It’s the end of the year, so the get-togethers keep coming. This time we went to a cheap and cheerful izakaya in Shimbashi. It’s the kind of place you can walk into without a reservation even at year-end. If you book, you have to show up on time, and the middle-aged guys who can’t be bothered with that end up meeting in Shimbashi…

Inside

Small and packed with people. The economy really does seem to be doing well these days. Probably because the balance-sheet recession is finally coming to an end… The people who bought houses on 30-year loans in the 80s and 90s are only now finishing paying them off, so everyone has a bit more money to spare. A natural way out of a recession.

Mega highball

Ordering a regular highball over and over is a hassle, after all…

Nikomi (simmered offal stew)

Decent enough.

Oden

Well… it tastes about the same as what you get at home.

Fried river shrimp

Good as a drinking snack.

Fried oysters

Kushi (skewers)

Skewers

Gyoza

Skewers

We ate and drank until we were stuffed and it came to just over 3,000 yen a head, so Shimbashi really is great.

For round two we stopped by Xi’an for some light dao xiao mian (knife-cut noodles).

Cold appetizer

Mala knife-cut noodles

Dandan knife-cut noodles

Ate really well again that day…

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