Sunday night in Tokyo, when the weekend starts leaving
The fix for a Sunday night in Tokyo with nothing planned is to put one thing on it that belongs to you, not to Monday. Plenty is open and most of it is quieter than on Saturday. In Ebisu, dinner, a show and a last drink sit within walking distance of the station, with time to spare for the last train. Once a month, that one thing can be Pirates of Tokyo Bay at What the Dickens!: English and Japanese improv comedy. Unscripted, unpredictable. Come alone, and come with only one of the two languages.
Quick Facts
When: one Sunday a month, January to November (no December show). Doors 7:00pm, show 7:30pm. About 2 hours including a 15-minute break.
Where: What the Dickens!, a British pub on the 4th floor of Roob 6 Building, 1-13-3 Ebisunishi. A 3-minute walk from JR Ebisu Station West Exit, 1 stop from Shibuya on the Yamanote Line.
Price: ¥2,500 with your 1st drink free. Early-purchase pair ¥4,400 until one week before the show.
What it is: English and Japanese improv comedy, made up on the spot from audience suggestions. Nobody goes on stage unless they volunteer.
Food: full pub menu during the show. Indoors, rain or shine.
Why does Sunday evening feel so heavy?
Japanese has a name for it: Sazae-san syndrome, after the cartoon that airs on Sunday evenings and marks the moment the weekend becomes the night before work. English calls it the Sunday scaries. It is not a diagnosis. It is Monday arriving early and taking the last free hours.
If the feeling comes every week, costs you sleep, or does not lift on Monday, that is a conversation for a doctor, not a blog post. For the everyday version, the fix is small: stop using Sunday night as Monday's waiting room.
What helps: staying in, or going out?
Staying in works if Monday is moved out of the evening: pack and plan on Saturday, keep work email closed, and give the evening one thing that only happens then.
Going out works because few people do it. Tables are free, there is no queue at the bar, and you get a seat on the train home. A plan turns the eve of Monday back into Sunday night. Once a month is enough.
What is actually open in Tokyo on a Sunday night?
More closes early than on a Saturday, and what stays open is emptier: late cinema screenings, sento and sauna, bookshops and cafes with evening hours, izakaya chains, karaoke. None needs a reservation or company.
In Ebisu we can name what is open. Charcoal Grill and Robata Tent Ebisu opens at 4pm on Sundays, Tap & Tumbler pours until 11:30pm, iBrew Ebisu until 11pm, WE ARE THE FARM Ebisu until 10pm, and What the Dickens! stays open as a pub after the show. Hours change, so check before you leave. The Ebisu night itinerary puts dinner, show and last drink in walking order.
Where can one person go alone on a Sunday night?
Anywhere the room goes dark: cinemas, bathhouses, counter seats, live shows. Nobody checks whether you came with someone.
An improv show is the same. Solo audience members are a normal part of the room in Ebisu, you can shout a suggestion or not, and nobody is pulled on stage who did not volunteer. You do not need both languages, or either one perfectly. The usual hesitations are on the FAQ page.
Can I make the last train after a Sunday night in Ebisu?
Yes. The show starts at 7:30pm and runs about 2 hours including a 15-minute break. The JR Ebisu Station West Exit (Yamanote Line) is a 3-minute walk from the venue, and the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line exits are close by, which leaves time for a drink afterwards and the last train home.
Is Ebisu quieter on a Sunday night?
Yes, noticeably quieter than Saturday. Tables are easier to get and the station is calm. Some places close early or take Sunday off, so check the hours of anywhere specific before you go.
Once a month, an improv show is the Sunday plan
Pirates of Tokyo Bay performs one Sunday a month at What the Dickens! in Ebisu: doors at 7:00pm for food, the show from 7:30pm, about 2 hours built from what the audience shouts out, half in Japanese and half in English with wordless games in between. ¥2,500 with your 1st drink free. It is the only plan here available just eleven Sundays a year, which is why it is the easiest to commit to: the date is already chosen. Dates and tickets are on the shows page. For the wider picture of stand-up, improv and open mics, see our guide to the best live comedy in Tokyo.
Are the shows always on a Sunday?
Yes. One show a month, always on a Sunday evening, January to November. There is no show in December.
Show details
Next show: Halloween Improv Party, Sunday, October 25. Then Thanksgiving Comedy, Sunday, November 29
Venue: What the Dickens!, Ebisu. 4th floor of Roob 6 Building, 1-13-3 Ebisunishi. A 3-minute walk from JR Ebisu Station West Exit, 1 stop from Shibuya
Time: doors 7:00pm, show 7:30pm. About 2 hours including a 15-minute break
Price: ¥2,500 with your 1st drink free. Early-purchase pair ¥4,400 until one week before the show
Do not hand Sunday night to Monday. Once a month, hand it to a pub in Ebisu instead.