Bar FULLHOUSE at Ikebukuro, Tokyo

A jazz record shot bar in Ikebukuro with 300-plus spirits, seasonal cocktails and a 2,000-strong vinyl collection.

Bar Fullhouse is a long-running shot bar a six-minute walk from JR Ikebukuro Station, tucked into the basement of the Palace Garden Milano building. It is a haunt for music lovers, where the owner's passion for vinyl shapes the whole evening, with some 2,000 single records spanning Japanese and Western pops on the shelves. Over 300 carefully selected spirits line the back bar, from single malt and bourbon to brandy and rum, and the cocktail list makes the most of seasonal fruit. The room is small and grown-up, suited to a quiet date or a solo glass at the counter, with knowledgeable staff happy to talk through the bottles or pick a record to match the mood. Every Sunday is Single Record Day, when the usual paid listening fee is waived so guests can enjoy two songs for free on the turntable. Opening hours run from the oddly precise 18:27 through to the small hours, Monday to Saturday, making it a reliable late-night refuge as the last train edges near. For travellers who like their drinks paired with a warm soundtrack and unhurried conversation, Fullhouse offers a quietly old-fashioned sort of Tokyo evening that is increasingly hard to find. The cocktails are generous, the music is personal, and the welcome is attentive without ever being fussy. It is the kind of place you settle into for one drink and somehow leave at closing time.