Kita-Kore Building

A Koenji spot that feels excitingly edgy, complete with an artist-run gallery curated by Chim-Pom, the incendiary collective of Japanese artists. There’s a tailor’s shop that’s so much fun to look through it’s practically art in itself, and a variety of interesting people take over bartender duty each night on a revolving basis. The gallery here houses installation art, which means that you’ll often find something new in the rooms and floors that are open. My tip is to visit again and again—especially the basement and the rooftop. And as for those rooms that are currently closed, you never know when they’ll open up again.