About 30 people young and old make a line in front of a small izakaya pub that offers grilled innards at 2 p.m. on a weekday in the Tateishi district of Katsushika Ward, Tokyo — an odd sight perhaps for first-timers, but a daily one for regulars.
At a glance, Uchida may seem like an old izakaya in a shabby shopping arcade developed from the black market that appeared soon after Japan's defeat in World War II. But at Uchida and other similar pubs in Tateishi, there is a down-to-earth atmosphere where easy small talk by regulars makes newcomers feel at home.
Unlike popular tourist spots in the posh Ginza district or Shibuya, Tateishi rarely appears on tourist books at home and abroad. But it still has a heart-warming atmosphere that is hard to come by nowadays in Tokyo.