By evening the light goes off the water along the Akashi coast, the sand cools, and the seaside shops that line the beach in summer close up for the night. Most visitors who stay out late drift back towards the area around JR Akashi Station, where the streets south of the station carry the city's drinking trade.
Akashi's nightlife is modest and local rather than a destination in itself. It suits travellers who are already in the city, who want a quiet drink and a conversation rather than a long crawl between venues, and who are content to let one bar carry the evening. If you are looking for a dense cluster of clubs, this is not the place for it.
Where to go out in Akashi
1. The hostess bar district near the station
The streets south of JR Akashi Station, on the way towards the ferry terminal, hold a comparatively large hostess bar district. It is a working night-time quarter rather than a tourist strip, and the venues in it are aimed at their own regular trade.
It suits a visitor who wants a drink in a residential-feeling part of town and does not mind that the surrounding businesses are not meant for them. If you are heading there, note that the district is the setting for the one bar the sources describe in detail, so it is the practical place to start an evening.
2. Murphy's Irish Bar
Murphy's Irish Bar sits on the ground floor of a white tiled building in the Summit City Building, in Aioi-Cho. It is described as a comfortable, cosy bar with Guinness on tap, sofas that fill up quickly, and a manager, Rodem, who knows a great deal about Scotch and other whiskey. The owner, David, is from Ireland, and the decorations are said to change and grow over time.
It suits a night built around one long sitting: a drink, a chat, and watching the evening pass. To find it from JR Akashi Station, head south across Highway 2 past the Mitsui Sumitomo Bank towards the ferry terminal, take the last left before the next set of lights, and head east towards the orange signs roughly 400 m in the distance. The source gives the phone number as +81 78-9145911 and the hours as 20:00 to 03:00.
3. The beach in summer
Beached areas are dotted along the Akashi coast, and in the summer months seaside shops open along the sand. The scene is more relaxed than at Suma Beach, with no waves, which makes it easy for children and for simply sitting still. The sand is coarse and the water is a little dirty, so treat it as a place to cool off rather than a swimming destination.
It suits an early, low-key part of an evening in the warmer months, particularly for families. Fireworks are banned on the beach.
How a night out unfolds
The sources do not describe when people in Akashi eat or how late the city runs as a whole. The one concrete timing they give is for Murphy's Irish Bar, which opens at 20:00 and closes at 03:00, so an evening there starts late and can run very late. Plan around that rather than around any earlier dinner hour, and expect the beach side of the city to be a daytime and early-evening affair in summer only.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Sports Day — October
- Culture Day — November
- 7-5-3 Day — November
- Labor Thanksgiving Day — November
- Christmas — December
- December 31 Bank Holiday — December
- New Year's Day — January
- January 2 Bank Holiday — January
- January 3 Bank Holiday — January
- Coming of Age Day — January
- Setsubun — February
- National Foundation Day — February
Frequently asked questions
Where should I go for a drink near Akashi Station?
Head south from JR Akashi Station across Highway 2, past the Mitsui Sumitomo Bank, towards the ferry terminal. The hostess bar district lies in that direction, and Murphy's Irish Bar is in it, on the ground floor of the Summit City Building in Aioi-Cho.
What are the opening hours at Murphy's Irish Bar?
The source gives the hours as 20:00 to 03:00. It also gives the phone number as +81 78-9145911.
Can I drink on the beach in Akashi?
The sources do not say. They do state that fireworks are banned on the beach, and that seaside shops open along the sand in the summer months.
Is Akashi's nightlife good for families?
The beach is the family-friendly part of an evening here: no waves, a relaxed atmosphere, and seaside shops in summer. The bar district south of the station is aimed at adult drinkers.
Decide whether your evening is a beach one or a bar one, check the hours before you set out, and plan the walk from the station so you are not searching for the turning after dark.