Lee

This shop has long been a favourite of mine. Sadly its stunning old sign — which I’ve included at the end — got destroyed in a typhoon several years ago, but even without it remains a truly wonderful looking little place.

A fella who lives opposite once told me it has been in business for 100 years or so and supplies some top-class restaurants. While feeding the wealthy, however, it’s still very much a local shop, and the woman in the photos came out of a house a few doors down. Perhaps unsurprisingly, no selection was necessary — they just chatted about the weather while he put her usual order in the Tupperware container she’d taken with her. An admittedly run-of-the-mill, everyday occurrence, but at the same time one that was lovely to see and somehow quite reassuring.

Somewhat inexplicably, this young fella decided to take off his belt before drunkenly falling asleep. Yet despite what was clearly a very long Friday night and Saturday morning, he did maintain the necessary social awareness to keep his immaculately white mask perfectly positioned.

Japan’s many old school bars run by similarly aged owners are always a pleasure to spend time in. The trouble is, what makes them so special also means there’s the very obvious element of the clock ticking ever louder down to those final last orders. Of course some do carry on for a truly incredible number of years, but ultimately time can never be defeated. All of which rather sadly brings me to the little drinking spot below.

In business for over 50 years, and the owner well into her 80s, it’s amazing it kept going for as long as it did. Originally a ramen shop, the mama-san at some point made the sensible decision to switch to a simpler menu of yakitori and beer, then in the last few years, more or less just beer. Now, however, it’s simply closed.

After the enforced break due to Tokyo’s pandemic-related state of emergency, it’s entirely possible she thoroughly enjoyed the time off and decided to retire. That’s what I hope is the case anyway, as a bit of rest and relaxation is the very least she deserves. Yet whatever the reason, the memories of visits remain as full of warmth as the welcome always was.

The other week I walked past where the little shack in the last photo was and found a modern, much less shack-like structure going up in its place. The new shop isn’t going to be serving grilled chicken like the old one either, but it will at least be staying in the family, so it’s an evolution of sorts rather than an ending. A sight that led my mind to other, somewhat similar places, which in turn resulted in the series below. A celebration in a way of the simple pleasure of simple food that’s been very simply grilled and seasoned. An always available treat that’s absolutely impossible to tire of, especially when coupled with one’s alcoholic beverage of choice.

For what it’s worth, most of them are Tokyo establishments, except numbers seven and eight, which, if memory serves, were located in Nagano and Hokkaido respectively. Also, aside from the previously mentioned demolition, the only other place I know that almost certainly isn’t a going concern anymore is the stall in photo number four. The rest of them I’m happy to report are (more than likely) still in operation.