For a first night in Golden Gai, choose one bar that clearly accepts new visitors, confirm its cover and drink prices, and stay long enough to enjoy it. You can move on later. You do not need to turn a district of very small counters into a checklist of ten stops.
The local merchants' association recommends small groups and explains that some bars require an introduction. This is a collection of independent businesses, not one venue with a common admission policy.
Look for an invitation you can actually understand
An English menu, a first-timers-welcome sign or a clear price board makes the first conversation easier. Shinjuku's visitor guide confirms that the area includes both regulars-only bars and places welcoming first-time overseas guests.
If a place is members-only, choose another. 一見さんお断り means first-time visitors are not accepted without the required introduction; it is not an invitation to negotiate your way in. If the door gives you no usable information, ask whether there is space and whether first-time visitors are welcome before sitting down.
初めてですが、入れますか？ — “It's our first time. Can we come in?”
Tell the bartender how many people are with you. Four empty-looking stools are not proof that a party of four can take over the room; someone may be expected back, or the bar may have a group policy.
Decide how much moving around is worth
The association describes cover or otoshi charges of roughly ¥500–¥1,500 at many bars, separate from drinks. Individual prices must still be checked at the door. “No cover” also does not tell you the price of the drink.
Here is an illustrative budget, not a venue quote. At ¥700 per drink and a ¥1,000 cover, three drinks in one bar cost ¥3,100. One drink in each of three bars with those same prices costs ¥5,100. You spend ¥2,000 more on changing seats.
That can be worth it if you want three different rooms. If you would rather talk to the bartender and the person next to you, settling in may be the better use of your budget. Read the otoshi guide if the opening snack and cover seem like duplicate charges.
Keep the group small and the camera down
The association's suggested group size is two or three. Going alone also leaves you free to choose a room around its music, drinks or conversation rather than solving a seating problem for everyone.
Photography requires more care than “don't photograph strangers.” The Shinjuku Sanko association's Japanese notice says its area consists of private roads and requires permission for photography of the area. It treats the inside of individual bars separately. Read the posted notices; ask the association about street filming and the bartender about interior photographs. Buying a drink does not grant permission to film the lane or its customers.
This matters especially if you came with a camera to produce a travel video. Put the shoot in order before your night out, rather than trying to resolve permissions with a bartender serving a full counter.
Give yourself a simple first stop
Choose a bar you can understand, ask the total for the number of people and drinks you want, then order. If it is full or does not accept new visitors, move on without treating the refusal as a verdict on the whole district.
For the walk through the surrounding area, keep the Kabukicho street-tout advice in mind. Select your bar yourself and check the return journey before another round.