I have decided to try a different post style. Occasionally I am going to write a post that helps to understand some regular part of our lives here in Hamamatsu. They may seem a little boring but it is as much a diary entry for us as info for the readers.
I'll start with an average trip to Ohgiya.
Ohgiya is an izakaya. An informal drinking and eating establishment. It is conveniently placed between our flat (I am making a conscious effort to stop using the word apartment) and our place of work. This makes it a very tempting way point on our journey home after a long day. It has an area without permanent walls on two sides. In the summer this area is open to the street and in the winter it is protected by a heavy-duty shower curtain. The tables are small solid wood lumps surrounded by simple stools. As you enter staff shout 'Irashaimase!' (something like 'welcome') and one staff member will approach you to find out how many people are in your group. If seating space is available you are shown to it. The clientele at this particular venue is unusually varied. It is not unusual to see a mixture of Japanese (young and old) and gaikokujin (teachers, factory workers and professional drinkers). The atmosphere is relaxed and certainly not a place that salarymen would take important clients. It is cheap, one of the biggest draws. The beer is about one pound fifty for a glass that contains approximately 350ml of draught beer (varies massively though, the head can be anything from 2% to 50% of the glass). Other drinks that are popular with us are nihon shu (sake), sho chu (paint thinner), appuru saua (apple sour- an interesting collection of colourings and flavourings that produces mild intoxication), and ume shu soda (previously mentioned- the plum drink).
Although we usually order the same food every time, we often ask for eigo no menyu at ohgiya. Not many places have such a useful bit of paper. It's the menu in english and it is interesting to read the translations and be tempted by the dishes such as burnt gristle and bottom meat.
Our standard dishes are edamame (salted green soy beans - a great beer snack), daikon sarada (giant radish salad), yakitori (barbecued/grilled chicken on a stick), yaki onigiri, (barbecued rice ball). Something like a single stick of grilled chicken costs less than 50p. The service is polite and quite speedy. You pay at the till and it is worth checking the bill if you have been part of a large group because they have been known to make mistakes (not insignificant ones). We have had very few bad nights at Ohgiya which, considering the number of times we have been there, is surprising. I think they are a national chain and when looking for something cheap and cheerful we are both happy to call in at other Ohgiya venues. If anyone is in Hamamatsu and wants a no-frills evening then you could do a lot worse than this place!
