The changing of the guard occurs frantically around midnight, hordes of belching salarymen trying to hold the beer and gyoza down while mashing onto the crowded final Yamanote line train. The trains inbound from the outskirts of Tokyo, by comparison, are far more peaceful β empty, even. Everybody living more than a couple stops away from the night time destinations knows they have to either go home around midnight, or stick it out until 5am.
The first and last trains are like tides β both signal a high-water mark of traffic, people, and energy. When and where is the best place to hook up with someone in Tokyo? Okay, so it might be a little more than an hour but the idea is the same. The cities especially Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Roppongi, and other major stations are bright and loud with the sound of laughter and lively conversation as people are emptying into the streets from finished nomikais drinking parties , dinner dates, social obligations, and some unlucky overtime shifts.
Whether their night was a success drinking with their friends or a feat of endurance watching the clock until the boss stops drowning them in shochu and forcing them to listen to rude jokes , the transition to the last train usually has people in a good mood.
Keep in mind that as groups splinter off heading to different train lines, you generally have only until the ticket gates to make a good impression before she enters the station. Within the first minute or two you want to communicate that:. While many of the Japanese nanpa-shi will offer short, rapid-fire invitations to girls with low probability of success, you can easily outperform them by adjusting your game to be a bit more human and less robotic and shady.
Walk up to her. Talk to her normally. Mention whatever it was you were just doing β eating with friends, drinking, etc. Invite her to join you. In Shibuya, Hachiko is the most famous meeting area.
