A Guide to Bangkok’s Japanese District — Phrom Phong

For the next month, my girlfriend and I will be living in Phrom Pong, an area which has quickly become our favourite part of Bangkok. 

Sometimes known as Bangkok’s “Japan Town”, there are Japanese businesses everywhere — from restaurants and bars to hotels, barbers and beauty salons. (I think even the bar girls here cater mostly to Japanese clients.) 

Japanese or not, it’s also a great part of Bangkok for digital nomads to stay and work. 

Here is a list of all our favourite spots (Japanese or not) where we love spending time in Phrom Pong. 

Our hotel: LiveZen Bangkok 

I guess what landed us in this area was finding an authentic Japanese-style hotel on booking.com, featuring a tatami floor. 

Sometimes called Japanese-western rooms, they combine both styles — the tatami is only a part of the room, on a slightly elevated area, with the rest being a typical western hotel. 

The tatami won’t be to everyone's liking, especially if you are not used to sitting cross-legged on the floor, but we enjoy it as we have breakfast or tea at home. The rest of the day we are out and about.

We got the “nest” — their largest room; equipped with a kitchen (we prefer to cook sometimes) and a desk to have calls and meetings in comfort and privacy — co-working spaces with meeting rooms are hard to find.

The hotel also has a small co-working space, a shared kitchen (with free water — very important) and daily cleaning if you want it. 

Overall, we are very happy with LiveZen and will stay here the next time we are in Bangkok. 

Where to work around Phrom Pong

Almost daily, we go to the EmQuartier mall for lunch and to work through most of the day. 

It’s a really impressive mall featuring a “sky garden” area with lush tropical plants, waterfalls and rivers, located on the 7th floor with a view over Sukhumvit Road. Besides the mall itself, some of our favourite shops here are Uniqlo, Muji, and Kinokuniya.

TrueCoffee — EmQuartier level 3

A cafe with a pretty big co-working area with chargers. You can see students and professionals working here for very long periods of time, so you don’t need to feel guilty about being here too long. Just buy a Thai tea for 85 baht ($2.50) and get to work. There is also a balcony area if you prefer the outdoor air. 

Starbucks — EmQuartier level 5 

Dominating probably the best spot in EmQuartier — a lush garden balcony overlooking Sukhumvit — is a bog-standard Starbucks. 

I don’t understand how Starbucks manages to operate in Southeast Asia, with its overpriced and boring drinks, compared to the huge variety of milk tea and coffee available in Asia.

It is great for working though, with a lot of seating indoors and outdoors. People stay there for hours so you won’t be forced to leave. It’s a beautiful place and a must-visit at least once.

Restaurants around Phrom Pong

KamakiriUdon  -  Fukuoka udon & oden

This one is right under the LiveZen hotel, and offers a 15% discount for guests. It’s an authentic Japanese-owned and operated restaurant, a branch of the same restaurant in Fukuoka, Japan. The vibe is very authentic with the staff calling out orders and greetings, and the open kitchen typical of Japanese restaurants. 

Okinawa Kinjo - authentic okinawan food & vibe

A relaxed restaurant specializing in Okinawan food, especially soba soups with delicious fatty slices of pork. The first floor has regular chairs and the second floor has Japanese tatami chairs. Remember you have to take your shoes off. 

Hirashima Sakaba  - delicious izakaya food

If you’re looking for a classic Japanese ‘izakaya’ (restaurant/pub) where you can relax with some delicious ramen and a beer, then skip the huge Ebisu Shoten on Sukhumvit, and instead come to this little spot. The food is better, and it’s a bit quieter and more relaxed. 

Gyms around Phrom Phong

The hotel gym is enough if you just want to jog on the treadmill or use light dumbbells, but for some serious lifting, you need a real gym. 

Virgin Active EmQuartier

This is a huge luxury gym on the top floor of EmQuartier. Besides the usual machines, it features an entire indoor rock-climbing wall, a pool and sauna, and even sleeping pods. 

Iron Hive

Technically not in Phrom Phong but I’m including it because this is where we train. It’s an internationally known gym specializing in the sports of Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting. With excellent coaches that have competed in both these sports. In fact the powerlifting coach - Opor - is the 2024 66kg IPF world champion.  

There is also a sister gym nearby called Thonglor Crossfit, owned by the same people but focused on Crossfit, whereas Iron Hive is mainly about Olympic Weightlifting. 

Elite Fight Club

A great option if you’re into Muay Thai or BJJ and you want access to a weights gym also. Elite Fight Club offers the complete package. It’s not the cheapest gym around, but one of the most modern and clean out of Muay Thai gyms, while also having a fully equipped western weights/bodybuidling gym.

Other benefits of Phrom Phong 

Samitivej Hospital

One of Thailand’s well-known premium hospitals (besides Bumrungrad). Samitivej is about 20 minutes walk from Phrom Phong station, or 5 to 20 minutes by Taxi/Grab (depending on traffic).

Gourmet Market at EmQuartier or Emsphere

If you cook at home or want to buy some snacks, Gourmet Market is probably the best supermarket chain you can visit in Thailand. It has a huge variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, and snacks you would only find in Thailand and Japan. (Again, I’m seriously shocked by the huge Japanese influence in Thailand.)

Benchasiri park

While not as large as the more well-known Benchakitti or Lumphini parks, Benchasiri is still a nice oasis in the heart of the city. Very popular amongst runners, and a nice place where you can just relax and get away from the noise of the city, and when you are sick of spending time in the malls. 

BIDC Dental

One of the most well-known premium dental clinics in Bangkok that caters mostly to foreigners (and wealthy Thais). If you’re planning to get a lot of dental work done while in Thailand, it makes sense to stay within walking distance of BIDC. 

Know any other cool places around Phrom Phong? Leave a comment below to let others know.

If you have any questions, shoot us a message on Instagram.

See you next time!