Only for young people: A bar in Tokyo only opens for people under 40 (symbolic image)Image: www.imago-images.de
While lower age limits are common for bars and clubs, upper age limits are a rarity. A restaurant in Tokyo now excludes older people.
02/01/2026, 09:0702/01/2026, 10:51
Melanie Rannow / t-online
An age limit instead of exuberant openness: A pub in the center of Tokyo no longer easily allows guests over 40 years old to enter. What the operators see as an adaptation to their young audience, many see as clear discrimination.
Pub introduces upper age limit
The trigger for the debate is the restaurant Tori Yaro Dogenzaka, a so-called izakaya (inexpensive Japanese pub) in Tokyo’s Shibuya district. At the beginning of 2026, according to the “Japan Today” portal, a conspicuous sign suddenly hung at the entrance: “Admission only for guests between 29 and 39 years old. This Izakaya is for younger generations. Pub only for under 40s.”
The pub is part of a larger chain, but only the location in Shibuya applies the age limit so far – but not quite as strictly. The sign lists several exceptions in small print:
- Guests over 39 are allowed in as long as at least one person in the group is younger.
- Friends and family members of employees or business partners are exempt.
In addition, the rule cannot be enforced legally. Older guests can therefore continue to insist on admission. According to “Japan Today,” the door staff checks whether guests are in “appropriate condition” and match the atmosphere. What exactly is meant by this remains unclear.
The restaurant’s operators defend their decision
The chain justifies the step with the desire for harmony in the restaurant. Toshihiro Nagano, Tori Yaro’s PR representative, told Japan Today that the clientele is predominantly young. Low prices, simple design and a loud, exuberant atmosphere were aimed precisely at this audience. “Older guests often complain that it is too loud,” says Nagano. The age limit is intended to ensure that everyone goes home happy.
According to the news portal “Euronews”, the reactions to this are mixed. On the Internet, some welcome the clear target groups and hope for fewer conflicts in everyday life. Others describe the rule as discriminatory and warn of exclusion – especially in a country whose population is aging rapidly. A frequently mentioned objection: There is a difference between physical and mental age. People over 40 could also fit into a lively environment.
South Korea doesn’t let older people in either
The concept of an upper age limit is not entirely new: “No Seniors Zones” (senior-free zones) have existed in South Korea for a long time. Especially in the Hongdae university district in Seoul, clubs and bars turn away guests over 30, sometimes even over 25. According to media reports, cafés and sports facilities also use such rules, usually with the argument of the “suitable atmosphere”.
Sources used:
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