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Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/13 12:53
Can someone please tell me what the general rules are for Izakaya?
by Jakkudesu  

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/13 21:18
you need to drink lots of alcohol and be happy, eat lots of food. theres' no rules, its basically a bar with small foods
by quantocks (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/14 02:14
Jack,

Each dishes tend to be small and cheap. It is expected to order many kinds of various dishes to enjoy the whole meal and Sake. :)
by K (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/14 20:05
The first rule is that everyone should order a drink as soon as they sit down. (Unless you're ordering sake and need a little time to read through the menu.) If you don't drink alcohol you should order an iced oolong tea or other soft drink. An izakaya is considered a bar rather than a restaurant, in spite of how good the food might be.

Second, the shop will bring you a small starter dish, called an otoshi, with your first drink. You will be charged anywhere from Y300 - Y1000 for it. Don't try to send it back - it's mandatory, not optional, and it's simply part of the izakaya system.

Third, izakaya generally expect you to order at least one dish per person in your group.

Izakaya have various specialties; for example yakitoriya (places serving grilled chicken) are a subcategory of izakaya. If you're in a place that serves fish, consider ordering the sashimi assortment of the day; if there are four in your group then probably an order for two people is enough (because you'll be ordering other things as well). If you're ordering lots of grilled dishes that take a long time, you might want to order a few quick-to-prepare dishes to nibble on while you're waiting.

You don't have to drink sake; all izakaya serve beer, and usually iced oolong tea.
by Umami Dearest (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/14 23:04
Ohhh, the more i read about Japan the more I want to go there! Very excited about travelling to Japan! So many special rules and ceremonies. What a nation with a specific and unique culture ...
by Arimle (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/15 04:14
'OHIYA' is a glass of water.
'HIYA' is a glass of cold sake.

Some of Japanese don't know this:)
by International Boy rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/15 09:36
Second, the shop will bring you a small starter dish, called an otoshi, with your first drink. You will be charged anywhere from Y300 - Y1000 for it. Don't try to send it back - it's mandatory, not optional, and it's simply part of the izakaya system.

Fyi, you can refuse the otoshi and not have to pay for it. Most people don't know this though, or don't bother with the trouble of refusing it. Some chain izakaya don't charge for the otoshi anyway.
by yllwsmrf rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/15 13:31
Just say 'toriaezu, beeru, kudasai'
by Jay Key (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/15 14:57
Fyi, you can refuse the otoshi and not have to pay for it. Most people don't know this though, or don't bother with the trouble of refusing it.

If you don't mind being very rude you can try to refuse it. Perhaps your server will go along so as not to have a troublesome scene with a foreigner, but it's not the way it's ordinarily done. The charge for the otoshi is built into the system, and it's part of the economics of running an izakaya. You don't have to actually eat the otoshi of course, but trying to send it back is simply rude.
by Umami Dearest (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/15 16:10
Just order what you like to eat and share with your friends or partners.
We share dishes at izakaya if you are not alone.
Actually there's no rule. Eat and drink and be happy.
by ryo2jokerz rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/15 16:41
If you don't mind being very rude you can try to refuse it. Perhaps your server will go along so as not to have a troublesome scene with a foreigner, but it's not the way it's ordinarily done.

Yes, most people probably do not refuse the otoshi, but whether or not that is rude is a matter of opinion. If the dish is something that you simply don't eat, or worse, something that you are allergic to, then what is worse? Do you refuse the otoshi or leave it untouched on the table? Personally, I loathe to waste food, and I consider it extremely rude to be asked to pay for a dish that I neither ordered nor wish to eat.

For what its worth, I usually eat the otoshi as I find them to be an interesting way to try new dishes. On the other hand, some Japanese friends of mine ALWAYS refuse the otoshi, and it has never caused a problem when I've been with them.

The charge for the otoshi is built into the system, and it's part of the economics of running an izakaya.

Then simply call it a seating fee and make it mandatory, or require a minimum drink/food order. As it stands, since you are not required to accept the otoshi you are not required to accept the otoshi. Any izakaya whose survival is reliant on otoshi fees deserves to go out of business.

You don't have to actually eat the otoshi of course, but trying to send it back is simply rude.

There are simple and elegant ways to refuse the otoshi without making a scene. One way is to tell your server as you are being seated.

Anyway, this wasn't meant to be a discussion on the merits of otoshi and seating fees. The point was that otoshi are NOT mandatory, and you do not have to accept them if you do not wish to.
by yllwsmrf rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/15 17:23
When someone asks about the "rules" of visiting an izakaya, they're actually talking about normal, polite, customary behavior. They're not asking about legal requirements.

So perhaps it's actually possible in some situations to get away with sending back your otoshi, if you don't really care about being polite and following customs. Perhaps the underpaid arubaito serving you would take it back to avoid a confrontation. (Although it wouldn't surprise me if you were charged for the otoshi anyway.)
by Umami Dearest (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/15 17:34
Update: I stand corrected - you are right, otoshi are not mandatory. I spoke with a friend who used to work in an izakaya, and indeed you are technically allowed to send back your otoshi. (It is considered fairly rude though.)

Carry on....
by Umami Dearest (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/16 19:00
i really doubt the "rudeness" part. if you don't want otoshi you don't need to accept it. if you're ordering other food anyway and dislike the restaurant's otoshi and decline it right from the beginning nobody is going to care, especially in a chain izakaya where the otoshi take about 10 seconds each to prepare..

i routinely decline otoshi from watami and kin no kura because i don't like the otoshi they make.
by winterwolf rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/17 08:13
Prepare to inhale second hand smoke & coming out with watery eyes & stinky clothes.
At a lot of places, you need to take off your shoes & sit on zabuton cushion on tatami mat. There may or may not be a cut-out in the floor under the table for legs. Make sure you can sit comfortably cross legged, if not. Again there may or may not be the back support chairs.
At Izakaya, you are expected to read a la carte menu (often on the wall) unless you go with others who know what to order.
by amazinga (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/18 06:57
What's the Japanese word for iced oolong tea? I don't drink alcohol but would love to eat at a izakaya.
by paul (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/19 04:56
ooroncha.
by Umami Dearest (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/19 11:05
The Japanese word for iced oolong tea is
"ou ron cha".
"ou" is like "you" withou the letter "y".
by ryo2jokerz rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/19 14:41
The Japanese word is ウーロン茶, which is romanized as 'uroncha' (with a long initial 'u'), and pronounced like 'oo-ron-cha.'
by Umami Dearest (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Izakaya. What do I need to know? 2012/3/19 16:33
Or actually 'oo-rawn-cha' is closer to the pronunciation...
by Umami Dearest (guest) rate this post as useful

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