Oft likened to the Irish or British pub, Japan’s izakaya are a staple of the nation’s drinking and socializing scene.  However, beyond the commonality of a space where punters come to imbibe (regularly) for a reasonable price, the two really have little else in common.  (The izakaya isn’t somewhere to come and sit down in front of a mid-afternoon Sunday roast, for a start.)  

Loiter long enough in Japan’s favorite drinking holes and familiar patterns appear to reveal themselves in terms of the people who frequent these places; typically adults in work (izakaya as a form of stress therapy), occasionally flying solo, perhaps on date (some izakaya can be pretty swanky), but more often than not out to share some booze and food with friends or colleagues post-work.  For those in the right mindset the izakaya experience is unpretentious, working-class good times.  Not, and the smoke, guttural laughter, and myriad pairs of socks steaming after a day at the office can be a bit trying to say the least.

 

 

It came as a surprise then when, in a no-frills izakaya in the heart of that most no-frills of izakaya zones, Tokyo’s Shimbashi district, on a post-work Friday, a young family of four took their place at a table just down from our party.  Emphasis on the ‘young’ here.  Mom and dad were with their two daughters still in their elementary-school uniforms.  Those in the space sober enough did a brief double take, and I could see one of the salaryman types at the next table have an internal debate about the rights and wrongs of lighting up his cigarette in such close proximity to the kids.  He did so anyway.  

It’s maybe a little strange to see a young family on the backstreets of Shimbashi under any circumstance, after all this is an area typically reserved for the dog-tired office worker (although finding themselves in such an area maybe explains the decision to dine in an izakaya as there’s little else on offer here).  Japanese friends, however, expressed less surprise at the idea.  Young families dining in Japan’s izakaya are on the rise, came the feedback.  Primary reasoning seems to be that any potential complaints about kids making noise are all but erased.  Understandable.  Complaints about noise in an izakaya would be met with perplexity at best, if the complaint could be heard at all.  

Then comes the food.  Izakaya menus cover most tastes, even that of the most picky eater.  The prices are reasonable, too.

But what of all the smoke and potentially inappropriate drunken tales?  The parents’ responsibility one supposes.  For a moment though, the salaryman nearby though it might have been his to share.  Was he right to do so?  Should Japan’s izakaya and everyone in them tone down the excess to accommodate this, apparently, increasing customer?

It’s likely that it will be market forces to decide which direction the nation’s izakaya take in this regard, and it seems that some of them are already laying on specials to attract the younger customer.  The same Japanese friends talked of colleagues whose high-school aged children join parties with their mates hosted by izakaya putting on special all-you-can-eat/drink menus.  (Do we need to qualify this by adding that alcohol isn’t part of the deal?)

Regardless what the market forces have in store, in a similar way to parents bringing their kids to an izakaya so as to avoid potential disruption to those wanting a quiet meal, can the same not be said in support of those who just want to let off the shackles and drink / smoke / swear (Is there such a thing in Japan?) to their heart’s content without fear of corrupting young minds?

It’s unclear, to this expat at least, who we should be extending our sympathy towards in this situation.  Everyone is deserving of a good meal and place to relax.  Whether or not the izakaya should be, or even can be, this all-encompassing remains to be seen.  Maybe they will go the way of the love hotel which, in the challenge to keep up with visitor numbers, is faced with the prospect of losing that which makes it what it is, the ‘love’ part.

 

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