As behooves a dynamic metropolis, Osaka knows its drink. And long before the advent of the Irish pub there was The Leach Bar. A 1960s homage to Japanese folk craft, The Leach eschews wainscot for brick and bamboo. In collaboration with craftsmen Kawai Kanjiro and Serizawa Keisuke, the famed British potter Bernard Leach created this interpretation of an English "cottage bar" in 1965.

The Leach Bar has never been renovated, and as such is a subtle contrast to the glitz of the Rihga Royal Hotel foyer. Similarly, there are no high-tech distractions, so a good sparring partner is mandatory. Guinness - by the half pint - is popular, but the cocktails are to die for. The Tanqueray Martini is the ninja of the menu - compact but lethal. You may want to skip dinner altogether after one of these, but if peckish try some tangle with spawn (seaweed and roe salad; Y2888), or tartar steak "Naniwa" style (Y5198).

The shuttle bus from Yodoyabashi Keihan Station (exit 4) or JR Osaka Station will take visitors as well as guests to the hotel in under ten minutes. On the double for a double!

Drinks for two from Y2000.

by Justin Ellis