Shinjuku, Tokyo
I had the preconception that the tachinomi type of bar, the standing bar, was to be found only in the shitamachi part of Tokyo or other towns. In other words, I thought that it was a working-class
venue for the salarymen and workers at the bottom of the social ladder, but I began to explore what I would call
more upscale tachinomis or standing bars, located in more affluent neighborhoods and targetting a more middle-class clientèle.
We're in Shinjuku again, and following the tip of John W., I visited this place with my friend T. who in spite of being a native Tokyoite is always happy to learn about an interesting bar to go to for a few glasses and plates.
Again, even if this standing bar is neater and more sophisticated than the ones in more simple neighborhoods, I notice that there is little coverage on them, they are the second fiddles for the restaurant/bar guides, maybe because the patrons there are mostly local salarymen and executives, because foreigners are shy of venturing inside. This story will try to correct that and show how you can have a beautiful time for not so much money in this supposedly expensive city.
This venue is located in a basement (B1) and this is the opportunity to remind that in Tokyo, many restaurants and bars are not on the street level, they're either on upper stories (F1, F2.... F5 or higher) or in the basements, and an unsuspecting westerner passes them without even imagining that they pass dozens of hidden venues when they walk along these streets and avenues. We're so much used in Paris for example to just walk around a given neighborhood to have an idea of the potential restaurants that we're left clueless in Tokyo if we follow the same routine.
Happy party
Before walking inside the bar, I stood maybe a minute outside in the basement hallway (picture on left), looking at the happy atmosphere inside and this woman here opened the wide glass window to tell me to come in with a big smile.
They were a party of friends or colleagues,
I don't know, and the woman was the engine of the evening, for sure. Actually while I was looking at the bar, I did not realize that it was full, but a few seconds later, 2 or 3 people came out and we could slip inside under the encouragement of the patrons. What I love in Japan is that people enjoy themselves openly in the bars or izakayas and that they'll try to socialize with you, even if the langage barrier limits the scope of these exchanges.
One thing we noticed was that there were a few women in this standing bar, which is not usual for the standing bars located in the shitamachi part of town. I think we counted 3 of them, which made a pretty high ratio on a total of 14 people.
The picture above was shot when we left, and this time all the group cheered.
Sake bottles at reach
This tachinomi is really small, I counted that we were 14 people in all, and no more could have found their space along the counter. The good idea of the owners is to have imagined this horseshoe counter so that they optimize the surface, and even in a basement, you can make wonders in Shinjuku if your bar is attractive.
This standing bar has higher quality of sake, but you still find lower-bracket nihonshu similar to the ones you find in the working-class-area bars, but the pours are also less generous (no overflowing masu). It's still very affordable compared to Paris where a glass of mediocre wine can easily cost 5 €. There's a table fee before you drink or eat anyrthing, but it's only 300 Y, quite low with other venues in this area where it can reach 500 Y or 600 Y. These table fees are called Otoshi in japanese and they usually incluse a small plate of appetizers.
Pouring the thing
I took a Junmai Ginjo Hooken, from the Hiroshima prefecture and T. took a Hanaabi from the Saitama prefecture. The Hiroshima was a drier type of sake compared to the latter, a bit less expressive and more mineral,
at least that's my way I felt it. I tasted the one from Saitama (pictured above if I'm right), and it was very onctuous and lightly sugary.
The glass was priced 500 Y, which was somewhere above 4 € but in a smaller conic glass. The cheapest sake was 350 Y a glass and there was beer at 400 Y
Otherwise there was a long list of small dishes on the wall, here are a few examples (500 Y = 3,8 € or 5 USD) :
Fermented cuttlefish tripes with fich flesh : 500 Y;
Tempura plate : 450 Y;
Potato salad : 500 Y;
Cheese with miso and fried tofu : 450 Y;
Fried marinated chicken with shiokoji and salt : 500 Y;
Minced fish : 650 Y;
Moto curry with sake kasu : 500 Y;
Grilled bacon marinated in sake kasu : 450 Y;
Pork rib cooked with sake kasu : 600 Y;
Whale bacon : 500 Y;
Minced grilled fish : 650 Y;
Cream cheese : 450 Y;
Beef cooked in sauce : 500 Y;
Creamcheese with urchins : 450 Y;
Vinegar seaweed : 400 Y;
Lightly-cooked oysters with tartar sauce : 650 Y;
Oysters in oil : 400 Y;
>br>Salmon & scallops marinated in shiokoji : 450 Y;
Scallops with sauteed vegetables with garlic : 600 Y... I think that we could have spent more in this bar...
Good vibes
I really liked this tachinomi, the atmosphere was very friendly and after a couple of glasses (even without overflowing masu) I felt the positive vibes of the bar scene of Tokyo. Taking pictures was not easy, beginning with the fact that you don't want to disturb the party and because the light is quite dim and contrasted at the same time. This story was a challenge in that regard but I think that I succeeded to render the atmosphere of this small standing bar. It was quite noisy at times with the group on the other side of the horse shoe, but their high spirits was contagious, and I would say hello to this woman from time to time...
What I love in these Tokyo evenings, it is the fact that you visit lots of places in a single evening, drinking and eating in each. The last place is usually a casual eatery like this one (I can't find their card but it's in Shinjuku) where we can have the solid food that was maybe in shortage in other venues, particularly because we couldn't afford piling up all these plates, however good these dishes were. Here, you just sit, have your miso soup, tea and udon bowl, the whole for a mere 700 Y or something like that
Woman warrior
Comments
I love this series on Tokyo, very interesting and excellent as usual!
Thank you, Andrew;
No need to say that this was all lots of fun and thrill to experience these places, Tokyoites are very lucky, you just stand there sipping good sake, melting into the ambiance and think, is this real ?
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I love this series on Tokyo, very interesting and excellent as usual!
Posted by: Andrew Krell | April 11, 2013 at 07:16 PM
Thank you, Andrew;
No need to say that this was all lots of fun and thrill to experience these places, Tokyoites are very lucky, you just stand there sipping good sake, melting into the ambiance and think, is this real ?
Posted by: Bert | April 11, 2013 at 10:22 PM