The magic of Tachinomi

What is Izakaya… The closest Western equivalent to a traditional izakaya experience may be that of going to a British pub. In the North America, the equivalent would be a neighborhood pub, but instead of wings and nachos, choices yakitori (skewed BBQ chicken), oden (Japanese hotpot), tempura, along with many other Japanese ala carte. Food is something that average Japanese will not drink without and chips and peanuts just won't do.

The izakaya is the Japanese answer to this drinking and eating activity and, just like anywhere, there's a pub for all tastes. From mom and pap style, chain izakaya, trendy up scale izakaya, to small dirty izakaya in the backstreets in the business districts. But in all of them, the first thing you'll hear is an enthusiastic " irrashaimase!" (welcome) from the staff.

Despite some differences among izakaya of different style, one thing that all izakaya share is the multi-facet food menu. You can expect to find anything of traditional Japanese food, from sashimi, tempura and oden, various deep-fried meet, grilled fish, skewered foods and of course, edamame. You will also find food that you have probably never heard of like sunakimo (chicken gizzards), natto (fermented soy beans), ikanuta (squid stuffing), that have been enjoyed by Japanese as drinking food. But don’t be afraid to go in and try. With any luck your helplessness with the menu will bring out the okami-san (the lady owner of the store) and she'll look after you from there. You will also get a sense of having experienced a little Japanese hospitality too.

A common format for izakaya dining in Japan is known as nomihodai/tabehodai (drink all you can, eat all you can). This is more popular in larger izakaya, especially those which are part of a chain. Since a typical Japanese cannot hold too much alcohol, izakaya can still find profit from nomihodai of 2 or 3 hours.
In more traditional, smaller izakaya the dishes and drinks will be priced individually, generally around 300 to 600 yen, with the bill being added up and paid at the end or at times takes form of “pay as you order.”

Izakaya serve a mixed crowd of youngsters, college students, regular locals, and professionals in their 30s to 60s. But traditionally, an izakaya is a place between home and office, where a 'salaryman' can loosen his tie and his tongue escaping from harsh and rigid business world. Now more and more women and students are entering the scene, giving Izakaya more cosmopolitan feeling.

Another trend in Izakaya these days is the emerging popularity of Tachinomi, or standing bar. Tachinomi has long been a part of salaryman culture yet it is only recent it has become trendy and sometimes even fashionable. The casulaity and the easiness of getting a drink and some food has gained much popularity among the younger generation, resulting in birth of trendy Tachinomiya like Buchi (in Shibuya) or Buri (in Ebisu) But the custom of drinking while standing is now no longer limited to disgruntled businessmen. More and more trendy bars and restaurants have been setting up their own standing counters, which have proven particularly popular among young women.

At a typical Tachinomiya, you will see the customers packed shoulder to shoulder along a long, narrow counter after work hours to even 4am. A big attraction here is the prices of the food and drinks. Typically a small bottle of Japanese sake, a mug of beer, and a glass of shochu (distilled spirits) are priced somewhere below ¥500. A daily selection of appetizers is priced anywhere from ¥200 to ¥600 per dish. So for just around ¥1,000 or ¥2,000 a customer can have two or three drinks and some food on the way home from work.

The trend of Tachinomiya has even caught on in some of Tokyo's most upscale districts, such as Ginza, Nishi-Azabu, and Marunouchi, where drinking is traditionally a formal and expensive affair. Other cousins are also involved in the trend; Spanish, Italian restaurants and Latin music bars are also part of the stand-and-drink trend. Asked why so many tachinomi counters have sprung up recently, a bar owner says, "The prices are attractive, so it's not a financial burden for salarymen or young people who may have limited pocket money to spend on going out."

What was once the territory of tired salarymen, a respite from the stresses of the working day has now opened itself to young women and others and became a popular hangout spot for many, and this will likely ensure that the tachinomi revival is more than just a passing fad.

A Real Japanese Pub in Shibuya

Vibrant, lively, fun, faddish, crowded, cramped, and busy...the streetwise love it! Shibuya is another shopping and entertainment district situated in the west of Tokyo. Since the emergency of "kogal culture" in the the 1990's, Shibuya, especially center streets and countless department stores, is filled with youngsters. But, here in the Pub Fujiya, you will find good old Shibuya.

Now, if you are up for real Tokyo Shitamachi style bar, and you can forget about all the grossy push attractiveness and stand by salarymen drinking, eating, and communication with Japanese, this is the right place for a visit.

Descending the stairs that leads to the underground floor, you will see the crowd of salary men standing by the counter that surrounds the kitchen. The peices of paper pinned to the wall all around the store are the menu. The menu is large and there is no English translation so it would be wise to bring your Japanse language book to make some order. The menu consists mostly of special of the day, from sashimi, salad, stewed fish to tempura. As for alcohol, they have the usual suspects: beer, sake, shochu, and chu-hai (the shochu cocktails).

When I went with my friend, we ordered a large bottle of sapporo beer (shockingly cheap 450yen), mixed vegetable tempura (200yen), tuna sashimi (350yen), boiled tofu (200yen), fried pork (2ooyen) and walked out satisfied with only 1400yen bill! The food was all freshly cooked in the open kitchen, the portion was impressively big, and the service is very good. No wonder it's the hot spot for afterwork salarymen. It's cheap, tasty, and a lot of fun.

Address: Shibuya Sakuraokacho 2-3 B1F

Tel: 03-3461-2128

Everyday is a fiesta in One Coin Girl's Bar in Shibuya

Maffick One coin Girl's Bar opened in the east of Shibuya station in June, 2006. The interior is decorated gorgeously with red, black and gold as base color with big projector and chandelier (Japanese eternal fascination with chandelier also shows in here) and its theme is fiesta! Despited its fanciness, the bar is a one coin bar, which means that the drinks and food are worth one coin of 500yen coin. While the name is little deceiving since there are, in fact, some drinks and food that are actually priced 1000yen, most of the food and drinks are priced 500yen.
The 500yen food menu consists of standard drinking food: fried chicken, fried caramari, baked potato, steamed clams, ... they would keep your thirst for 500yen cocktails, wine, beer, and schofu for sure.

It's a perfect place to stop by for few drinks and snack to take a break from the busy streets of Shibuya.

Location: Shibuya-ku, Shibuya 2-9-8 Matrix One bldg B1

Casual Spanish Bar in Omotesando

Omotesando is the Champs-Elysee of Tokyo. It has opened the largest Louis Vuitton shop in Japan in 2003, and queues are frequent. It is one of the rare avenue of the Japanese capital to be planted with trees all its length. Since the Omotesando Hills, an upscale shopping mall, opened this year, Omotesando has become more popular than ever.



Located just off the main street of Omotensando, Bar De Itchoh,
which literally means a pint in athe bar, is surprisingly reasonably priced restaurante bar which is crowded with young attractive crowd of Omotesando. This stylish restaurant bar combines a standing bar(the patio outside), a restaurant (counter around the kitchen), and a sports bar (it's equipped with plasma tv in the back).

Draft Beer (390yen), house wine (500yen), and Cocktails (600yen+), the bar offers very reasonably priced drinks for Omotesando neighborhood. With wines that have traveled from places as far as South Africa, Spain, France, California and Italy, Bar De Itchoh's goal is to take the snobbery out of sipping wine. Patrons have the choice of ordering by glass, bottle or flight. Or, if you're in the mood for something a little more hip, try one of the bar's martini. French, Italian, and Spanish dishes dominate the menu. Quiche, Ibelico pork prosciutto, cappage and anchovy pasta, home made liver pate, pork chop,... priced under 1000yen.


Location: Minatoku, Minami Aoyama 5-9-3 1F

Inexpensive Fun in The Fancy Ginza

Ginza is the most exclusive and expensive shopping area in Japan. It is also known for having the most expensive real estate on earth!!The streets are lined with neon signs, department stores, boutiques, bars and restaurants. And most famous (notorious?) of all is the very high-end Ginza hostess clubs in which no-one escapes without paying handsomely (300,000yen+ in an evening minimum).

However, that's not all there is to Ginza. You can have great fun in Ginza bar/club, with just paying 300yen, not 300,000yen! Take a visit to this fun stylish standing bar, 300yen bar in Ginza. The 300yen Ginza Bar, as its name suggests, has a food and drink menu that are all priced 300yen. From beer, gin tonic, cosmopolitan, wine, tequila sunrise, margarita to shochu, everything is priced 300yen. They have an impressive cocktail menu which is so large that I could never choose what I should drink. On top of that, they even have their original cocktails and special of the week written on the board above the bar! But don't worry, the friendly bartenders are willing to recommend you a good cocktail based on your needs and preference. Each cocktails are neatly made and you can enjoy the sound of cocktail shakers shaking. (Pretty impressive for just 300yen drink, don't you think?) And when you are hungry, they have small finger food such as mini pizza, chicken nuggets and edamame.

Located just 5 minuites from the Ginza's shopping streets and 5minuites from the business sector of Shinbashi and Uchisaiwaicho, this bar attracts many young professionals as well as Ginza shoppers and even at times, some hostesses and hosts on the way to their work. With the cheap drink and gaijin freindly atmosphere, the bar attracts many gaijin as well. It’s the perfect meeting place for post-work or late-night drinks. It has just been renovated and looks fancier than ever. On Friday nights, they even have DJs in the bar for some Friday night dancing.

Location: Chuo-ku, Ginza 8-3-12 Daini Ginza Colum Bldg B1
Website: http://www.300bar-8chome.com/
Recommendation: Taste the cocktails that you have not tried yet in your life

Combine Books, Food, Good drinks in Nakameguro

In a city where it doesn't seem possible to be hip and laid back at the same time, a neighborhood called Nakameguro has managed to be exactly that, quietly, and hidden away from trend loving crowds. Spend some time in the quiet river side walk in Nakameguro and you’ll get the vibe of this new funky, alternative neighborhood of Nakameguro. From cutting-edge cafés and bars, an apartment, office and retail complex, the streets of "Nakameguro" are turning this shitamachi into Tokyo's most stylish neighborhood.

Combine, a book and cafe bar, stands by the Meguro river providing a cozy place where its customers can relax and enjoy the food, drink, music,books, conversation and a view of the Meguro river. Combine is a small, comfortable place; very casual. The decor is designed to let you unwind: soft lighting, lounge tunes like air and beck in the background and big couches and benches. The menu is in a little blue notebook, and a big collection alcohol in the bar. I must say I was truly impressed by the truly chilled out atmosphere in this place, as well as the generous portion of drinks at very reasonable price. The cocktails are priced from 600yen ~ 800yen, delicious deserts are 450yen, and an impressive choices of otsumami priced around 600 yen.

Combine is a rebirth of a used book shop Ballad-do that used to be located in Takaido. Combine opened in May 2005, as a book and cafe bar where customers can read their book collection, purchase the books, or bring in some books in exchange for alcohol. Combine will soon host DJs, small live music sessions, photo exhibition, CD release,.... etc.

Location: Meguroku, Nakameguro 1-10-23-103
Recommendation: Grab a book+ kalua milk (700yen) + Banana Cake (450 yen)