Tokyo's best African bars

How do you shake the holiday-induced lethargy of cloying Christmas music and candied fish from the osechi-ryori gift box? African foods and beats. Here are two African bars in Tokyo worth checking out.

Esogie is a great spot to dig the sounds of Nigerian funk legends like Fela Kuti over a few bottles of Star Lager or thickly concentrated Nigerian-brewed Guinness. Owner Lucky Isiwe has recreated a little slice of Lagos in Shinjuku San-Chome. Sea-shell chimes greet you upon arrival, and there's always something good cooking on the stove: deep-fried Akara bean cakes served with creamy cabbage coleslaw, fiery Jollof rice pilaf with chicken and peppers, chewy sweet and savory slices of fried plantain with a side of red beans.

Despite the tiny space, Esogie hosts live African music performances a few times a year. On some evenings, Lucky brings out his djembe drums to jam with customers before seeing everyone off with a warm handshake and a megawatt smile.

Esogie: Muraki Bldg 3F, Shinjuku 3-11-2, Shinjuku-ku, tel. 03 3353 3334

Further afield in Kichijoji, bar Africa Tairiku offers West African foods and holds concerts every month. The place is popular among African expats, who come as much for the music from Ghana, Senegal and Mali as for down-home dishes like spicy pepper soup and fish stew flavored with bitter crushed egusi seeds.

Inside, Africa Tairiku is a kitschy-cute riot of color. Leopard print fabrics cover the chairs, and African knickknacks poke out from every corner. The cheerful interior reflects the personality of the bar's affable Japanese mama-san "Fanta" Miho, who fell in love with Africa during the seven years she spent in Senegal. Clapping along to the bouncy rhythms of Makossa from Cameroon, in her sunny yellow Senegalese Bubu and headdress, Miho's keeping that love alive.

Africa Tairiku: Office One B103, Kichijoji-Minamicho 2-13-, Musashino-city, tel. 0422 49 7302, www.yashizake.com