Strolling Around Old Tokyo: Shops and Restaurants Where the Old Edo Spirit Lives On

Kamiya Bar: The Famous Cocktail at the First Bar in Japan

Kamiya Bar was established in 1880 as Japan’s first bar. Today it remains a popular watering hole in the old shitamachi area of Tokyo, famous for its original Denki Bran cocktail created soon after the bar opened. “Denki” is the Japanese word for electricity, which was still a rare thing when the bar was established. Electrical goods and products that came from abroad and looked very new often had names with the denki- prefix. “Bran” is short for the cocktail’s main alcoholic ingredient, brandy. Other ingredients are gin, wine, Curaçao, and herbs, resulting in a slightly sweet flavor. There is also a similar cocktail, called Denki Bran Old, with an alcohol content somewhere between 30% and 40%.

“The originally conceived recipe for Denki Bran is still a trade secret to this day. People say that the flavor brings back feelings of nostalgia, even if they drink it for the first time,” says the fifth owner, Kamiya Naoya.

Some snacks often served with a Denki Bran are pieces of stewed beef, or fried pork and onion on skewers. Many people like to wash it all down with a draft beer too. Along with its famous cocktail, Kamiya Bar has a low-key, unpretentious atmosphere that sets it apart from other drinking establishments. Go for a visit to experience what Asakusa felt like back in the old days.

Over 150 seats available in the bar

The famous amber colored cocktail, Denki Bran (¥260); you can also try a Denki Bran Old (¥360).

The bar has a retro feel.

In the Meiji era, customers sat at long counters to drink.