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Jun 21 2019 10 Comments

Portrait of an old Tokyo bar owner

Many of Tokyo’s little old bars are a complete mystery from the outside. One can hope that inside it’s what you are looking for, but until the door is slid open, it’s simply impossible to say.

a traditional little Tokyo bar

Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t, but when it’s got bags of character like this place, and has been run by same lovely old woman for the last 43 years, you know you are on to a winner.

Portrait of an old Tokyo bar owner

Categorized: Food and Drink, Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Harry says

    6/21/2019 at 12:05 pm

    I love it! Another awesome bar to add to your collection! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/21/2019 at 5:14 pm

      Definitely a great little place. Lovely owner too. So all in all a very nice experience!

      Reply
  2. cdilla says

    6/21/2019 at 5:46 pm

    Great photographs of a traditional exterior and lovely owner. If only the pubs around here were like that.
    Here is a sample fairly typical review of one a few hundred yards from me…
    “Locals don’t like you going in there and the landlady is fairly unaccommodating”
    I am a local and I’ve never had a welcome look in my, admittedly few, visits. I also didn’t write the above review – but I could have.

    Wow, you have well over 500 posts tagged “Food and Drink”!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/21/2019 at 8:40 pm

      Thanks. We’d seen it earlier in the day and kept our fingers crossed it’d be open later. The potential was there, and thankfully it didn’t disappoint in the slightest. Unlike the place near you. What a shame it’s like that. Hardly a wise move these days either with pubs shutting left, right and centre…

      There’s a lot of food and drink to get through!

      Reply
  3. john says

    6/21/2019 at 9:08 pm

    Foreigners could mistake this for someone’s house (and assume that the door has hinges!), they might also confuse wabi-sabi-pan-style with 40 year old once enamelled cookware, but no confusion with the cheery smile.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/22/2019 at 9:14 am

      Haha, I like the wabi-sabi line. That’s one well worn pot eh?

      Funnily enough it is actually part of her house. Or at least connected to it anyway.. And as the old outdoor toilet/portaloo doesn’t seem to be functional anymore, you actually have to use the one in her home.

      Reply
      • john says

        6/24/2019 at 7:51 am

        Wow! like a real family visit. She might do well with another pot too – for repairaloo collection
        .

        Reply
        • Lee says

          6/24/2019 at 8:01 pm

          It was. And yes, an extra pot really wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world!

          Reply
  4. YTSL says

    6/22/2019 at 11:01 am

    One of the younger looking proprietors you’ve taken a photo of… 😉

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/22/2019 at 5:17 pm

      Yes, only in her mid-70s, so a mere whippersnapper!

      Reply

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