{"id":28251,"date":"2019-11-06T15:00:27","date_gmt":"2019-11-06T15:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=28251"},"modified":"2023-05-31T01:52:42","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T01:52:42","slug":"navigating-the-delights-of-the-japanese-izakaya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/navigating-the-delights-of-the-japanese-izakaya\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating the delights of the Japanese izakaya"},"content":{"rendered":"

A trip to a Japanese izakaya<\/em><\/strong> is a must if you\u2019re visiting Japan and probably a regular part of your life if you move here. Even if you don\u2019t drink it\u2019s a great place to meet new people, share stories with old people and tuck into some tasty food whilst you relax. But what exactly is it?<\/p>\n

We gave you a brief overview in our article on Hanbey<\/a> but there\u2019s a lot more too it. The Japanese izakaya is the equivalent of a British pub or an American bar but of course, the Japanese do things their own way. It\u2019s unusual to just have a drink on its own in Japan and eating alongside drinking is definitely the smart way to go.<\/p>\n

At any given izakaya there\u2019ll be a range of drinks and a range of small cheap dishes that you can order as you go through the night.<\/p>\n

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Finding your way around the menu<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Izakayas have been part of Japanese culture for some time meaning there are a lot of traditional joints and more modern takes. Often one of the biggest differences will be the way the menu is presented. Older places will have everything listed on the walls, often on hanging wooden boards and the pricing will be in Japanese characters rather than roman numbers. More modern places will likely have printed picture menus and the most modern ones will have tablets<\/strong> on the table that you can order directly from without having to talk to anyone. If you want a more traditional experience then go to the older, smaller places but be sure to brush up on your menu reading skills otherwise you might end up with some odd dishes you didn\u2019t really want to try.<\/p>\n

That neatly brings us on the food at a Japanese izakaya. As we mentioned already, most of the dishes will be small, easily prepared dishes that can be eaten through the night. The Japanese are always keen to use all parts of the animal and this is more obvious at an izakaya. Yakitori<\/em> is one of the main dishes available and this can include grilled sticks of every part of the chicken from skin to heart to gristle so if you\u2019re not feeling too adventurous then do be careful. Here’s a handy list of yakitori<\/strong> to help you find your way around.<\/p>\n