In general, pre-bubble nightlife in Tokyo was rather dull. In the early 1980s, a Saturday night out in Shinjuku or Roppongi meant jockeying for space in a crowded disco with packs of Japanese intent on line dancing in front of mirrors. There were a few alternative bars scattered in and around Aoyama, but even the cool people you met were just that -- cool, or that is, mostly afraid of being seen as uncool. Either way, it came down to image.

And it still does, according to Akira Takeda, the owner of Hachi, a small four-story club complex in Aoyama. "I wish Japanese clubbers would be more spontaneous -- more inspired and more inspiring," he laments. "They don't understand that it's up to them to create the excitement."

Perhaps, though, fortysomething Takeda is too close to his subject. Hachi boasts a higher concentration of party animals than most Tokyo clubs. One thing is certain -- it's a lot more fun to go clubbing in Tokyo than it used to be.

With the bubble came expendable cash, and for many Japanese that meant travel. And so after their journeys, one globe-trotter after another came home to roost, carrying with them the seeds of foreign bar and club culture. Various hot-spots began surfacing throughout the city, but arguably many of the best venues could be found in Aoyama.

"Twenty years ago Aoyama was full of izakaya and karaoke sunakku," remembers Takeda. "But now there are dozens and dozens of little bars and clubs -- and more opening all the time."

But Hachi was by no means first -- not even on its own patch. And you need look no further than the street-front below for proof. That is where you will find the legendary Bar Aoyama, which occupies what appears to be the basement of Hachi, but which is, in fact, entered directly off Roppongi-dori. It is literally a door in the tunnel wall.

Yahagi, the first master to establish the space as a bar, was ahead of Takeda by 15 years. He also set a benchmark for originality and atmosphere in Tokyo bars. The space has since changed hands and clientele (it now offers a miniature stage for indie-rock bands), but no one will forget Yahagi or his vision.

Times change, but this particular slice of the Aoyama pie seems to be a hotbed for funky little bars. Yet another generation is already sprouting up nearby. At the other end of the lane that Hachi is on, you will find a new and precious gem called Fudosan Bar. By day a real-estate office; by night a bar (but only on Fridays).

Just as the economic bubble allowed would-be bar owners to spread their wings and pursue their dreams headlong, the downturn has forced them to be more clever and cost-conscious. Nowadays, they hold onto their day jobs while testing the waters.

Hachi: A hive of activity

The Aoyama Building that houses Hachi overlooks Roppongi-dori on the Shibuya-side of Roppongi Tunnel. It is accessed, however, via some stairs leading to a small lane on the right-hand side of the building.

Hachi closed briefly at the end of last year for renovations in preparation for its 10th birthday later this year. The most notable change is that the first floor is now a one-coin bar. This means that all drinks are 500 yen all night long and right through till 8 a.m. in the morning -- definitely what you would call a good deal.

The first floor also has a new manager -- Tatsuya Takayama -- who comes with excellent credentials, having worked as a bartender at Mix Aoyama for seven years, until it closed last year.

Access to the second floor and up used to be via the first-floor bar, but now the entrances are separate. The upper floors also have a separate and new manager who books and oversees the club events. The second and third floors open on Thursday night, with the fourth kicking in on Friday and Saturday.

Each floor has a different vibe. The second floor is called a lounge, but it is quite open and spacious and doubles as a dance and event space.

The third floor is the official dance floor, with mandatory dark-as-night lighting barely pierced by flickers from its mirror ball.

The fourth floor is a classic lounge space, with couches and coffee tables. It is even carpeted and boasts the odd vase of flowers. Only the second and fourth floors have bars.

But one of Hachi's best and unchanging features is the small park opposite the entrance. There are no kids playing on the swings and slides at night, so this space is put to good use as an extra chill-out space. You can also order up a barbecue. It is only 1,000 yen for all-you-can-eat, but you must tend to the cooking yourself. It feels like you're camping right in the heart of the city -- a real treat.

Hachi: Aoyama Building, 4-5-9 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; tel. (03) 5766-4887; www.aoyama-hachi.net 1F: Open 6 p.m.-8 a.m., Monday -Saturday. Closed Sunday. 2-3F: Open 10 p.m.-5 a.m. Thursday to Saturday. Note: 4F only open on Friday and Saturday. No cover charge for the first floor. All drinks 500 yen all night. Cover charge for events around 2,000 yen. Drinks from 600 yen.

Bar Aoyama: Tunnel vision

The stark door-in-a-tunnel-wall facade of this bar gives it an unquestionable kind of underground cool -- like a speakeasy in a prohibition-era movie where you knock three times and tell 'em Louie sent you. In this case, Kentaro, the name of the current manager, might be a better name to drop. Now that it's a venue for hardcore rock and ska-punk bands, the exterior wall is plastered with posters for upcoming gigs, which only ups the ante on its inner-city chic. Inside the walls are painted a ripe cherry red, with a Playboy poster taped here and there to break up the onslaught of color. Anyone who knows the space already will be wondering how on earth you could get a band and their equipment inside, let alone an audience. Well, they do. But one thing's for sure: the Stones will never play here.

Bar Aoyama; Aoyama Building, B1F, 4-5-9 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; no phone; sound.jp/baraoyama Open from 8 p.m. till late every Friday and Saturday and sometimes during the week. Cover charge between 1 yen,000-2,000. Check the Web site for details. Beer and mixed drinks from 600 yen.

Fudosan Bar: Mixing business with pleasure

Naohiro Serizawa is a young man with both a mission and a secret passion. The former: to match a face with a space, as in, real estate or, more specifically, property design. The latter: to host a bar. In his current office he has realized both.

From 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, he works a regular businessman's week. But come Friday night he rolls his filing cabinets away behind floor to ceiling red velvet drapes and his desk becomes a bar. Though tiny (around eight tatami mats in all) it feels comfortable -- even luxurious, especially when you flop down into the feathery softness of its brown leather couch, mizu-wari in hand, Quincy Jones playing softly in the background and nothing but the weekend stretching out in front of you. Serizawa has true style. He even makes a suit look good.