Private Venue Hire in Ginza: How to Book for 20-50 Guests
If you are looking for a private venue in Ginza for 20-50 guests, the first thing to settle is a single number: how many people can be seated. Chura Shabu-tei in Ginza 8-chome seats 45 and takes private venue hire from 20 to 50 guests. Fixing your group size and date before you start calling around looks like a detour, but it is the fastest route.
In Ginza, “private hire” covers three different things
The search for a party venue usually begins with the words “Ginza private hire”. The trouble is that the restaurants that come up do not all mean the same thing by it. Start making inquiries before you sort this out and every call talks past itself, while the organizer’s time drains away.
Full buyout of the whole restaurant
Your group has the restaurant to itself during opening hours. No other customers come in, so the opening toast, the boss’s long speech and any entertainment can all run without holding back. Most restaurants set a minimum headcount, and around 20 guests is the usual threshold.
Hire by floor or by area
At a restaurant with several floors, you take just one floor. Other customers are in the same building, so noise levels and people coming and going need a little consideration. Put another way, you can get close to a private-venue feel without a group large enough to fill the whole place.
“Private room hire” as listed on booking sites
A listing may say “private room hire” when all that has been reserved is a private room for 6. Inquire with a party of 25 in mind and the conversation naturally goes nowhere. Give your headcount first, and confirm which type of private hire is on offer. That one extra step alone narrows the shortlist sharply.
The starting point changes with group size
Even within private hire, 20 guests and 45 guests call for completely different checks. Sort the question by headcount and the kind of restaurant to contact settles itself.
| Guests | Realistic venue format | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| 2-6 | Fully private room with a door | Whether it really is partitioned by a door |
| 8-15 | A larger private room, or part of the floor reserved | Whether the group gets split up |
| 20-30 | Full restaurant buyout | Whether you meet the minimum headcount for a buyout |
| 31-45 | Full restaurant buyout (everyone seated) | The maximum number of seated guests |
| 46-50 | Private hire (by arrangement) | How guests beyond the seated limit are handled |
As the table shows, the options visibly thin out once you pass 30 guests. Ginza is prime real estate, so floor space per restaurant is limited and few places can seat 40 or more. Even while your numbers are still uncertain, it is safer to start searching against the upper figure.
A Ginza 8-chome address works in the organizer’s favor
One thing that gets overlooked when choosing a venue is how guests get home. Chura Shabu-tei is at Kawabata Building New Wing 3F, 8-5-21 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, a 5-minute walk from Shimbashi Station and a 7-minute walk from Ginza Station.
That means the JR crowd can head for Shimbashi and the subway crowd for Ginza, spreading out both the meeting point and the goodbyes. With more than 20 people, everyone walking to the same ticket gate clogs the route home. Simply having two usable stations reliably lightens the organizer’s load on the day.
Doors open at 17:00. That fits a plan where people leave the office on time and start at 18:00, and equally one where everyone gathers a little later at 19:00. Last order is 22:30 for food and 23:00 for drinks, with closing at 23:30. Even if you expect to move on to a second venue, you do not have to cut the first party short.
Five things to give when you call
Private hire cannot be settled through an availability search alone. It almost always comes down to a phone call. Leading with these five points makes it easy for the restaurant to answer on the spot and cuts down the back and forth.
- Date and day of the week: Chura Shabu-tei is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Saturdays are by reservation only and require contact at least 3 days in advance.
- Headcount range: it does not have to be final. Give a range, such as 22 at the least and 30 at the most.
- Start time and rough finish: parties running over 2 and a half hours are accommodated, so feel free to estimate on the long side.
- Budget per person: saying whether you want all-you-can-drink included moves things along faster.
- The nature of the event: an in-house welcome/farewell party, or an evening with clients invited. Both the seating and the running order change.
Give these five, then ask whether your party can be booked as a private hire. Do it the other way around and the restaurant has to ask for the conditions all over again every time, costing both sides time.
What a private hire at Chura Shabu-tei looks like
It is a specialist in shabu-shabu made with Okinawan brand pork and in Okinawan cooking, seating up to 45. Private hire is taken from 20 to 50 guests. Courses serve parties from 2 to 45.
| Course | Price (tax included) |
|---|---|
| Okinawan Appetizer Course | ¥6,600 |
| Okinawan Appetizer Course with 90-minute all-you-can-drink | ¥9,900 |
| Okinawan Appetizer Course with 150-minute all-you-can-drink | ¥11,000 |
| Three Selected Okinawan Pork Shabu-shabu Course | ¥9,350 |
| Three Selected Okinawan Pork Shabu-shabu Course with 90-minute all-you-can-drink | ¥12,650 |
| Three Selected Okinawan Pork Shabu-shabu Course with 150-minute all-you-can-drink | ¥13,750 |
You can also skip the all-you-can-drink option and order drinks individually. Orion Beer is served on draft, and the restaurant has completed the Orion Beer draft quality seminar. Awamori includes Zanpa, Kikunotsuyu VIP Gold and Ryukyu Ocho. Sake includes Hakkaisan, Urakasumi and Kikuhime. Whisky includes Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chivas Regal. Bottles can be kept at the restaurant, which suits groups that come back to the same place.
If the evening has a guest of honor, calling ahead lets you arrange a cake (at extra cost) or bring your own. VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMEX and Diners cards are accepted, so an organizer paying up front on expenses does not have to handle a pile of cash on the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum group size for private hire?
At Chura Shabu-tei, private hire covers 20 to 50 guests. Below 20 you can still ask about a fully private room with a door (2-6 guests) or about reserving table seats.
What happens if the headcount changes at the last minute?
This is what organizers dread most. Give a headcount range at the outset and the restaurant can prepare with the variation built in. As soon as a change looks likely, calling 03-3573-5529 early is the best move.
Can I book a private hire on a Saturday?
Saturdays are by reservation only. It may be possible if you call ahead, in which case contact is needed at least 3 days beforehand. Sundays and public holidays are closed.
How much should I budget?
The restaurant’s budget band is ¥10,000-14,999. Courses with all-you-can-drink run from ¥9,900 (tax included) to ¥13,750 (tax included), so the evening can be built in the low ¥10,000s.
Reservations and inquiries
To check whether private hire is possible and to settle the date, the phone is fastest. Chura Shabu-tei, 03-3573-5529 (open 17:00-23:30 / closed Sundays and public holidays, Saturdays by reservation only). Course and menu details are on the official site at https://churashabu.com/
