Stumbling Into a Japanese Izakaya: The Fun, The Food, and The “Wait… What Did I Just Order?”

Japanese izakayas are one of those places where you walk in thinking you’re just grabbing dinner… and suddenly you’re inside a world of sizzling grills, handwritten menus, and surprise dishes that appear without warning.

On a recent stop in Nara, I wandered into a tiny hidden izakaya. “Hidden” as in: the kind of place you only find by accident. Inside, the menu was written vertically in poetic-looking kanji. Foreigners usually look at it with the same expression people have when they realize their glasses were on their head the whole time.

This is exactly when having a guide helps.

“What fish is this?”

“Is it seasonal?”

“Wait… does that say guts?”

One fun cultural quirk is the otoshi — a tiny appetizer that arrives automatically. You don’t choose it. It simply appears and becomes part of your meal.

The dishes we had in Nara were creative izakaya comfort food: Simple, unpretentious, and cooked by the master who clearly knows their craft.

And honestly, this vibe is true all across Japan. Izakayas are mini-adventures. If you show up curious and ready to try things you can’t pronounce, you’re already halfway to a great night.

If you’re heading to Tokyo and want help navigating those handwritten menus—or discovering places you’d never find alone—our food tours dive into exactly that world: casual, local, delicious, and delightfully chaotic.