Osu Kannon - Tsurumai, Nagoya, Japan (A)

Stop number 1 is a really cool little place hidden behind Exit 2 of Osu Kannon train station. Smash Head is split into 2 areas, the first of which is where the drinking happens. There are some weird and wonderful chairs to choose from and the walls are decorated with equally odd pictures, models and posters. The second half of the place is filled with clothes and mo-peds; so you can change your look, fix your bike and have a pint whilst you’re waiting. A pint of Guinness costs the standard 900yen and there is also a fine selection of bottled beers, including some American Ales that are pretty hard to come by in Japan. There’s also food, fresh bread, good music and a cool bar-man. There’s no cover charge so it’s perfect for a crawl…but to be honest I could spend all night there!

Next on the schedule is Groggy, an eye catching bar in the Kamimaezu area with an orange door that marks the entrance to this quaint Irish bar. It may seem a little expensive, but it is a privately owned bar with a very personal feel. It attracts a Japanese crowd mainly, but both the staff and the customers will be more than willing to talk if you want to practise your Japanese. They also serve an amazing Guinness and have a couple of English ales, as well as a Guest Ales, which change monthly.

Bar number 3 is Strikers, a sports bar right next to Tsurumai station. Strikers is an unashamedly colourful affair with flat screen TVs and a darts board. They also serve pints of lager minus the 4 inches of froth that Japanese bars seem to adore. There’s also food and cocktails, which may seem a little expensive to some, but are great junky snacks that accompany a beer very well. It’s a fun place with chatty bar staff and clientele, as well as a popular hang out for any sporting event that may be televised.

Stop number 4 on the crawl is Pharalis, which is technically a function room open for hire, but it’s also a really stylish and great place to wind down. Upstairs the carpets are so rich you have to don a pair of slippers to be allowed entrance, but downstairs, there’s a small DJ box, a decent sized bar and best of all…free darts! It is a fairly expensive place, but like all the places on the crawl, there’s no cover charge and the free darts really makes it worth while.

This crawl’s wild card is one of my favourite places in Nagoya, Ring Side Café, which not only serves food and drink (neither of which are amazing), but also has a full size wrestling ring almost on top of the customer’s seating area. Every Friday night you can pay 1500yen and get 1 free drink as well as entry to a live wrestling show. There are always at least 4 fights, which sometimes get so wild they spill out onto the streets outside. It doesn’t pretend to be gritty or realistic, but it is fantastically entertaining and one of the most memorable nights you’re likely to have. It may be better to arrive early though, as it often sells out!