NARA Bar-hopping

Every season offers ephemeral moments bursting with flavors to share with those around us. Roku Gin celebrates these moments using six Japanese botanicals from each of the four seasons picked at peak freshness.

Experience a ROKU cocktail at the finest bar in Nara.

A three-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station.

Ranked No. 46 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 (and listed in the Best 100 for nine consecutive years). The concept of the bar is around the world inviting guests on a journey across eras and countries through cocktails. It incorporates many local Nara ingredients and elements of Japanese culture into its drinks.

LAMP BAR is not just a place to enjoy alcohol. It is an extraordinary space that guides you on a journey beyond time and borders. Here, moments of self-reflection await you, along with the chance to experience the world and its history through every cocktail.

Born in 1981 in Nara Prefecture.

Raised by parents who are ceramic artists, he spent his childhood surrounded by craftsmanship, art, and traditional crafts.

In 2015, he won first place in World Class, a global cocktail competition featuring top finalists from 54 countries. He continues to conduct bartender seminars and guest bartending events around the world.

Driven by a deep passion for his hometown of Nara, he is a leading figure in promoting a bar culture that is both rooted in Japan’s ancient capital and recognized on the global stage.

Creation Story: This cocktail expresses the serene stillness of the deep forest surrounding Kasuga Taisha Shrine—the faint presence of divine energy, the soft glow of stone lanterns, the morning mist, the gentle humidity in the air and the subtle fragrance of the woods.

It also carries the warm nuance of sake lees and the forest-like aroma that comes from the Japanese botanicals of Roku Gin.

There are expressions that can only be created because we are in Nara. Without bringing in the fast pace of big cities, we continue to embrace a stance of captivating the world through Nara’s quiet, gentle spirit.

I believe that being in a regional city is not a disadvantage—rather, it gives us a unique and irreplaceable value. I want to share Japan’s bar culture with the world, starting from Nara.

One of Nara’s distinguishing features is that within a relatively small area, several world-renowned bars are concentrated. During the day, the city is full of international visitors, yet the nightlife still has room to grow.

Creating a rich and vibrant night scene in Nara is, to me, an act of shaping local culture—something that goes beyond the role of a bar. By having travelers choose Nara as their destination on their second or third trip to Japan, we can further enhance the city’s nightlife.

I hope guests will bar-hop through the establishments featured on our bar map and experience for themselves the true charm of Nara.