Combination of factors is dimming the shine of one of the stars of Japanese restaurant culture.
izakaya
Japan’s izakaya pubs closing at record pace, failing to attract foreign tourists
-
Casey Baseel
yesterday - Tweet
Police cracking down on outdoor seating in Tokyo’s liveliest street market neighborhood[Video]
-
Casey Baseel
May 9, 2026
- Japan
- (Ameya Yokocho • Ameyoko • Ameyokocho • bars • COK • izakaya • pubs • restaurants • SNJO • society • Ueno • video)
Eating cheap sushi in a narrow building in Tokyo is an adventure for bold diners
-
SoraNews24
May 4, 2026
- Japan
- (cheap eats • food • izakaya • Japanese restaurants • Kabukicho • Restaurant • restaurants • shinjuku • SNJO • sushi • Tokyo)
Styled like a traditional sento, this izakaya chain lines its walls with 13 working faucets that let you pour your own drink.
Just 1,000 yen per stop lets you drink, eat, and mingle with friendly strangers through this historic neighborhood.
- Japan
- (alcohol • annual event • Asakusa • Asami Oshima • bar crawl • bar hopping • basashi • beer • COK • drink • food • home • horse meat • izakaya • Kannon-ura • Kannon-ura Sakedokoro Yu • omikuji • pub • rickshaw • sakaba • Sensoji Temple • SNJO • Taco44 • takoyaki • Tokyo • tokyo rickshaw • Yoi no Yoi)
- Japan
- (COK • food • generation gap • izakaya • Japanese pubs • pubs • restaurants • Shibuya • society)
We followed Tokyo’s mystery walking map and ended up creating our own bar-hopping adventure
-
Elliot Hale
Jan 13, 2026
Several bumps in the road, a few glasses of beer, and a black omurice later, we couldn’t be more satisfied with our new discoveries.
- Japan
- (alcohol • Asami Oshima • Bar Hoshikuzu • Boheme Plus Beaudessin • Buzzed Lamb Brewing • capsule machine • COK • drink • Ecute • gacha machines • izakaya • Machimachi Megane • Map • Nippori • omurice • pub • random • sakaba • Seitaro • Shukon • SNJO • squid ink • sugidama • Tokyo • tour • tourism • travel • walking • walking tour • Yanaka • Yanaka Ginza • yorimichi • Yorimichi Map)
All-you-can-eat lunch buffet for just 850 yen right next to Shinjuku Station
-
Elliot Hale
Nov 10, 2025
Grilled fish, curry, and homemade croquettes make for a shockingly affordable and satisfying meal.
- Japan
- (all-you-can-eat • COK • croquettes • food • food and drinks • izakaya • mapo tofu • Masanuki Sunakoma • restaurants • shinjuku • SNJO • tabehodai • Tokyo • Yottekiya)
All you need to know about Japan’s unasked-for restaurant appetizers that you have to pay for
-
Casey Baseel
Jun 21, 2025
Otoshi is a unique part of Japan’s restaurant culture that can feel like a scam if you’re not ready for it.
- Japan
- (appetizers • COK • culture • food • izakaya • Japanese language • linguistics • otoshi • pubs • restaurants • SNO • society)
- Japan
- (atsukan • COK • cool • events • food • hot sake • izakaya • Japanese food • Japanese sake • Japanese train stations • Japanese trains • oden • restaurants • Ryogoku • Ryogoku Station • sake • Tokyo • train stations • trains • unique • unusual • winter)
Tough times for Japanese pubs as izakaya bankruptcies come at highest rate in more than a decade
-
Casey Baseel
Dec 6, 2024
More Japanese pubs are declaring bankruptcy now than in any year of the pandemic, study says.
Subway Japan purchased by Japanese izakaya pub company with penchant for organic farming
-
Casey Baseel
Oct 25, 2024
- Japan
- (bars • COK • fast food • food • izakaya • pubs • restaurants • sandwiches • Subway • Subway Japan • Watami)
This Japanese pub with one-yen bottles of sake broke our brain and made our day
-
Casey Baseel
Aug 25, 2024
Anime-style avatar waitresses, controlled by humans, now taking orders at Tokyo pub
-
Casey Baseel
Aug 3, 2024
- Japan
- (anime • cool • crazy • izakaya • manga • restaurants • technology • virtual YouTubers • VTubers • weird)
Japan’s new canned chu-hai with fresh lemon slice: disappointing gimmick or drink revelation?
-
Oona McGee
Jun 15, 2024
Future Lemon Sour is a world-first, but does it really recreate the izakaya experience at home?
- Japan
- (Asahi Breweries • bars • canned drinks • chu-hai • chuhai • COK • drinking • drinks • Future Lemon Sour • izakaya • lemon • lemon sour • Mirai no Lemon Sour • Miyashita Park • news • review • Shibuya • SNJO • taste test • Tokyo)
Japan unveils world’s first chu-hai with fresh lemon slice in can so every drink tastes different
-
Oona McGee
Jun 7, 2024
- Japan
- (Asahi Breweries • bars • canned drinks • chu-hai • chuhai • COK • drinking • drinks • Future Lemon Sour • izakaya • lemon • lemon sour • Mirai no Lemon Sour • Miyashita Park • news • Shibuya • Tokyo)
Tokyo restaurant finds heartwarming way to lure people away from ramen and back to set meals
-
Oona McGee
May 29, 2024
- Japan
- (COK • fish • Ikebukuro • izakaya • Japanese food • Japanese restaurants • restaurants • review • seafood • set meal • SNJO • taste test • teishoku)
- Japan
- (alcohol • COK • drinks • Hoisu • izakaya • Japanese whisky • K. Masami • phantom sake • restaurants • review • SNJO • taste test • Whis • Whiskey • whisky)
- Japan
- (Anjo • COK • fish • Ikebukuro • izakaya • kaisendon • raw fish • restaurants • review • seafood • seafood bowl • sushi • sushi restaurant • taste test)
Neo Shinjuku Atsushi: New cyberpunk restaurant bar serves post-apocalyptic food in Tokyo
-
Oona McGee
Aug 12, 2023
- Japan
- (bars • COK • cool • dystopia • dystopian • futuristic • izakaya • Japanese food • Japanese restauramts • Neo Tokyo • NEON • neon signs • new openings • restaurants • sci-fi • shinjuku • Tokyo)
-
Recent Posts
- Japanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
- Pokémon Company to require Japanese government ID cards for some online Pokémon card purchases
- Krispy Kreme Japan is bringing two special donuts to the most-forgotten big city in the country
- Japanese vending machine find introduces us to a new drink you can’t get anywhere else
- 7-Eleven Japan releases their second lineup of upsized foods from a muffin to bukkake soba
MOST POPULAR
Today
Krispy Kreme Japan is bringing two special donuts to the most-forgotten big city in the country
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
Japanese vending machine find introduces us to a new drink you can’t get anywhere else
Starbucks Japan hoping fans will go bananas for its new mottainai banana affogato Frappuccino
Japan’s izakaya pubs closing at record pace, failing to attract foreign tourists
Super! Eel Bread takes Japanese sushi into uncharted territory
The story of our reporter P.K. Sanjun’s heart attack
Japanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Weekly
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Hundreds of rose bushes in bloom at Tokyo’s off-the-beaten-path, next-to-the-tracks flower street
This Tokyo Station sweets sensation sells out daily, but we finally got our hands on it
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
Studio Ghibli’s president is leaving the company. Will it change how they make anime?
161-year-old Kyoto confectionary maker releases new edible Pokémon lineup
Let’s hike a Japanese mountain (that isn’t Mt. Fuji) – Mt. Tsukuba[Photos]
Japan’s izakaya pubs closing at record pace, failing to attract foreign tourists
Monthly
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
Yearly
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Super! Eel Bread takes Japanese sushi into uncharted territory
The story of our reporter P.K. Sanjun’s heart attack
Japanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
7-Eleven Japan releases their second lineup of upsized foods from a muffin to bukkake soba
McDonald’s Japan adds curry French fry flavor, regional-taste burgers to its menu with Gotochi Mac
Pokémon Company to require Japanese government ID cards for some online Pokémon card purchases
Suspected yakuza member arrested for having frequent flyer mile account
This Tokyo Station sweets sensation sells out daily, but we finally got our hands on it
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Studio Ghibli adds mini pillows and massive mats to its anime merchandise store in Japan
7-Eleven Japan adds macaroni cheese sandwiches to its convenience store food range
Do Bare Feet of a Gorilla slides really make your legs slimmer?
-
Categories
Archives

![Police cracking down on outdoor seating in Tokyo’s liveliest street market neighborhood[Video] Police cracking down on outdoor seating in Tokyo’s liveliest street market neighborhood[Video]](https://soranews24.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/05/ay-0.jpg?w=640)

















