Izakaya is a place for leisure drinking. Some people associate it with "bar". In izakaya, you can not only drink, but also taste all kinds of Japanese snacks, so it is more like a Spanish snack bar.

Izakaya is one of the most common types of Japanese restaurants, and it is a good place for friends or colleagues to get together for a drink or relax after work.

There are also many tourists who choose to dine in izakaya. It's easy to find all kinds of izakaya near railway stations and entertainment areas, and they can experience Japanese local culture well while having a full stomach.

Izakaya is always very lively, and the voices of chatting, singing and dancing are endless, so if you want to have a quiet meal or have a romantic date, this may not be the place for you.

There are usually two options for seat design in izakaya: Western style and Japanese style. Some izakaya also have semi-private rooms or private rooms.

Traditional izakaya usually only provides Japanese menus with words, which is a great challenge for people who don't know Japanese (maybe you can understand some of them).

Nowadays, there are many modern izakaya, especially chain restaurants. The menus are usually equipped with colorful patterns, which are easy for people who don't know Japanese to understand. Izakaya, frequented by some foreign tourists, also offers English menus. There are also some older izakaya who can order food through tablet computers.

Smoking has always been allowed in almost all Japanese bars and izakaya, but in April 2020, a new regulation was introduced, and almost all bars and izakaya only allowed smoking in designated smoking areas (although this regulation may be difficult to implement, because the delineation of smoking areas and non-smoking areas in many restaurants is not so strict). So, if you don't smoke and hate the smell of smoke, you can consult before you go to izakaya.

Some izakaya will stipulate the length of stay. For example, if there are many guests on weekends, they will ask to stay for up to two hours.

Food in izakaya tends to be small and not too complicated.

You can find chicken skewers and other strung foods, as well as fish, fried chicken, edamame, pickles and some casual western snacks, such as French fries, potato salad and pizza.

Compared with sushi and Lamian Noodles (which are not common in some smaller izakaya), other Japanese classics can also be found in large izakaya.

Of course, izakaya is mainly a place for drinking, so there are all kinds of local alcoholic beverages, and sometimes there are some imported alcoholic beverages.

Common ones are beer, sake, shochu, whisky and wine. Other popular mixed drinks include whisky soda (called highball in Japan) and shochu and soda with a certain fruit flavor.

Many izakaya drink in unlimited quantities at night. Drink whatever you want for a certain period of time (usually 1-2 hours). If you don't drink, you can also choose soft drinks such as tea and juice.

shoe cabinet

In some izakaya, diners need to take off their shoes at the entrance or at the table. If there is a shoe cabinet at the entrance, please take off your shoes and put them in the shoe cabinet, and then take away the wooden "key" of this storage slot. If you take off your shoes at the dining table, you usually need to put them under the crossbar near the seat or in the nearby shoe cabinet.

To be seated/seated

When seated, the waiter will provide a wet towel and an appetizer named "Otoshi", which is included in the seat fee, and each person will pay several hundred yen.

Next, the waiter will ask you if you want to order. You can order some wine, such as beer, before ordering.

Call bell.

Some izakaya desks have call bells. When you need service, you can ring the bell. However, some more traditional izakaya do not have a call bell.

order dishes

You don't need to order it all at once, but you can generally order it in batches.

Usually, food is cooked at will, and some foods will be slower.

There are no rules for ordering food, but traditionally, many diners end up ordering rice or noodles.

Toilet?

Toilets in izakaya are usually labeled with the words "toilet room", "washroom" or "washroom". There is usually a pair of toilet slippers in the bathroom. These slippers are only used in the bathroom and are not allowed to be worn off.

pay up

Izakaya usually leaves a bill or some kind of token on the table. Finally, you can pay at the cashier at the exit with the bill or token.

In some traditional or small izakaya, you can say "accounting, willing, willing, okaikei shimasu" to the waiter, which means "it's time to settle the bill" or mark it with your index finger, and ask the waiter to settle the bill for you.

It should be noted that izakaya, like many Japanese restaurants, does not need to pay tips or service fees, but only the food, drinks and seats, and the fees are charged per head.

Izakaya is spread all over Japan, such as main railway stations, entertainment areas, shopping areas, dining floors of department stores, etc. Many izakaya are only open at night.

The following are the most popular places in izakaya:

Shinjuku Tokyo

Speaking of Shinjuku, of course, I have to mention kabukicho. Kabukicho naturally has many restaurants and izakaya.

It's best to choose a well-known large-scale izakaya and avoid going where you shouldn't.

Yurakucho, Tokyo

There is a lively dining area under the viaduct near Youle Town Station, where there are izakaya, roast chicken skewers and bars. When eating, you can still hear the sound of the train running fast overhead.

Asakusa Tokyo

There is a street 70-80 meters long in the west of Sensoji Temple, where there is a nostalgic izakaya. This izakaya restaurant has very popular stewed beef tendon soup and other delicacies.

Osaka every day

There are many restaurants and izakaya in Meitian, especially the newly developed dining area to the north of JR Osaka Station and the old area to the south of Beixindi.

Osaka nambo

Nanpu is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Osaka. Besides many places for entertainment and shopping, it is also a famous food paradise. Of course, there are all kinds of izakaya, especially Dotonbori.

Hirono Sapporo

Boye is the largest entertainment area in the north of Tokyo. There are many izakaya, Lamian Noodles and restaurants for tourists to choose from.

The above is some knowledge of izakaya, I hope it will help you ~