Destination: Tokyo

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Abbey Road

One of two clubs—the other is the Cavern—whose house bands do uncannily accurate reenactments of Beatles songs. In the dark of the club, the bewigged Japanese band members even manage to look like the Fab Four; they have mastered the Beatles style of dressing, playing and singing down to the minutest detail, from shaggy haircuts to exact microphone positioning and vocal phrasing. It is one of the many oddities of Tokyo that it has two thriving venues paying tribute to an English band that split up almost 40 years ago. Abbey Road is packed nightly with young Japanese, most of whom were not even born when the final Beatles album, Let It Be, was released.

Even more remarkable, in a country where little English is spoken, the twentysomethings know the words to all the songs. The first chords of All You Need Is Love or She Loves You elicit roars of approval and much table thumping from the squeezed-in supper-club audience. Even at the height of their fame, the Beatles could hardly have imagined that in the 21st century, they would be so big in Japan. A fun night out.

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Blue Note

The city’s most famous jazz venue, the Blue Note is where pretty much all the contemporary blues and jazz greats have played, or jammed after concerts at larger spots. It is big enough to attract the kind of revenue needed to draw superstars but small enough for real intimacy. Roberta Flack, Herbie Hancock and other giants relish the chance to return to their small-club roots, and they play to an appreciative and responsive audience. Check ahead to see who is on the bill: tickets can sell out quickly.

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Heartland

When the working day winds down, the bankers that populate the Roppongi Hills office tower descend to Heartland for a drink with other expats. If you happen to have a meeting at Goldman Sachs and want to watch a managing director get a little wild post–office hours, join them there afterwards. The bar, which takes its name from a local beer garden popular in the ’80s, has a decidedly modern look complete with a curved glass bar and glowing glass-topped tables (a nice departure from many of the other, grungier watering holes in the area). While cocktails are readily available, the most popular option is a bottle of the bar’s namesake brew, created by Kirin but available only here. The top time to visit is in warm weather, when the normally convivial crowd spills onto the terrace and seems even friendlier.

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SuperDeluxe

If you want to impress your arty friends back home, SuperDeluxe deserves a visit. This restaurant-bar-gallery–event space–artists’ collaborative, hidden in a Roppongi basement, embodies a large part of what people adore about Tokyo: it never ceases to amaze you. The space, which looks like a concrete bunker and is difficult to find without a map, hosts a variety of events, from traditional DJ nights to exhibitions of local artists’ work to music and dance performances. But perhaps the bigger draw is the chance to observe Tokyo’s hip young things in their natural setting. Forget Ginza and the dark-suited salarymen; this is where the creative subculture comes together to prove that luxury shopping isn’t the only thing that inspires the Japanese. Visit the Web site for an up-to-date schedule of events, as well as a map and directions. Read why an Indagare Insider loves SuperDeluxe here.

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