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Table of contents

1. Where should you start in Tokyo dance clubs?

2. How do you reach the main areas and plan your route?

3. What do prices, time windows, and eligibility look like?

4. Which venue types and music formats should you choose?

5. How do reservations, etiquette, and useful phrases work?

6. Summary and Next Steps

1. Where should you start in Tokyo dance clubs?

1-1. Three starter areas (Shibuya, Shinjuku, Roppongi)

If you’re new to Tokyo nightlife, treat the city as three starter zones:

• Shibuya for internationally-known club infrastructure and a dense “walkable” cluster. A classic example is WOMB’s official hub where you can check the event calendar and “DOOR” pricing on each event page:
  WOMB official site (Japanese).
• Shinjuku (Kabukicho) for big-building entertainment. ZEROTOKYO is positioned as a major nightlife facility in Tokyu Kabukicho Tower:
  Tokyu Kabukicho Tower “ZEROTOKYO” (Japanese).
• Roppongi for sleek rooms with a more “dress-up” feeling. SEL OCTAGON TOKYO is a well-known example with an official site that centralizes schedule, policy, and access:
  SEL OCTAGON TOKYO official site (Japanese).

※参考情報（editor’s note）: The best first night is usually a venue with multiple floors, so you can change music/energy without changing districts.

1-2. How the “club system” is standardized

Tokyo clubs often feel “organized” because the flow is standardized: entrance line → ID check → fee payment → wristband/stamp → lockers → bar → floor. Venues publish this logic indirectly through their rules and FAQ pages. For example, WOMB explains that you can generally enter by paying the day-of fee at the entrance, and that the event page “DOOR” figure is the day-of price:
WOMB FAQ (Japanese).

1-3. Quick pick: EDM clubs vs techno clubs vs mixed-format rooms

In Tokyo, labels like EDM clubs, techno clubs, and mixed-format rooms are less about the building and more about the night’s programming. That’s why official calendars matter. On WOMB’s event pages, the genre tags are shown directly with the date/time:
WOMB event calendar (Japanese).

If you want a simple first-night strategy: pick one major Shibuya event (usually easiest logistics), then decide whether you want Shinjuku’s “festival-style” rooms (big halls) or Roppongi’s polished club-lounge feel.

2. How do you reach the main areas and plan your route?

2-1. Use official “Access” pages (they include the useful details)

Club access pages often contain the only details that matter at night: the exact neighborhood, walking time, and which station is closest.
ZEROTOKYO’s official access page lists walking times from multiple stations—e.g., Seibu-Shinjuku Station: 1 minute and Shinjuku Station: 7 minutes:
ZEROTOKYO Access (Japanese).

WOMB’s access page provides a practical walking guide in Shibuya’s Dogenzaka/Maruyamacho area, including a “5 minutes” reference and a 50 meters detail to find the building:
WOMB Access (Japanese).

2-2. The simplest route planning rule

Route planning gets complicated only when you try to change districts mid-night. A simple rule works better:
Pick one anchor venue, then only move if the next stop is clearly walkable.
For example, if you choose Shinjuku/Kabukicho, you can treat ZEROTOKYO as a central “hub” and structure the night around its event start time and access:
ZEROTOKYO Event Schedule (Japanese).

2-3. Access & hours at a glance

Table 2: Access & Hours

Numbers are shown as published on each venue’s official access or event pages; when a venue does not publish walk time, we show “—”.

3. What do prices, time windows, and eligibility look like?

3-1. Real prices come from event pages (“DOOR”)

Tokyo club pricing is event-based, so the most reliable method is: find the official event page and read “DOOR.”
For example, WOMB’s event page for “SESSION” shows DOOR: ¥3,500 (and a discounted note for under-23):
WOMB event (SESSION) official page.

Big holiday events can be higher. WOMB’s New Year countdown page shows “DOOR” pricing such as ¥8,000 before 1:00 and ¥5,000 after 1:00 (as listed on the page):
WOMB New Year countdown official page.

ZEROTOKYO event pages also publish “PRICE / DOOR.” For example, the “SAMMY VIRJI ASIA TOUR 2025” page shows DOOR：¥6,000:
ZEROTOKYO event official page.

3-2. Typical admission systems (examples with published fees)

Some venues publish a more “standard” admission table. WARP SHINJUKU’s system page lists time-based pricing. For example, Sun–Thu shows men ¥1,000/1D before midnight and ¥2,500/1D after; Fri/Sat shows men ¥2,000/1D early and ¥4,000/1D later:
WARP SHINJUKU System (Japanese).

CLUB TK SHIBUYA publishes hours and system information on its official site:
CLUB TK SHIBUYA System (Japanese).
(When system charts are image-based, treat the venue’s own “SYSTEM” page as the authority and confirm the exact night’s details at the entrance or on the schedule page.)

3-3. Eligibility: age checks, photo ID, and what to bring

The most consistent rule is 20+ with photo ID. WOMB states that under-20 entry is generally not allowed for normal club time and that ID presentation is required:
WOMB FAQ (Japanese).

ZEROTOKYO’s official FAQ also explains that you can pay at the door and that the event page “DOOR” is the at-door price, while confirming that ID is required:
ZEROTOKYO FAQ (English).

WARP’s FAQ lists acceptable ID examples (passport, driver’s license, etc.) and confirms that ID checks are required:
WARP SHINJUKU FAQ (Japanese).

Table 1: Venue Types & Base Fees

“Typical Fee” is shown as either a published system table or a concrete “DOOR” example from an official event page (best practice for accuracy).

4. Which venue types and music formats should you choose?

4-1. Headliner events: higher price, clearer schedule

Headliner events behave like mini-concerts: fixed start times, clear ticket notes, and higher “DOOR” prices. ZEROTOKYO’s event pages often show detailed “PRICE” breakdowns, including “DOOR” and ticket tiers:
ZEROTOKYO event pricing example.

If you want maximum predictability as a visitor (time, price, genre), headliner events are the easiest to plan—even if the fee is higher.

4-2. Resident-party nights: “Tokyo club culture” in repeatable form

Resident nights are where Tokyo’s club culture is most “repeatable”: stable start/end windows, recurring staff and regulars, and a sound/lighting approach that builds a consistent identity. WOMB’s “SESSION” is presented as a resident party on the official event page, with a clear door price and time window:
WOMB resident-night example.

Anthropologically, this is where “institutionalized closeness” becomes visible: repeated nights train the crowd to read the room—where to stand, when to move, how to signal politeness—without a spoken script.

4-3. Mixed-format floors: how multi-floor venues reduce decision stress

Multi-floor venues reduce decision stress by letting you switch intensity without leaving. Even when a venue is known for a primary genre, the building can host multiple rooms or “zones” on a single night. You can spot this on official pages through floor listings (e.g., WOMB pages often list 2F/1F/4F lineups):
WOMB multi-floor lineup example.

5. How do reservations, etiquette, and useful phrases work?

5-1. Reservations: VIP tables and premium lounge seating

If you want guaranteed seating (or a calmer base for the night), look for “reservation” or “VIP” on the official site.
WOMB provides a Premium Lounge reservation route via its official reservation page:
WOMB Reservation (Japanese).

TK NIGHTCLUB TOKYO publishes VIP table pricing with a clear breakdown. For example, one table category shows total price ¥44,132 weekday / ¥85,668 weekend, including table charge, bottle charge, and 28% service & tax:
TK NIGHTCLUB TOKYO VIP pricing (Japanese).

5-2. Etiquette: ID checks, tickets, and “cashless” rules

Etiquette is mostly administrative: have your photo ID ready, follow staff instructions in the entrance line, and read the venue’s rules before arriving.
ZEROTOKYO explicitly states it is a cashless facility (no cash payments inside), so you should bring a card or approved e-money/QR payment:
ZEROTOKYO system (cashless policy).

For ticket behavior, ZEROTOKYO’s FAQ explains that you can pay the at-door price, and that “DOOR” on the event page is the at-door price:
ZEROTOKYO FAQ (English).

For budgeting at the bar, WOMB’s English FAQ lists drink prices such as soft drinks from ¥500, shots from ¥600, and beers/cocktails from ¥700:
WOMB FAQ (English) drink pricing.

5-3. Useful Japanese phrases (simple and polite)

Table 4: Useful Phrases Quick Ref

These phrases match the “system” realities described on official venue pages (DOOR entry, ID checks, reservations, cashless policies).

Table 3: Reservation & Eligibility

“Eligibility” is summarized from official venue rule pages (ID checks, age limits, and entry policies).

6. Summary and Next Steps

6-1. Your “one-night” planning template

1. Choose one district (Shibuya / Shinjuku / Roppongi).
2. Open the venue’s official event page and read “OPEN/START” and “DOOR.”
3. Prepare photo ID (20+), and confirm if the venue is cashless.
4. If you want seating, reserve a table/premium lounge on the official reservation route.

Example official event references: WOMB event pages publish DOOR clearly
(WOMB event example)
and ZEROTOKYO does the same
(ZEROTOKYO event example).

6-2. Next steps (what to check today)

• Access: station and walking time from the official access page (e.g., ZEROTOKYO Access).
• Eligibility: age and ID rules (e.g., WOMB FAQ).
• Budget: DOOR price + expected drinks (e.g., WOMB drink pricing).

If you want more neighborhood context, here’s another internal guide you can use for bar/after-club planning:
Shinjuku bars & yokocho list.

6-3. FAQ