Izakaya

This is Will (American from New York) from work. We traveled to Yosuya last night to eat at an izakaya with our Welsh manager (Richard), his Belgian friend (Sebastian) and his Japanese girlfriend (Maya) (who is fluent in French). When people say that foreigners stick together in Japan, they weren't kidding!

An izakaya is a small restaurant, sometimes without seats where simple foods such as meat and vegetables on shishkababs are grilled or battered and fried. They are served with a variety of drinks. Japanese business men, and now women, relax here after a long week. The atmosphere is casual and often loud if crowded. These are the rowdiest, noisiest places I have yet visited in Japan.

These are Richard's favourite kind of restaurant; he is forever searching for the cheapest. ("Value for money" sums his hunt.) Since the menu in Japanese and the wait staff only speaks Japanese, these places would difficult to visit without a Japanese speaker.

Read more about izakaya here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya