They say that when you enter a good bar you should bring with you an anecdote that you share with the bartender or another customer sitting at the bar, who, in turn, would also have a story to exchange. By the end of the night, after a bottle of whiskey to loosen the tongue and a few laughs, a new story is made right inside the bar. Hence the naming of 3 Stories.

"There are a lot of people who met each other here and ended up marrying. At least seven couples," says founder Yu Nishikawa, who also met his wife while working at 3 Stories. "It's the kind of bar where it's easy to meet other people and talk to them."

Nishikawa himself has a handful of stories to share. He went to bartending school and worked in a variety of establisments to learn the business, including a stint in Okinawa, which explains the inclusion of taco rice on the food menu. He opened 3 Stories with a friend when he was only 21, and they made everything from the bar counter to the wooden panels on the walls. Over the past eight years, the bar has become a laid-back hangout for people in their late-20s or early 30s who want to unwind with a glass of whiskey after work.