Some of Tokyo's best little bars are hidden on tiny back streets in quiet residential neighborhoods. They are the kind of bars that one only discovers by living nearby -- or being taken there by someone who does. So when a friend called suggesting an outing to one of his favorite bars on the outskirts of Shimokitazawa, it took me less than a nanosecond to say yes.
The rendezvous point was Ikenoue Station on the Inokashira Line -- three stops out of Shibuya and one stop short of Shimokitazawa. In my 20 years in Tokyo, it was the first time I had ever used that station. There is only one exit. It opens onto a quiet, nondescript street boasting the odd ramen shop and snack bar, but apart from that there is no sign of nightlife.
Yet two minutes away, at the end of a tiny alley, sits Fukumaru -- inconspicuous and looking like every other minuscule watering hole in Japan. One step inside, however, and you can feel the difference. Swathed in incandescent light with jazz tinkling incidentally in the background, Jun-chan, the master, dressed in a sushi chef's shirt, smiles warmly as he passes a refreshing hot towel to each new guest.