For in truth, the traditional Japanese izakaya is neither a bar nor a restaurant, but perhaps best described as somewhere in-between.

When you walk into the restaurant, you will be surrounded by posters and toys from generations ago. Old movie posters from the 60s, advertisement signs, country flags used during school sports days, discontinued Astro-boy figures……

In Japan it will always be easy to find places to eat and rest. But what if you’ve got a much larger family of perhaps six to ten people? For a vacation that’s more fun than stressful, it’s important to think things through and take a couple of things into consideration.

Ten years ago the Tennoji area of Osaka was characterized by its rugged, authentic Osakan edge due to it's close proximity to more blue collar areas such as Shin-Imamiya and one of Osaka's oldest neighbourhoods, Shin Sekai.

The Japanese style bar, or izakaya (居酒屋), is a common destination for the white collar workers. By the end of the day, the crowds look for a place to enjoy the happy hour time. For that purpose, the izakayas in Ginza and Yurakuchou are the best choices around.