Not so long ago, Kagurazaka was one of this city's most traditional neighborhoods, its alleys still echoing from the days when it was an important geisha district. Though some of its old character survives, these days it has much more of an international nature -- especially when it comes to dining out.
So it is really no surprise at all to turn a corner and find the wall of one building decorated in motifs inspired by the mud-dyed fabrics of West Africa. You have arrived at Tribes, a casual dining-bar of considerable style and poise, whose self-described mission statement is to provide "the taste of Africa."
In aesthetic terms, at least, the taste is entirely 21st-century Tokyo. The walls are a restful shade of matte terra cotta. A large, imposing sub-Saharan figurine gazes down benignly on the three spacious dining tables. Above the bar counter, a projection screen flickers mutely with a National Geographic film loop of wildlife parks. A pan-African soundtrack of soukous and highlife music wafts from the sound system.