Comedy clubs are one of those things in life you don't know you need until you stumble into one. That's exactly what happened to me recently in Shibuya.
I had been downtown taking some photos and was about to head home when I saw a sign I hadn't seen before, Tokyo Comedy Bar - Open Mic Night.
I'm not a huge comedy guy, I've actually never even been to a comedy club, but craft beer and masochism was something that I desperately needed so I stopped in.
This night was open mic night and man, I was glad I came for the beer and not the jokes.
There was a Scott who couldn't even conjure up the low hanging fruit joke under his kilt, or the black dude version of Joaquin Phoenix's Joker followed by the American co-owner of TCB who was so bad I spent her set buying FTT, which I still rate higher than her jokes.
It wasn't all masochism though, there was a Chinese dude and Japanese dude that were pretty funny. The Japanese dude's English was bad and he seemed to struggle a bit, but that added to the act. I'm not sure if it was genuine or part of his gig, but it worked.
The Chinese dude was more polished and got off quite a few zingers, even some aimed at all the foreigners in the audience. He roasted us and we all laughed.
To be fair to us foreigners, there was also a British MC who kept everyone humored in between acts too. The British aren't known for much, but they are funny bastards. So not all the foreigners were rejects of their home countries.
The club does require tickets in order to get in which you can purchase from their site here: https://www.tokyocomedybar.com/
In addition to the club though they are a craft beer bar. They have about 10 craft beers on tap and several others in bottles. I tried out the Juicier Than Though IPA with mango and the Bones of Summer Pale Ale. Both beers passed my low threshold of "I'd drink it again." so the beers on tap get high marks from me. Each one set me back about $6 for a regular, which looked like a kid's size in the US, but c'est la vie. Pints will run you $10 - $12. It would probably be wise have a few before you get to the club though or you might be working the mic that night to pay for the bar tab.
I believe you can go into the bar without going into the adjacent club, which means you can sip a pint while watching the 7-11 workers try to make it big.
Speaking of 7-11, the club is located right next to the Inokashira line conveniently across from the 7-11,. The same 7-11 where you can see the comedians work their day jobs and try to steal material from their drunken customers.
If you do happen to be in Shibuya stop by the Tokyo Comedy Bar. Careful though, it's a politically incorrect joint and if you don't have a thick skin, bring one, because offensive jokes are on the menu. If you can handle crude, piss taking here are two of the barstaff battling it out! It's pretty NSFW FYI.
Thanks for reading! I won't be quitting my day job!
I loved your narration 🤣🤣you came in for beer but stayed for the jokes.
I'm keep this place in mind for a visit when I'll go to Japan, I want to try those kid sized beers too. I hope I can go soon 😊🍺
Thank you for the kind words. I suspect they will be moving to a larger location soon. They always seem to be full and they are getting more popular by the week. So if you do have a chance to visit, keep that in mind. If they don't move, it's fairly easy to find as the location is right next to the station. Cheer! 🍻
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