Which language do I order in?

Korean or Japanese, or just point at the menu. It is not unusual for the person in the next seat to help a newcomer order.

What if the person next to me starts talking in Korean or Japanese?

Answer with whatever words you have. Guests on both sides came because they like the other country, so a single word in their language is usually enough to keep things going.

Soju topped up with beer. At this counter it is often the first thing a Korean guest makes for the Japanese guest beside them, which is how a lot of conversations begin.

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Shinjuku Bar Where Koreans and Japanese Sit Together

2026.10.14

Korean on the right, Japanese on the left, and us behind the counter nodding along to both. The counter at HEAVEN TOKYO, a Korean bar in Shinjuku, has eight seats in a single row, and along it Japanese guests who like Korea and Korean guests who like Japan sit shoulder to shoulder. Here is what one evening looks like, seat by seat. Doors open for the first time on Friday, October 23.

A bar counter lined with soju bottles (a sister bar of Korean Bar HEAVEN)

Far right: a somaek lesson

The Japanese guest at the far right has asked the Korean next to them to make a somaek. A little soju, beer on top. "What's the ratio?" they ask in Japanese. "Mood," comes the answer, also in Japanese, and both of them laugh. For Japanese guests who love Korea, somaek is the drink they want to try properly at least once, so it is often the Japanese side that speaks first. Behind the counter, we decide drink by drink which language to answer in.

Middle seats: one Korean word in a Japanese sentence

In the middle, a Japanese guest studying Korean is dropping exactly one Korean word into each Japanese sentence. The Korean guest beside them catches it and answers with a Korean sentence carrying one Japanese word. The grammar is a mess and everyone understands everything. This is the scene we watched every night at our counter in Osaka, and it is why the Tokyo bar has the same eight seats in one straight line.

Guests chatting at the counter seats (a sister bar of Korean Bar HEAVEN)

Far left: Japanese whisky, recommended by a Japanese guest

At the far left it runs the other way. A Japanese guest is talking a Korean guest into a Japanese whisky. Plenty of Korean visitors know soju and makgeolli inside out but have never tried Japanese whisky, shochu or a sour. Glasses get swapped, one sip each. Before long the conversations at both ends have met in the middle and all eight seats are in on the same story. As the night goes on, the scene keeps changing shape and never quite stops.

FAQ

Which language do I order in?: Korean or Japanese, or just point at the menu. It is not unusual for the person in the next seat to help a newcomer order.
What if the person next to me starts talking in Korean or Japanese?: Answer with whatever words you have. Guests on both sides came because they like the other country, so a single word in their language is usually enough to keep things going.
What is somaek?: Soju topped up with beer. At this counter it is often the first thing a Korean guest makes for the Japanese guest beside them, which is how a lot of conversations begin.

Bar information

Name: Korean Bar HEAVEN TOKYO
Address: GEST34 Bldg. 1F #103, 2-45-16 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo (3 min walk from Seibu-Shinjuku Station)
Opening: October 23, 2026
Hours: daily 21:00-05:00
Seats: 8 counter seats, karaoke available
All-you-can-drink: 2,500 yen per hour (about 80 cocktails)
Operated by Nagaza Inc., the owners of Korean bars HEAVEN, MOON and SARANG in Higashi-Shinsaibashi, Osaka

Google Maps · Our Osaka bars HEAVEN, MOON and SARANG (same owners)