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Dec 21 2018 24 Comments

An octogenarian in her grubby little Tokyo bar

For the last 40 years, the 82-year-old owner of this little Tokyo bar has stood behind the counter cooking cheap food and serving similarly inexpensive drinks. Yet despite those 4 decades of operation, no other westerners had ever walked through the door. Similarly absent during that time period has been any serious attempt at cleaning โ€” the incredible amounts of dust and grime everywhere making each and every surface a source of both fascination, and trepidation.

Elements that, when combined with the establishmentโ€™s regular customers, lifted the evening from the fun, to the truly unforgettable.

an old and grubby little Tokyo bar

Categorized: Food and Drink, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda Lombardi says

    12/21/2018 at 9:24 am

    To be fair, the counter you actually eat off of looks pretty clean. And the calendar ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/21/2018 at 7:46 pm

      Yes, it was, although not so much the things on it…

      Reply
  2. Harry says

    12/21/2018 at 1:02 pm

    Wow, what an awesome find. I love how it could be any time, no smartphones or TVs. I do so envy your visits to bars like this! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/21/2018 at 7:48 pm

      It really was. Incredible to walk in and see what was on the other side of the door. And yeah, presumably very little has changed since the day it opened.

      Reply
  3. YTSL says

    12/21/2018 at 3:16 pm

    I hope you had at least a beer there! ๐Ÿ˜€

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/21/2018 at 7:51 pm

      We did. Several big bottles each. That was good of course, as was the yakitori. That seemed like the safe option!

      Reply
  4. GenjiG says

    12/21/2018 at 6:17 pm

    That ‘mirror’ ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/21/2018 at 7:53 pm

      I know eh? So much of the place produced such reactions. My favourite, I think, is the attempt at cleaning to the left of the calendar. She clearly started with good intentions, but very quickly gave up!

      Reply
      • GenjiG says

        12/21/2018 at 9:40 pm

        Or she just thinks ‘I still have plenty of time to clean the rest’ ๐Ÿ˜‰

        Reply
        • Lee says

          12/21/2018 at 10:09 pm

          Haha, good point. This being Japan, she very likely has. Lots of time too!

          Reply
  5. cdilla says

    12/21/2018 at 6:18 pm

    What an incredible find. Reminds me of the good old days in the UK when the comfortable pubs had nicotine hued wallpapers, floors so dark you couldn’t tell if they were wooden, carpet or stone, and lighting dim enough to require you to navigate by touch.
    This proprietress has a kind of Russian look to her, and her clients look very friendly.
    It looks, from the colour of that bottle, that it’s been a while since the bar saw any “Suntory Time” https://youtu.be/FiQnH450hPM though they all look plenty relaxed without it ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/21/2018 at 8:00 pm

      Yeah, it really was. Ticked all the hoped for boxes and then some. Couldn’t have asked for any more really. Lucky these kinds of places still exist in Tokyo, cos as you mentioned, they’ve disappeared in many other towns and cities.

      Everyone was very friendly. They were surprised when we walked in of course, but we were immediately made to feel very welcome indeed.

      That Suntory bottle is unbelievable, isn’t it? Heaven knows how long ago it was emptied…

      Reply
  6. Olivier says

    12/21/2018 at 6:58 pm

    These are really nice snapshots of life.

    I wish I could visit this bar…

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/21/2018 at 8:03 pm

      Thanks. Very happy to have had the chance to take a few photos in there. A genuinely special place.

      I imagine it’ll still be open for a few more years at least, so there’s always a chance.

      Reply
      • Alex Syriopoulos says

        12/21/2018 at 9:55 pm

        What’s the name and address of this place?

        Reply
        • Lee says

          12/21/2018 at 10:17 pm

          No idea what the name is to be honest. Not even sure there was anything other than a yakitori lantern outside. But either way, sorry to say it’s not something I’d want to give out here. We were made to feel very welcome, but as a tiny place frequented by the same locals each and every night, I wouldn’t want to risk changing what has sustained it for the last 40 years.

          Reply
  7. john says

    12/22/2018 at 12:10 am

    In the first picture it looks like the lady at the back is doing ‘air karaoke’. Leans back to far – ‘I did it my waaaay’, but that would be lost in translation.
    Unforgettable for all, with it being the first multicultural night!
    Suntory ad. is very fun.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/22/2018 at 5:39 pm

      Haha, she does a bit, doesn’t she? But yeah, the first multicultural night. Thankfully a successful one too.

      Reply
  8. MrSatyre says

    12/22/2018 at 6:05 am

    I don’t remember who first said it, but the phrase “atmosphere so thick you could walk on it” seems appropriate to a place like this.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/22/2018 at 5:39 pm

      Yes, it really is. Sums up the place perfectly.

      Reply
  9. Patrick Sherriff says

    12/22/2018 at 10:34 am

    Great pic. Looks like a Dutch painting.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      12/22/2018 at 5:40 pm

      Thanks. Very happy the way the photos came out. Managed to capture some of the feel of the place, and definitely the wonderful colours.

      Reply
  10. Alex Syriopoulos says

    1/14/2019 at 9:32 pm

    Very true! Lovely feeling when you’re made to feel a part of a community in such an establishment.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      1/15/2019 at 9:26 am

      Yeah, it really is. It was a very special evening. Moments like that, in places such as this, donโ€™t come around all that often, so they have to cherished.

      Reply

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