i just read this review....talk about cheap eats in tokyo's most expensive neighborhood no less! sounds crazy cool for a quick snack.....dayem the price and the variety of food available make this place unparelleled in a city like tokyo....or anywhere for that matter!

check it:

300 Bar
The name says it all: Over 100 kinds of food and drinks, all priced at 300 yen each (excluding tax). They call this standing bar the cheapest place to party in the most expensive part of the world�fs most expensive city! There is no entrance fee and no time limit. Ginza 5-chome branch: B1F Fazenda Building, 5-9-11 Ginza, Chuo-ku. Tel: 03-3572-6300. Nearest stn: Ginza, exit A3 or A5. Ginza 8-chome branch: B1F No. 2 Column Bldg 8-3-12 Ginza Chuo-ku. Tel 03-3571-8300. Nearest stn: Shinbashi, Ginza exit. Open Mon-Sat 5pm-2am, Sun and hols 5-11pm.

that's like having a $1 Chinese take-out in the middle Beverly Hills!

krim wrote:

that's like having a $1 Chinese take-out in the middle Beverly Hills!

fo' reals.....but there ain't a hundred dishes to choose from at the local chinese take out joint...even in a neighborhood as crusty as beverly hills.

Tu_triky wrote:

fo' reals.....but there ain't a hundred dishes to choose from at the local chinese take out joint...even in a neighborhood as crusty as beverly hills.

hmm... well, ther'e's usually around 30 dishes..
then you can choose day old or two day old food... that makes 60 at least...
then choose from greasy or extra greasy...

krim wrote:

hmm... well, ther'e's usually around 30 dishes.. then you can choose day old or two day old food... that makes 60 at least... then choose from greasy or extra greasy...

an apt reply that appears derived from well-documented, first hand knowledge

Tu_triky wrote:

... check it: 300 Bar The name says it all: Over 100 kinds of food and drinks, all priced at 300 yen each (excluding tax). ...

Damn. Very cheap.

Even a sandwich in a Truck Stop in the middle of nowhere cost 5 bucks. Better go there before it goes bankrupt.
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tabana wrote:

Damn. Very cheap. Even a sandwich in a Truck Stop in the middle of nowhere cost 5 bucks. Better go there before it goes bankrupt.

how the hell do they afford their rent in Ginza? that place must some bucks or else how could they afford to open up shop there? dunno seems quite exceptional.

Drugs or money laundering?
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Tu_triky wrote:

how the hell do they afford their rent in Ginza? that place must some bucks or else how could they afford to open up shop there? dunno seems quite exceptional.

what the article doesn't tell you is that the "shop" is actually a closet with 10 vending machines with 10 items each.

They must be banking on volume....then increase the price once people know the place.

tabana wrote:

Drugs or money laundering?

they sell bud, everyone gets high, and after everbody gets the muchies they eat like a million things on the menu so the bill adds up


the reason i even found this review is because i jsut recently started watching Anego and the izakaya frequented by the main characters on the show is a standing bar...honestly i've never seen or heard of those establishments until now.

Tu_triky wrote:

...the reason i even found this review is because i jsut recently started watching Anego and the izakaya frequented by the main characters on the show is a standing bar...honestly i've never seen or heard of those establishments until now.

I've been to a few. I'm not sure if it's the same thing, but you just order on the sidewalk and eat somewhere else. Just a kitchen and a window. Nothing fancy though, pizza slice for 1 or 2 bucks or hot dogs.

They could have found a big supply of chickens at a low price. Once you remove the biohazard tag, it's all good.
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tabana wrote:

I've been to a few. I'm not sure if it's the same thing, but you just order on the sidewalk and eat somewhere else. Just a kitchen and a window. Nothing fancy though, pizza slice for 1 or 2 bucks or hot dogs. They could have found a big supply of chickens at a low price. Once you remove the biohazard tag, it's all good.

lol..funny....

thing in japan you never eat on the go....it's customary to eat indoors or while seated like at an outdoor food stall....nobody, i mean nobody eats while walking in japan...i can't even remember seeing someone ever do it...it's very rare....maybe young ppl would do it...like teenagers who aren't so rigid about adhering to traditional custom.

Interesting...

These "restaurants" are only in the bad part of town anyway. Mostly bums and homeless people eat there. I'm not a big fan of restaurants located between peep shows and porno store.
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tabana wrote:

Interesting... These "restaurants" are only in the bad part of town anyway. Mostly bums and homeless people eat there. I'm not a big fan of restaurants located between peep shows and porno store.

you're on a roll there...tabana...hehe...okay so i learned something new today..those standing bars are called "tachinomiya" in japanese


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Standing out in the crowd: the joys of tachinomiya
By JOHN GAUNTNER

Tachinomiya hold a special position among drinking establishments. There is something about standing while drinking that puts a whole new spin on the sake experience. What such places lack in serenity they more than make up for in value and fun.

Naturally, most tachinomiya (stand-up bars) are low-budget affairs. The whole point is to keep things cheap. Most of them serve low-budget sake as well, and rarely is more than one type available -- much less anything above bottom-shelf.

But there are exceptions. Several, in fact, and Marutoku is one of the most recommendable of these anomalies. Situated just minutes from the West Exit of Shinjuku Station, Marutoku is very local: a steady stream of regulars peppered with a few hapless souls who wander in for the first time.

You're not in the door five seconds before you're asked by the too-busy-to-make-eye-contact guy behind the counter: "Nani shimasu ka" (What'll it be?) Be prepared to answer fast; you have about another five seconds before he bears down on your bad ass and repeats his request/demand, this time with authority. No malice here; he's just busy.

He somehow has the knack of knowing who walked through the door without looking up. I don't know; maybe he can smell 'em. The many regulars may make that easy.

Orders are placed on the way to the two small tables in the back. Sake is poured, names are called. "Here, come and get these, will you? I'll be around for the money in a sec."

You pay for everything up front. Since all sake is 300 yen to 400 yen for a proper ichi-go (180 ml), and the simple food is no more expensive, a round should see you with change from 1,000 yen.

This loose change is dropped with a quick "thank you" into one of the black-and-red lacquered ashtrays stacked all along the seven-person counter. Your first thought is, "Dude, that's the ashtray. Don't put my money there."

But a glance around reveals that this is the style of the place. It is not clear whether they differentiate between ashtrays for money and ashtrays for cigarettes, but they are all clean.

The next thing you realize is that the cool thing to do here is to nonchalantly leave your change there, knowing full well you're going to use it again soon.

The only beer in sight is Asahi Super Dry in 350-ml bottles with twist-off caps. Umm . . . stick with the sake is my advice.

And why not, with a selection and prices like this? They have more than a dozen sake, all fine selections, all dirt cheap. Beyond the usual suspects such as Asahiyama, Kikusui, Tengumai and Umenishiki, there are some rarely seen ones as well. Jozan from Ishikawa is a chunky but crisp brew, rightly enjoying some popularity these days; try it here for 400 yen. Akita Towada, Kasumitzuru from Hyogo, and Suwa Izumi are three lesser-known selections from their rotating stock of great sake.

Forget about a menu. In this place, what you see is what you get. Most of the food sits on dishes wrapped in cellophane. Much of it is cold, but there are a few tofu dishes and such that they will run through the microwave for you. There is also a countertop cooler full of yakitori and other stuff-on-a-stick for your grilling pleasure. Just point and pay.

The place is dead until around 6 p.m., but steadily fills to about a million percent capacity over the next hour. Unlike most tachinomiya, the clientele is not limited to office workers slamming one down before the long trek home. Here, all kinds and ages drop in to whet their whistles, and the atmosphere is boisterous and fun.

One favor please: When you drop by, don't say you read it here. Tell them you heard about them from a friend, or just happened upon it. I don't want them to ding me next time I go; that's a scary prospect.

Marutoku, Dai-ichi Otoku Building 1F, 1-4-17 Nishi Shinjuku, (03) 5325-2139. Web site: www.02.u-page.so-net.ne.jp/zf6/juttoku/marutoku.htm

Open 4 p.m.-11 p.m., closed Sunday but open holidays.



Fumotoi (Yamagata Prefecture)
"Honkara" kimoto junmaishu
An interesting mix of citrus and strawberries in the nose leads to a blazing but well-utilized acidity in the full and grainy flavor. Impacting and memorable, but balanced and approachable too.

related article:

http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyo/583/sake.asp

Tu_triky wrote:

you're on a roll there...tabana...hehe...okay so i learned something new today..those standing bars are called "tachinomiya" in japanese ...

It's Friday.

Thanks for the article. Not high class, but nice enough to experiment at least once.
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tabana wrote:

It's Friday. Thanks for the article. Not high class, but nice enough to experiment at least once.

you're most welcome...yeah you're right..it's just a place for a quick cool down..destress real quick....or one or two drinks to get you tuned up before painting the town....

qilver wrote:

Okinawa, that is far from Tokyo, maybe 2 hr plane ride? Been to Tokyo much, since you were from Okinawa area?

I've only been to tokyo only twice...(if you don't count the many times I've been to Narita or Haneda airport)...yeah so they were just little day trips going shopping and walking around the city. TOKYO is frikken huge!! lots of fun! (~_^) I'm going again during spring break for a few days so that should be fun!

jya na~!!

FoSsiL wrote:

if any of you are going to japan, can you bring me along . Also I dont know japanese but do people back in japan speak english too?

Most do not to the extent that they feel comfortable using it. Most Japanese have a hard time speaking or understanding spoken English but can do okay if you speak very slowly and clearly. Most will be very nervous if you approach with a question.