Izakaya: The Japanese Tavern

Japanese Required: A lot
Good for: Everyone

If you stay in Japan for a while, you'll probably hear the term "Izakaya" a lot. "Izakaya" in Japanese translates to "Tavern" in English, and they are truly the taverns of Japan. You can find Izakaya restaurants everywhere in Japan: down side-streets, near train stations, in rural areas, in urban areas, etc. They are almost certainly more common in Japan than fast food places.

All Izakaya restaurants are essentially the same. They usually serve food on skewers, rice, and miso soup. They also serve edamame (soya beans). The food is served family-style, and there are usually several different types of meat on each skewer rather than a single place having multiples of the same kind. You can almost always order some sort of fried food, and assorted alcohol is the norm.

I have been to many different Izakaya restaurants around Nagoya as well as to one in Inuyama. Although they are all the same food, each restaurant has slight differences to match the place they were built. The restaurant in Inuyama was a more intimate, close seating style that was suited toward families or close friends. The atmosphere was very comfortable and bright, and our table was actually sectioned off from the rest of the restaurant via sliding doors. This gave it a very personal feel even though, just a couple feet away, there were at least two or three other tables with people seated in their own sectioned off areas. Meanwhile, a place in Sakae had more open style seating.

Something to note about Izakaya restaurants is that they very often have traditional Japanese seating arrangements, which means no chairs. If you aren't used to sitting on a cushion, then adjusting might be a little bit difficult. Although the place in Sakae was more open, the space made it feel less comfortable and relaxed. This was in part due to, despite having a private seating area, being able to hear and see the other people in the restaurant whereas, in Inuyama, I had the feeling of just being with my friends.

I would have enjoyed the one in Sakae if I was eating alone because I would still feel apart of the buzz and would most likely have been invited to join in some of the conversation. I recommend the one in Inuyama (or similar ones) for eating with friends and wanting that tavern feel while having some privacy. Check them out and decide for yourself which you like more.