Food and Drink

Many of the little bars and eateries I like to visit are completely unknown quantities on the inside — their faded exteriors not always reflective of what lies behind the sliding doors. The contents of this ramshackle structure by the side of a road several hours north of Tokyo, on the other hand, were pretty much exactly as imagined, right down to the septuagenarian owner. A man who has been running the place for nearly half a decade, and at 78 years of age, has no intention of shutting up shop just yet. In fact he rarely even has holidays, opening seven nights a week and only taking time off to celebrate special occasions.

The one unexpected thing, however, was the complete lack of a toilet. A situation that’s not ideal when beers are being consumed. So it was either try and somehow gallantly hold on, or pop round the side and brave the elements. And so somewhat inevitably, several unceremonious sojourns into the bushes were added to the experience of the evening.

The little Chinese restaurant below looks suitably dated from the outside, and while that can be rather deceptive when it comes to the interiors of some places, it’s absolutely not the case with this one.

In business for over 50 years, and situated in the middle of a red light district, the changes around it must have been substantial to say the least, but inside it feels like nothing has changed for decades — if indeed at all.

The last photo has been shown on Tokyo Times before, but the first three were taken very recently, so it was nice to put them together as a small set. A brief snapshot of a place that feels as much a part of the past as it does the present, and fingers crossed it’ll also be a similarly interesting feature of the future.

With Tokyo slowly moving into winter, and the nights in particular now feeling rather chilly, it seemed like a good time to post this series of little bars and eateries. Some of them are older images, while several are very recent, but instead of the usual shots from a bar stool, these were all taken from the outside looking in. An element that for most of them at least provides an incredibly warm and welcoming appearance. Places to briefly escape the world outside with a few drinks, some food, and also the fleeting friendships such establishments can sometimes offer.

Over the last year or so there have been quite a few posts on Tokyo Times documenting old bars and homes that have been closed, demolished or just left empty and bare. Scenes that rather starkly represent the cycle of life, but for every place that has disappeared, there’s another that battles on, and the fabulously rickety little Chinese restaurant below is one such example.

It’s genuinely like no other eatery I’ve been in. Nothing is flat or straight, and everything is patched up and falling apart. The food is also great and the mama-san lovely, meaning there’s nothing more that one could ask for. It has also stood there for 65 years, as the master took over from his grandfather. Understandably there isn’t a third generation waiting to step in, but with no talk of retirement just yet, it remains somewhere to go, eat and simply enjoy.