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Apr 10 2015 14 Comments

Happy drinker in a relaxed, rat frequented Tokyo bar

Open for over 30 years, this small, cluttered little bar is a wonderfully relaxed place run by the mama-san until late evening, then her son till much later. An establishment so relaxed in fact that a good-sized rat that ran along a shelf behind my pal and I, caused only the briefest of distractions — a nod of recognition basically. Then, just as before, the drinking and conviviality continued on.

happy Japanese drinker

Categorized: Food and Drink, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Al says

    4/10/2015 at 12:09 pm

    OK, I’ll admit it looks like a lot of fun. But a rat? Seriously? I’d have freaked and left. No way I’d have stayed there……..

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/10/2015 at 1:32 pm

      It was a shock. No doubt about it. But by that time we’d already had a few, so the shock was definitely dulled somewhat. Plus it really was a fun place to be. Unwelcome guests aside of course.

      Reply
  2. John says

    4/10/2015 at 3:21 pm

    Perhaps the rat is on a budget… they have Hoppy.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/10/2015 at 3:55 pm

      Haha, that made me laugh! Abenomics may be working for some, but for those at the bottom of the pile, Hoppy is still sadly the beverage of choice…

      Reply
  3. Dan Waldhoff says

    4/10/2015 at 4:32 pm

    In the mid-70s I managed F&B at a very posh HawaiÊ»i hotel with facilities built on a lagoon. Big rats were not a “feature” but frequently visited to retrieve bits of dropped food.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/10/2015 at 5:19 pm

      I guess it’s surprising how few we generally see really, considering how many of them there are. Particularly so in big cities, or places where there’s lots of food. Something that posh hotels and the like must be very pleased about!

      Reply
  4. Judy says

    4/10/2015 at 8:07 pm

    It looks like another fun place to drink enjoy good company! A month or so ago I asked to meet you at another drinking spot (I think in Shinjuku) when I got back to Tokyo. How can I get in touch with you?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/10/2015 at 8:40 pm

      It was. Very friendly regulars.

      Yeah, the other place is in Shinjuku. Easiest way is just drop me a quick message using the contact form (there’s a link in the menu), then we can take it from there.

      Reply
  5. Squidpuppy says

    4/11/2015 at 3:41 am

    They need a cat. How difficult is that in Japan? LOL

    I used to work in restaurants, so here’s my rat story: a certain restaurant had a rat problem, so they left out some poison. It was the wrong dosage / kind, and all it did was make the rats act drunk / high / drugged out. During a Saturday dinner service, dozens of rats came out of the woodwork and ran rampant all over the tables, eating food right off customer plates, scampering between their legs, nosing right up to folks and staring at them. If it weren’t so horrifying, it’d be funny. I can’t verify the story, but it’s a good one.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/11/2015 at 12:27 pm

      That’s very true!

      Blimey, that must have been quite a sight. A very unpleasant experience for the customers too. Imagine that now in the age of social media, Tripadvisor etc…

      Reply
    • YTSL says

      4/13/2015 at 11:11 pm

      I’m having visions of “Ratatouille” (the movie!) after reading all these :rat in restaurant” stories! ;D

      Reply
      • Lee says

        4/14/2015 at 8:25 am

        Similar, but minus the cute factor!

        Reply
  6. Tom says

    4/17/2015 at 10:59 pm

    Another photo capturing the atmosphere superbly! Some great expressions and details!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      4/18/2015 at 10:30 am

      Thanks a lot! Great little place, so lovely to hear some of that comes through in the photo.

      Reply

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