Garam is a cozy little hip-hop and reggae bar in Kabuki cho where lots of friendly Japanese kids gather to show off their best wannabe African dance steps and do a little impromptu rapping from time to time. The place is SMALL, but the atmosphere is nice and it can rock on the weekends. Admission is only 1000 yen with the first drink, and after that all drinks are 500 yen, so it's a great place to hang out and meet people without spending a lot of cash.
The music is mostly hip-hop, with an occasional roots reggae tune thrown in the mix from time to time. During the prime time on weekends, there is often a dude doing a Japanese rap over the tunes which is kinda cool at first but gives the place a bit of a karaoke feel after a while. Anyway, the people who work there are cool and you never get the heavy vibe you can feel at some of the bigger clubs. Garam is highly recommended for a casual evening of dancing and drinking yourself into submission.
Garam is located in Kabuki cho, about 5 minutes from the East exit of Shinjuku station. It's on the 7th floor of a building right next door to a huge Pachinko parlor (a pachinko place in Kabuki cho, imagine that. . .)
