An izakaya (居酒屋) is a Japanese pub. It is a casual place to drink, share small plates of food and relax after work. It is not exactly a restaurant and not exactly a bar. A lot of Japanese social life really happens here. Colleagues loosen their ties, friends talk over beer and skewers, and the room fills with the noise and warmth of people done with work for the day.
The name and the ritual
The word itself tells the story: 居 ("to stay") + 酒 ("sake") + 屋 ("shop"). It is a sake shop where you stay and drink, instead of buying a bottle to take home. That is roughly how izakaya began. In the Edo period (1603–1868), sake sellers let customers stay and drink in the shop, and then they started to serve food with the drinks.
An evening at an izakaya has a loose rhythm. When you sit down, the staff often bring a small dish you did not order. This is the otōshi, or tsukidashi (突き出し), a little starter that also works as a small cover charge. The first round is almost always draft beer. "Toriaezu nama," or "a draft to start with," is one of the most familiar phrases in the language. Then food and drinks arrive in waves all night. The group orders a few dishes at a time and shares them from the middle of the table.
What to eat and drink
The menu is long and made for grazing. Typical dishes include yakitori (焼き鳥), chicken skewers grilled over charcoal, and edamame, young soybeans in the pod. There are sashimi and grilled fish, fried karaage chicken, tofu and pickles. Rice or noodles finish the meal. To drink, there is draft beer (nama, 生ビール), sake, shōchū, a distilled spirit, and highballs of whisky and soda. The group usually splits the bill evenly. A lively group may then move on to a nijikai, a "second party," at another bar or a karaoke room.
Words & idioms to take away
Idioms & proverbs to carry away
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とりあえず生 (toriaezu nama): "a draft beer for now, to start." It is the almost automatic first order, and it gets everyone drinking while they read the menu.
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突き出し / お通し (tsukidashi / otōshi): the small starter that arrives without an order. It is not a scam but a normal cover charge for your seat.