Dining in Japan works in a different way than most of us are familiar with. The options are endless in Japan. You can choose to go to Shabu-Shabu, Izakaya, Tonkatsu, Yakitori for dining or be bold and cook for yourself from a vending machine.
Today we will step into the warmth of an Izakaya and stroll past a few Vendor Machines to uncover its history.
Izakaya
This is the sort of restaurant where you will be able to find me. The reason why Izakayas appeal to me is because of its unique character, a character you won't expect to meet in Japan.
Izakayas are informal places where you primarily come to drink and eat something small, it is comparable to Spanish tapas bars or Irish pubs. Sort of a place where a restaurant meets a pub and meets a bar.
During the week, Izakaya's are filled with people who are aching for a small snack and a big glass of beer (birru) after a hard day of work. On the weekends, Izakaya's are packed with all sorts of people who are looking for a party.
History
RFK
Izakayas became famous when Robert F. Kennedy (Former United States Attorney General and brother of JFK) ate at an Izakaya in Tokyo's entertainment area Ginta during a meeting with Japanese labor union leaders in 1962. Robert stayed for an hour in the Izakaya but it became very clear he enjoyed it thoroughly.
During his visit in the Izakaya, 2 questions were asked to him:
Question 1: Do you find Japanese women beautiful?
Answer: 'I surely agree that Japanese women are very pretty but, as you know, I am married. So I won't make any further comment.'
The sake clearly wasn't working yet...
Question 2: Can you sing us a song?
Without hesitation, Robert took the stage and opened with his favorite Irish song. He received a rousing round of applause after his performance.
I think the sake was doing its job pretty well at this point.
This wild adventure of Robert made headlines in the papers all over the world. Since then Izakaya's became more and more popular, but izakayas are way older than this event.
Before RFK
According to historian Penelope Francks, it is a bit uncertain when the first izakayas were formed. She tells us in her article Inconspicuous Consumption from 2009 that izakayas became a thing during the Meiji Restoration, a political upheaval that marked the end of the rule of the military nobility in Japan in 1867.
Before the Meiji Restoration izakayas were known as places next to busy trade routes where workers could imbibe themselves some courage with rice wine. Soon de customers also wanted something small to eat, so they started serving small dishes like edamame, yakitori (grilled chicken), and tsukemono (preserved vegetables).
In the years that followed Izakaya's kept on growing and continued to respond to the needs of their customers. Al that innovating led to the Izakaya's we know today.
If you're wandering in the complex streets of Tokyo and see a red lantern hanging outside with a wacky name, know you are in for a good time. Lots of drinks, excellent food, good company, a happy chef in front of you, and a guaranteed hangover. Izakayas are everything you need.
Oh, and did I say that smoking inside is still allowed in Izakayas?
Vending Machine
Last and definitely least. The famous vending machines, which can literally be found on every block in the big Japanese cities. According to the Japanese Times, there are just under 5 million vending machines spread out in the whole of Japan. Which makes approximately 1 vending machine per 23 persons.
The vending machines sell products like coffee, candy, and chips but also eggs, bananas, ramen, and even puppies! Oh and not to forget the famous used panty machine in Tokyo's Akihabara district.
The options are endless and if you search in the right way, I think you will be able to buy everything you need from vending machines.
But where do these 5 million vending machines come from?
History
As you can imagine, vending machines cannot be that old because they require a certain level of knowledge before a human is able to build one. The first automatic vending machine was build in 1888 by Yoshiichi Tawaraya even though the German Carl Ade claimed to have the first patent over it. Japan didn't care and ran with the idea.
It took a while before Japan was invaded by vending machines. Back in 1993, there were 50 machines in every square kilometer. In 1998, Japan had over 5,4 million vending machines.
Fountain of Growth
The invasion of the vending machines was predominantly because one vending machine became immensely popular. It was nicknamed the 'Fountain-style Juice Dispenser', which was basically just a box mounted with a juice fountain. People loved watching the juice being dispensed from it, and the drinks were also sold for the reasonable price of just 10 yen per paper cup.
Yep, that's one of the reasons why there are now thousands of vending machines in Japan.
Time vs Rituals
Still, the rise of vending machines brought a bit of a hassle in Japan. Many Japanese didn't like the machines because they allowed people to avoid traditional interactions with their rituals.
For Japenese who worked long hours, it became convenient to buy their needed products at a vending machine instead of a supermarket or local shop. This allowed them to skip the small talk something Japan has a famous reputation for.
No more awkwardness!
Vending Machines also helped people avoid the social embarrassment associated with buying certain products. For example, in the 1990s flower machines allowed young men to avoid the embarrassment of admitting to shopkeepers they were buying a nice gift for a sweetheart. Such a gesture of affection was unusual in Japan for the time and rather embarrassing.
This became the main reason why the Vending Machines became a popular thing in Japan, it helped people to avoid social embarrassment. That's also the main reason why you are able to buy such weird things like used panties or tentacle animes.