When people ask me what are the “must do” things in Japan, the only food experience I recommend is having dinner at an izakaya. Drinks and food flow quickly with the all-you-can-drink and all-you-can-eat sessions available at these Japanese restaurants/bars.

But what exactly can you expect at an izakaya? Here’s just a taste…

Chuhai, Nama Biiru and Edamame

DMC-LX3 (5.1mm, f/2, 1/30 sec, ISO100)
Chuhai, beer and edamame at Yakiniku King in Toyota city, Aichi

Chuhai

チューハイ
A sweet alcoholic drink which contains shōchū (what we generally call sake in the west – which is actually the Japanese term for alcohol in general), soda and juice.

Nama Biiru

生ビール
生 is a kanji that has many different readings and meanings, but here it can be translated into “genuine”. So the literal translation is “genuine beer”, as there is another type of alcohol called happōshu which is basically a fake beer (for more details read: Japanese Beers: The Beer Difference (Nama/生 vs. Happoshu/発泡酒)

Edamame

枝豆
These baby soybeans in a pod are a great snack to have with beer.

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