Izakaya

The Japanese pub or Izakaya (Japanese居酒屋) is the most popular restaurant business in Japan.

The name is composed of i (to sit) and Sakaya (sake shop ), and thus means " sake shop to sit ."

Izakayas always have a chef and offer a choice of meals or even an extensive menu because Japanese usually always at least a little something (so-called Tsumami ) eat when they drink alcohol. Often there is such a small thing as a service called o- toshi (お通し), usually anticipates, after one has sat down at a table. In some Japanese pubs, there is even frowned when guests just drink and there is a minimum consumption of food.

Probably for this reason one can not be in Japanese pubs, but always sits (as opposed to Yatai ). The square is one assigned by the operator. One can as a small group or in smaller bars either sit at the bar, as in the West at tables of normal height on chairs or on traditional seat cushions on tatami mats at low tables. In many bars you have to take your shoes off, put in special compartments and provided by the pub slippers or walk around barefoot.

These ordinary Izakayas there are in Japan for centuries. Up to the 1970s, but it was mainly to smaller establishments, sometimes only on living room size on the ground floor of the operator, often alone operated by the cook and frequented almost exclusively by male business people after work.

Sunakku

Furthermore, there is another kind of izakaya -style establishment, Sunakku (スナック, of Engl. Snack ) called, which are today almost exclusively operated by female employees and a boss who is called by the guests " Mama". Almost always find here also has karaoke facilities with which to sing older and / or wealthy Japanese Karaoke, be it Japanese pop (also called Enka ) or older and modern pop music. The Sunakku is (水 商 売, dt " water trade " ) that detects all of hostess bars to prostitution the link between the usual in Germany restaurant business and the Japanese Mizu Shobai.

Chain

That changed in the 1980s abruptly when large chains like Tsubohachi or Shirokiya began to open large pubs, all of which are equipped with identical menus and offer much more space, especially for large groups throughout Japan ( 20 - 40 people). These large pubs now have space for the Japanese parties where normally always a whole department or an entire company Sportkreis a university celebrates concluded with several dozen members. With these major pubs and women began to go into Japanese-style pubs.

Today there are dozens of pubs chains, often with several hundred stores across the country, but unlikely to stand out from each other. The small traditional pubs responded by closed hours or daily basis rent their pubs to party groups.

Western bars

Japanese pubs are different from the western pubs, which is also available in the larger cities. Above all, the Anglo- Irish Pub has prevailed. However, it affects also the traditional pubs system: In pubs there is also a large menu, its own kitchen and you usually get from the waiter assigned to a table ( "may" but are also available ). Who really wants to just drink, goes to Japan, however, in a posh -looking shot bar.

Source

The article is based in part on the translation of the Japanese article.

• Food and Beverages ( Japan)
• Type of hospitality and catering operation