# How an izakaya works: a first-timer's guide

An izakaya is a Japanese pub where you drink and share small plates over a long evening, and it is the most ordinary night out in Tokyo. How an izakaya works is simple once someone explains the unwritten parts: the little dish you did not order, the all-you-can-drink clock, the single bill at the end. This page walks you through an evening from the door to the last train.

## At the door: seats, towels and the otoshi

Look for a red paper lantern (akachochin) or a short cloth curtain over the door. Staff will greet you and ask how many you are; holding up fingers works. You may be offered the counter, a table, a tatami room where shoes come off, or a small private room (koshitsu), which chains often have for groups. Everyone gets an oshibori, a wet towel for your hands, and the first round of drinks is ordered straight away. Wait until every glass has arrived, then say kanpai together.

With your first drink comes the otoshi, a small appetiser you did not order: edamame, simmered vegetables, a bit of salad. It is a per-person table charge, usually a few hundred yen and more at upmarket places, and it shows up on the bill. It is a normal custom, not a trick, and at most places you cannot decline it. Some large chains skip it. If you want to know the price before you sit, ask otoshi wa ikura desu ka.

- Tatami rooms mean shoes off. Wear socks without holes and leave shoes where the staff show you.
- Popular places fill up from about 19:00 on weekdays and earlier on Fridays. Book ahead for groups of four or more.

## Ordering: tablets, QR codes and sumimasen

Chains usually take orders on a tablet at the table or through a QR code you scan with your phone, often with an English option and photos. Smaller places have a paper menu and a handwritten board of the day's specials. To call staff, raise a hand and say sumimasen, or press the call button on the table. Order a few dishes at a time and add more as you go. Food comes out when it is ready, not in courses, and everything is shared.

A typical rhythm: drinks first (many people start with draft beer), then quick cold dishes such as edamame, chilled tofu or potato salad, then sashimi and grilled and fried things like yakitori and karaage, and a rice or noodle dish to finish, called shime. Besides beer, the standard drinks are highballs (whisky and soda), sours (shochu with fruit juice, lemon sour being the classic), sake, oolong tea and soft drinks. Not drinking alcohol is completely normal. The legal drinking age in Japan is 20.

- Osusume wa nan desu ka: what do you recommend? At a small place, the specials board is often the best food in the room.
- Sake is often ordered by the go (180 ml) in a small flask, or as a glass that overflows into a wooden box on purpose.

- → [Sake in Tokyo: tastings, bars and breweries](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/sake.md)
- → [What to eat in Tokyo and how to order it](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/what-to-eat.md)

## Nomihoudai: all you can drink, against the clock

Nomihoudai means unlimited drinks for a fixed price and a fixed time, usually 90 or 120 minutes, with last orders about 30 minutes before the end. It is often part of a course plan (a set menu with drinks) that groups book in advance, and some places sell it on its own. Tabehoudai is the all-you-can-eat version.

The rules vary by place, but common ones are that the whole table must take the plan, you order a new drink only when your glass is empty, and premium drinks cost extra or are not included. It pays off if you will have three or more drinks. Staff will tell you when last orders are coming, and the time limit is enforced, since the next group is often already booked.

- Read the drinks list for the plan before you order. Craft beer and good sake are often on a separate, pricier plan.
- Groups book course plans on Japanese booking sites such as Tabelog or Hot Pepper Gourmet, or by phone.

## Chains, small places, yokocho and smoking

Chains have picture menus, English, tablets, card payment and room for big groups, so they are an easy first night. Small family-run places have counter seats, handwritten menus and an owner who cooks, and often better food, but fewer seats and more cash only. A few tiny bars serve regulars only; a polite no at the door is not personal.

Yokocho are old drinking alleys by the stations. [Omoide Yokocho](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%80%9D%E3%81%84%E5%87%BA%E6%A8%AA%E4%B8%81%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%BF%E5%8C%BA%E8%A5%BF%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%BF1%E4%B8%81%E7%9B%AE) by the west exit of Shinjuku Station is a narrow lane of tiny yakitori and offal grill counters. [Nonbei Yokocho](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E3%81%AE%E3%82%93%E3%81%B9%E3%81%84%E6%A8%AA%E4%B8%81%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B8%8B%E8%B0%B7%E5%8C%BA%E6%B8%8B%E8%B0%B71%E4%B8%81%E7%9B%AE&query_place_id=ChIJn1eNAViLGGARWCBP8zRKiUA) next to Shibuya Station dates back to the early 1950s, and some of its bars seat only four or five. [Ebisu Yokocho](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%81%B5%E6%AF%94%E5%AF%BF%E6%A8%AA%E4%B8%81%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B8%8B%E8%B0%B7%E5%8C%BA%E6%81%B5%E6%AF%94%E5%AF%BF1-7-4) near Ebisu Station is a newer covered alley of small izakaya where many places stay open late. [Golden Gai](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%BF%E3%82%B4%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%83%87%E3%83%B3%E8%A1%97%20%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%BF%E5%8C%BA%E6%AD%8C%E8%88%9E%E4%BC%8E%E7%94%BA1%E4%B8%81%E7%9B%AE) in Shinjuku is more bars than izakaya, and seat charges are common there. Go in twos or threes, and do not block the lane for photos.

Since April 2020 a national law and a stricter [Tokyo ordinance](https://kenko-station.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/category2/tokyo/engkangaekata_public.html) ban indoor smoking at restaurants and bars that have employees, except in dedicated smoking rooms. Places that allow smoking must show a sign at the entrance, and people under 20 may not enter smoking areas. In practice most izakaya in Tokyo are non-smoking, some have a smoking room, and a few owner-run bars with no staff still allow it.

- Many small bars in the alleys add a seat charge. If a sign says charge or チャージ, that is what it means.
- Ask before photographing people inside a bar. Many owners prefer no photos of guests.

- → [Clubs and nightlife in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/nightlife.md)
- → [Things to do in Shinjuku: bars, Kabukicho and free views](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/shinjuku.md)
- → [Things to do in Shibuya: the crossing, views and nights out](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/shibuya.md)
- → [Events in Shinjuku](https://eventstokyo.com/en/shinjuku.md)
- → [Events in Shibuya](https://eventstokyo.com/en/shibuya.md)

## Paying, the last train and phrases

To ask for the bill, say okaikei onegaishimasu, or make a small X with your index fingers. One bill per table is the norm and you pay at the register by the door. Separate payment is often refused when it is busy, so one person pays and the group splits it (warikan). Do not tip. Chains take cards and mobile payment, small places often take cash only. Check the bill for the otoshi, a seat charge or the nomihoudai plan, which are normal lines.

On most lines the last trains leave central Tokyo around midnight, and many izakaya stay open later, so look up your last train in a transit app before a second round. Taxis run all night but fares go up late at night. Around Shibuya Station, drinking on the street has been banned from 18:00 to 5:00 all year since October 2024, so finish your drink inside.

- Toriaezu nama: a draft beer to start. Okawari: another of the same.
- Betsu betsu de: separate bills, please. Gochisousama deshita: said to the staff as you leave.
- Kore wa nan desu ka: what is this? Useful for the specials board.

- → [Getting home after late events in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/late-night.md)
- → [Tokyo on a budget: free things to do](https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/budget.md)
- → [Tonight in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/tonight.md)
- → [Food & Drink events in Tokyo](https://eventstokyo.com/en/food-drink.md)

## Questions people ask

**What is otoshi and do I have to pay for it?**
Otoshi is a small appetiser served with your first drink and charged per person, usually a few hundred yen. At most izakaya it is a fixed table charge you cannot refuse, though some big chains do not charge it.

**Do izakaya in Tokyo have English menus?**
Chains usually do, often on the table tablet with photos. Small places may only have Japanese, so pointing at dishes on other tables or asking for a recommendation works well.

**Should I tip at an izakaya?**
No. Tipping is not done in Japan. The otoshi or a seat charge is the only extra you will see on the bill.

**Can you smoke in izakaya in Tokyo?**
Mostly no. Since 2020 Tokyo has banned indoor smoking at places with staff except in separate smoking rooms, and places that allow smoking must post a sign at the entrance. People under 20 cannot enter smoking areas.

**How does nomihoudai work?**
You pay a fixed price for unlimited drinks for a set time, usually 90 or 120 minutes, with last orders about 30 minutes before the end. Often the whole table has to take the plan.

**Can I go to an izakaya alone or with children?**
Alone is easy: sit at the counter. Families with children are welcome at many chains in the early evening, but children cannot enter smoking areas, and small bars in the alleys are better left to adults.

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Tokyo Events: https://eventstokyo.com/en/guides/izakaya