Berg

They say that 3 million people pass through Shinjuku station every morning, and tucked away in the "Food Pocket" part of the East Exit basement is Berg, a hotdog & beer cafe/standing-bar that's actually managed to create a real sense of community.


Just the job for a quick bite after work or to wait for the first train after a night out, they keep a fine drop and have a mini-exhibition from a different local artist every month or so along the back wall. They've been going more than 20 years but since 2008 they've been fighting eviction by their corporate landlord Lumine, the big department store in the building above who want to kick then out and redevelop the area. There's a petition you can sign in the shop as well as online here.

So far so good...