Izakaya: How to Navigate Japan's Pub Culture
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The izakaya (i = stay, sakaya = sake shop) is the casual drinking establishment that also serves food — or the casual restaurant where drinking is equally important as eating. The distinction from a restaurant is the expectation: at a restaurant, you eat and leave; at an izakaya, you drink, eat small plates over several hours, and occupy the table for the evening.
The format accommodates everything from a quick post-work beer with one colleague to a five-hour company nomikai (drinking party). It is Japan’s most common setting for social eating and drinking, and the knowledge of how it works is prerequisite for participating in Japanese food culture at its most genuine.
The Basics
Entering: Most izakaya are seated by staff. If there is a wait, your name or party size will be taken. Tables are typically for 2–6; counter seats are often available immediately. Many izakaya require a shoe removal at the entrance if they have tatami rooms (low tables, floor seating).
The otōshi: Within minutes of sitting, a small dish arrives without ordering — the otōshi (obligatory house appetizer). You are charged for this automatically, typically ¥300–600 per person. It is not a gift; it is the equivalent of a cover charge and is stated on the menu or on a table card. Do not attempt to refuse or return it.
Ordering: Izakaya menus are typically laminated cards or bound books with photographs — most have pictures, and increasingly many have English translations or QR code translation options. Order at your own pace; food arrives as it’s prepared rather than in courses.
Drinks first: The standard opening order is drinks. The first round is almost universally beer (nama biru — draft beer, typically Sapporo, Asahi, or Kirin) or a highball (whisky and soda, most commonly Suntory Tory’s). This is ordered before food; the kampai (toast) happens when the drinks arrive.
Nomi-hōdai (all-you-can-drink): Many izakaya offer a drink nomi-hōdai course (typically ¥1,500–2,500 for 90–120 minutes) covering draft beer, shochu highballs, sake, wine, soft drinks, and cocktails. Worth considering for groups who drink; not worth it for moderate drinkers.
What to Order
The Fundamentals
Edamame: The salted boiled soybeans are the default opening food — low cost, something to do while waiting for other dishes. ¥350–500.
Karaage: Japanese fried chicken — thigh pieces marinated in soy, garlic, and ginger, then fried to a crisp outer shell with juicy interior. With lemon and Japanese mayonnaise. The most ordered dish in izakaya across Japan. ¥500–700.
Yakitori: Grilled chicken skewers. Ordering vocabulary: momo (thigh), mune (breast), tsukune (meatball), kawa (skin), nankotsu (cartilage), teba (wing), rebā (liver). Seasoned tare (sweet soy sauce) or shio (salt — better for the more delicate cuts). ¥150–300 per skewer.
Tamagoyaki: The thick rolled egg omelette, slightly sweet, with grated daikon on the side. ¥400–600.
Gyoza: Pan-fried pork and cabbage dumplings. The izakaya version prioritizes crispy bottom over the delicacy of restaurant gyoza. ¥500–700.
Agedashi tofu: Silken tofu lightly battered and deep-fried, served in tsuyu (dashi-based) sauce. The exterior is crisp for approximately two minutes; eat immediately. ¥400–600.
Tofu salad (hiyayakko): Cold silken tofu with soy sauce, grated ginger, katsuobushi (bonito flakes), and scallions. The simplest possible dish; excellent when the tofu is fresh. ¥300–500.
Regional and Specialized Dishes
Niku-jaga: The home-cooking dish — braised beef and potatoes in sweet soy and dashi. Comfort food in izakaya terms.
Horumon-yaki: Grilled offal (intestine, heart, stomach) — the izakaya specialty that most Western visitors avoid and most Japanese consider essential. The charcoal-grilled texture of properly prepared horumon is excellent; the smell is challenging.
Sashimi plate: Most izakaya have a sashimi selection — the quality varies enormously but the price (¥600–1,500 for a plate) is well below dedicated sushi restaurants.
Obanzai (Kyoto izakaya): The small side dishes of Kyoto cuisine — pickled vegetables, simmered konnyaku, burdock root salad — served in small portions for sampling.
Drinks Beyond Beer
Sake (nihonshu): Ordered by the cup (ochoko, ¥300–500) or carafe (tokkuri, ¥700–1,500). Temperature: kan (warm/hot), nurukan (lukewarm), jo-on (room temperature), hiyaKan (cold). For izakaya drinking, reishu (chilled) is the most practical option unless the shop has a heated sake that the staff specifically recommends.
Shochu highball: Shochu (a distilled spirit from sweet potato, barley, or rice) mixed with soda water over ice. Lighter and less complex than whisky highball; the imo-shochu (sweet potato) version has an earthy character distinct from Western spirits.
Umeshu: Plum wine (actually a plum liqueur) — typically sweet, often served on the rocks or with soda. The rokku (on the rocks) version is the most common.
Mugicha (barley tea) or soft drinks: Non-drinkers are not unusual at izakaya; asking for ocha (hot tea) or mizu (water) is always possible.
Etiquette
Don’t pour your own drink: In Japanese group drinking culture, you pour for others and others pour for you. When your neighbor’s glass is near empty, offer to fill it. When yours is full, you are implicitly asking not to drink more (or to pace yourself); when it is visibly empty, you are implicitly asking to be served.
The kampai before drinking: The toast is not optional in group settings. Hold your glass slightly lower than the most senior person at the table; clink at eye level or glass level; make eye contact.
Calling the staff: Say sumimasen clearly or use the table call button (most izakaya have a button on each table). The staff are not expected to check on you proactively; flagging them is the correct behavior.
The bill: In Japan, you ask for the bill — it doesn’t arrive automatically. Say okaikei onegaishimasu (お会計お願いします). Bills are typically per-table; splitting is done externally. Some izakaya have a register rather than tabletop service for payment.
Types of Izakaya
Chain izakaya (Torikizoku, Tori no Suke, Watami, Shirokiya): High-volume, affordable, consistent, and specifically designed for large groups. The yakitori chains (Torikizoku, ¥300–350 per skewer) are the most practical for first-time visitors — English menus, photo ordering, reliable quality.
Standing bar (tachinomi): Izakaya without seating — you stand, order beer and skewers at the counter, eat quickly, and leave. The fastest and cheapest format; the most common option under elevated railway tracks in central Tokyo.
Shotengai izakaya: The izakaya embedded in a covered shopping street — typically family-run, serving neighborhood regulars, with the most genuine local character.
Retro (shōwa-era) izakaya: The type with paper lanterns outside, dark wooden interiors, and the specific smoky atmosphere of the 1970s-80s izakaya culture. Disappearing but still findable in Shinjuku (Omoide Yokocho), Yurakucho (under the tracks), and the older commercial districts of provincial cities.
Izakaya culture is the best access point to everyday Japanese social life — the setting where work hierarchies relax (slightly), where the food and the drinking happen together, and where the evening extends because everyone is comfortable. Arriving not knowing everything about the menu is completely acceptable; the format is designed for discovery and sharing rather than informed selection.
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