. Smaller and much more laid back.

I basically lived at this place when I lived in Tokyo. This was also the first place I ever performed. Good food, nice shows and a great mixture of locals and international people.