In the basement of the Efflore Ginza 5 Building in Tokyo, Bar High Five greets you with a house policy, which it also posts on its website: tell the staff how many are in your party, wait to be seated, order once you sit down, keep your voice down and don't touch the bottles. It's one of the most decorated cocktail bars in Japan, and after ten numbered rules and a page of explanations the policy signs off "Make Yourself Home, BAR HIGH FIVE."
Hidetsugu Ueno opened High Five on July 4, 2008, picking American Independence Day on purpose and naming the bar after the gesture you only make when something good has happened (his staff page spends a paragraph explaining that the English say "high five" where the Japanese say "high touch"). Ueno learned the trade under Hisashi Kishi, and when Kishi opened Star Bar Ginza on December 14, 2000, it was the two of them alone behind the counter. In 2015 Bar High Five moved to the basement of the Efflore Ginza 5 Building and kept its old layout, twelve stools along a timber counter and about six tables for groups of up to four. The World's 50 Best Bars has put it in the top 20 six times, as high as No. 3 in 2013, and Asia's 50 Best named it the Best Bar in Japan in 2019.
High Five hasn't taken reservations since May 2015. You can phone just before you arrive to ask whether there's room, and the policy says they'll hold seats for a short time if there is, but nobody waits in the small entry ("This is not your property, do not trespass."), so if the bar is full it's back up the elevator. A party of more than four goes to a table, nobody splits between the bar and a table, and a group that shows up in two waves won't be seated as one, so arrive at 5pm, all together, and give the full number at the door.
The Real Bosses Are Behind the Bar
Inside it's dark wood and low light, and the back bar runs the width of the room, heavy on Japanese and Scotch whisky. Ueno still takes guest shifts abroad (in September he was at Bar Kléber in The Peninsula Paris), and head bartender Kaori Kurakami, who took the job in June 2010, runs the counter. Much of the staff is from overseas now and so are most of the customers, and Ueno's staff page has long warned Japanese readers that they might be the only Japanese guest in the room.
The second page of the house policy adds "Do Not Be Bossy, Be Polite (The real bosses are standing behind the bar.)", and a few lines down, in bigger type, "Without hesitation we will ask you to leave if you break our rules." Phone calls go to the entrance, there's no flash, and you ask before taking a photo at all. Phone signal in the basement is weak anyway, though there's Wi-Fi, and Bar High Five has been non-smoking since April 1, 2020.
Drinks at Bar High Five, Without a Menu
"We try to serve the best drinks just for you. That is why we do not have menu," the policy explains, so a bartender asks what spirit you like, how sweet and how strong, and builds something to match, usually with a small plate of nuts or crackers alongside. The website does post a list it calls Bartenders' Choice. Full Bloom is the house drink The 50 Best says you can only get in Japan: J's Whisky or Dry Gin, Sakura Liqueur, Maraschino, (with Lemon or without), Homemade Roasted Tea Bitters. Ceremony is J's Whisky, Macha Green Tea Liqueur, Green Tea Liqueur, Homemade Macha Green Tea Bitters, and for gin there's Awl (Pink Gimlet), made with Dry Gin, Lime, Homemade Gin Syrup and Campari.
Kurakami has her own section, mostly named after paintings. Les Tournesols by Vincent van Gogh is M.Mark, Amaretto Syrup, Fresh Cream and Orange Marmalade, and Noa Noa by Gauguin is Ron Zacapa, Passionfruit Puree, Bitter Syrup, Yogurt Liqueur and Pineapple. Traditionalists will love the Japanese Old Classics: the Bamboo Cocktail, Fino Sherry, Dry Vermouth, Orange Bitters, which The 50 Best lists with the White Lady as High Five's signatures, and the Million Dollar, Dry Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Pineapple, Grenadine, Egg White. A dirty martini runs around ¥2,500 ($17). A seasonal fruit list (golden kiwi, passionfruit, tomato) goes into fruit cocktails, a Piña Colada among them, and if you're hungry there's an omelet and the bar's own Japanese jamón.
Seat Charge and Hours in Ginza
"The seating charge is ¥1,000 per person," the policy says, about $7, followed by "It's common in bars in Japan but you can leave if you don't like it" and then "Trust us, we charge a fair price in this town." The 50 Best puts the average cocktail at $16, and most people spend ¥4,000 to ¥8,000 ($27 to $53). Cards are accepted. Bar High Five is open Monday through Saturday, 5pm to 1am, with last entry at midnight, closed Sundays and national holidays, and it fills fast after the 5pm opening, so that's the time to walk in.
High Five is a short walk from Bar Orchard Ginza, where the menu is a basket of fruit, and Gen Yamamoto in Azabu-Juban takes its last guests at 9pm, so an early tasting there and a late drink here fit in one night. Our guide to the best bars in Tokyo has more. If nothing comes to mind when the bartender asks what you like, try the Full Bloom.
Photos: Bar High Five, Bar High Five, Bar High Five
