Japanese whisky & craft beer: a grown-up afternoon in Tokyo

First, the non-negotiables

Two rules before anything else. The legal drinking age in Japan is 20, with no exceptions, and you may be asked for ID. And you must never drive after drinking. Japan has a strict zero-tolerance drink-driving law, and the penalties are severe for the driver and even for passengers who let it happen. This is genuinely simple to obey in Tokyo: use the trains, the metro, or a taxi. On a family trip you almost certainly aren't driving in the city anyway, which makes an afternoon out completely stress-free.

This is also a recharge, not a big night. The nicest version is one or two thoughtful drinks, unhurried, then a clear-headed train back to meet your family.

Whisky bars for a slow hour

Japan makes some of the world's most admired whisky, and Tokyo's bars are the place to taste it properly. Bar High Five in Ginza is a refined, classic bartending room where you can ask for a recommendation and be looked after beautifully. Shot Bar Zoetrope in Nishi-Shinjuku is the specialist's choice, focused almost entirely on Japanese whisky with a wall of bottles you'll struggle to find elsewhere.

These are small, quiet counter bars. Go in the earlier afternoon for a calmer room, order one pour to start, and treat it as a tasting rather than a session. Both reward a bit of curiosity, so tell the bartender what you like and let them guide you.

Craft beer, the relaxed alternative

If spirits aren't your thing, Tokyo's craft-beer scene is excellent and generally more casual. Any of these makes an easy, welcoming afternoon.

Pick one near where you're based so the trip back to your family is short.

• Mikkeller Tokyo in Dogenzaka, an outpost of the well-known international brewery with a rotating tap list.
• Hitachino Brewing Lab at Kanda Manseibashi, the taproom of the brewery behind the famous owl-logo beers, in a lovely arch-side spot.
• Beer Club Popeye in Ryogoku, a Tokyo institution with a huge range of taps, and handy if you're pairing it with sumo or the museum nearby.

A note on the famous distilleries

People often ask about visiting the big-name distilleries. Worth being clear: Yamazaki and Hakushu are not in Tokyo. The Yamazaki Distillery sits between Kyoto and Osaka, and Hakushu is up in the mountains of Yamanashi. Both are day-trips well outside the city, usually require booking tours far in advance, and don't fit a half-day recharge from a Tokyo base.

For an afternoon off in Tokyo, a good bar gives you the same whiskies to taste without the travel. Save the distillery pilgrimage for a trip built around it.