With over 200 bars and restaurants to choose from, the Hakuba bars and nightlife scene has something for everyone. We’ve created this guide to help you understand what’s available and to offer tips on how to best spend your evenings in Hakuba. We limited our guide to bars in the three main villages:
Happo Village
Echoland
Wadano
Happo Village
Happo Village sits at the base of Happo-One resort and is the main village in the Valley. It boasts an impressive number of evening options from sports bars to craft beer bars to even a bar in a vending machine. Here are the must visit spots in Happo Village.
Snowy Day in Happo Village
Blizzard
Blizzard is known for their wood fired pizzas crafted by head Chef Simone who hails from the south of Italy. Despite its impressive Italian menu, Blizzard truly comes alive in the evenings with live music and frequent events. In recent years Blizzard has thrown some of the best parties and has hosted some of the biggest international musical acts Hakuba has ever seen including:
Hayden James
Hot Dub Time Machine
Tom Tiley (Triple J) and Hugo Gruzman (Flight Facilities)
Insider Tip: The pizzas are seriously good. Come by for dinner and enjoy the atmosphere late into the evening.
“Clubby” as referred to by those familiar with it is the perfect spot to grab a coffee before the slopes and a beer after. Don’t let the cozy interior fool you, The Clubhouse night life gets on with the best of Hakuba. Be on the lookout for regularly scheduled live music, karaoke, and weekly bar trivia.
Insider Tip: With over 1000+ international channels The Clubhouse is sure to have any match you’re keen to watch.
Hakuba’s Premiere après location. You literally cannot beat being on the base of the Nakiyama Slope. Cruise up to the bar and keep the stoke alive with daily DJ’s spinning tasty tunes. Whether its for a brief intermission before heading back up the lift or to start the night off, an Après session will leave you amped for whatever’s next.
Insider Tip: Get your mates together and rip a shotski before heading back up the slopes.
Looking for a premium cocktail and a Deep House/Techno set? SUGAR will provide. Stop in and enjoy the lounge whether it be with your feet up on the couch or shuffling on the dance floor. With one of the best sound systems in Hakuba, you won’t be disappointed.
Insider Tip: Don’t sweat it, complimentary coat check is available inside.
Burgers fit for royalty, atmosphere made for powder hounds. Unjaune is known for having some of the biggest burgers in town and good vibes to match. Pair that with a happy hour deal post pow-day and you’ll feel right at home, exactly how the staff intends. Be on the lookout for late night bar festivities.
Insider Tip: Skip food on the mountain, save your appetite for the bottom of the gondola.
Bar Refuel is one of the few watering holes that stays open well into the early hours of the morning and still serves food. It’s also a great mix of locals and visitors and the menu is a combo of Japanese and foreign bar food. Drinks are half price during the daily happy hour from 4 to 6.
Insider Tip: Think you can handle spice? Get the spicy ramen; it’ll knock your socks off.
Right around the corner from the Happo Information Center, Bar Cross gets pretty wild on a nightly basis. There’s plenty of space to move around and mingle in this basement bar and the vibe is always loose and fun. Add it to your Happo pub crawl.
Insider Tip: They have an N64! Mario Kart anyone??
The Hotel has indoor and outdoor seating with live music most days. Stepping into the Marillen Hotel is like stepping into an après bar in the Austrian Alps. The entire restaurant is adorned with German and Austrian artifacts, there are German Beers on tap, and the menu features hearty alpine German classics such as Cheese Fondue and Curry Wurst.
Insider Tip: New Years Eve and the Happo Fire Festival are held on the Nakiyama Slope. Sit fire side and look out on the flood lit Nakiyama Slope.
The Tap Room offers the most impressive selection of craft beer in the entire Hakuba Valley. With live music and a nice Australian pub menu to match, Tap Room is an excellent place to enjoy a meal and a tasty beer.
Insider Tip: Tap Room is the go to bar in the Hakuba Green Season. It has a beautifully decorated patio seating area with corn-hole, one of the best mountain views in town, and and great beer deals. Open Thursday to Sunday.
This popular village is situated between Hakuba47 and Happo-One and is a must visit as it is loaded with amazing cafes, restaurants, and bars. We’ve listed our favorites below but there are plenty more to check out.
Holy Smokes
Holy Smokes is Hakuba’s most “secret” bar. This speakeasy style venue is located in the basement of a nondescript Echoland building and only accessible through a cigarette vending machine. If you can find the vending machine, don’t be shy. Visitors are always welcome and Holy Smokes throws some of the best parties in the valley.
Already a well established restaurant in Bali, Calico is known for its welcoming hospitality, laid back atmosphere and delicious food, and now it’s making its way to the hustle and bustle of Echoland’s Main Street. Whether you need some grease or some greens, the team inside has you covered.
Insider Tip: Calico knows style, be on the lookout for pop ups and live music.
Mocking Bird will be buzzing on just about any night of the week, often with a mix of locals and Westerners. The bar is creatively decorated with woodwork – there’s a large tree made of driftwood centered in the middle of the bar – and has a great selection of beer, wines and traditional Japanese cocktails.
Insider tip: Order the Ken Special! While the full list of ingredients is even too insider to share here, the drink has vodka, yuzu, and a whole lot of other tasty ingredients.
Samurai Kebab sits directly next to Mockingbird and serves as the perfect late night munchies spot post Mockingbird. The kebabs are next level and the only ones in Hakuba. The bar is a fun spot in its own right with darts and plenty of room to sit, dance, and mingle.
Insider Tip: Order the halal snack pack. It’s next level delicious.
Cherry Pub is a Country-Western style bar and restaurant with an impressive selection of booze and a great dinner menu.
The best part about Cherry Pub, however, is the two private Karaoke Rooms which can accommodate 8 and 20 people respectively. The rooms can be rented per hour and your party can call to the bar via a phone in the room to order drinks. It’s a blast.
Insider Tip: There’s a golf simulator on the third floor for those amongst us who don’t want to lose their swing in the snow. It costs 3,000 yen per hour and can accommodate 8 people. Clubs and Shoes included.
The Wadano area is chock full with accommodation options and has an impressive number of nightlife spots to match. The following are the best Wadano has to offer.
Views from Upper Wadano
Rabbit Hole
Up in Wadano is The Rabbit Hole which makes you feel like you’ve encountered an edgy Melbourne laneway bar. Even the barmen have Chet Faker beards going on.
In addition to having a great selection of beers and spirits, The Rabbit Hole is known for their burgers. They also do live music and DJs and have pool and darts in the basement. It’s a must visit in Hakuba.
Insider Tip: Best burger in Hakuba, and the coolest Hakuba swag. The sweatshirts are unreal and are for sale online and in the restaurant.
Penke brings the vibes big time. Great music, visual artists, sick events and just plain good times at Penke is the norm. It’s an easy place to meet locals and fellow travelers alike.
Insider Tip: Penke goes off on party nights. Their Gender Bender party is stuff of Hakuba lore. If you’re around for a party, don’t miss it.
Known more for it’s incredible food than it’s bar (Trip Advisers #1 Hakuba Restaurant), Mimi’s bar is a cozy place to grab excellent cocktails and shoot the breeze with the bar keep. Stop by during Happy Hour and all cocktails are 50% off.
Insider Tip: Stay for dinner. It’s the #1 Restaurant for a reason.
A great European style pub with plenty of seating and a good menu featuring burgers, pizzas, and other pub classics. The Pub has three levels with a pool table and couches on the third floor.
Insider Tip: Things get wild at the pub when they have parties. Keep them in mind if you’re around for New Years Eve.
Thanks for Reading! Comment below or reach out on FB or Insta with any bars that you think we missed. Also, if you haven’t reserved your Hakuba accommodation for this up coming season, click “Enquire Now” below and we can help you sort it out.
