My Portfolio: Stand-up eating shop (Tachigui) in Japan

Ever wondered how people living in such a busy society like Japan solve their eat and drink issues? Some of the salary-men are simply too busy to have a quiet lunch or dinner. Wander around in the busy streets of Tokyo, or any other cities, and you shall discover the unique secrets to Japanese eat and drink culture.

I am very interested in Japanese culture and I enjoy discovering how Japan is different from other countries. Following, I would like to share some aspects of Japanese culture that I find interesting.

I believe many people enjoy Japanese cuisine. Sitting down in a Japanese restaurant and tasting sake while enjoying Japanese food at the same time is enjoyable. Although people from New Zealand do sit down and slowly enjoy their meals as well. However, the interesting thing is that recently on the streets of Tokyo, a food and drink culture has been emerging. Eating places used only by old men have now become some of the most popular places among the younger salaried-men and office workers. So what exactly is causing such a big change?

This food and drink culture is actually called “Tachigui” (stand-up eating shop) and “Tachinomi” (stand-up drinking shop). The feature of this type of eating and drinking is that it is both money and time saving. These shops are normally furnished with only tables and no chairs, or have neither.

These shops have actually existed since a very long time ago, and the majority of customers are male. Whenever you feel hungry on the way home, you can always hop into one of the Tachigui shops and order a soba or udon, finishing them fast and loud (Yes, loud, which is a sign of respect to the chef in Japanese eating culture). You might also favour a few strings of Japanese BBQ kebabs with your colleagues (standing, of course) before you return home for dinner. Therefore, most people’s impressions of stand-up shops are of tightly packed people sweating and dining on their feet.

In the older days, such shops focused on speed rather than the actual quality of the food. Nowadays, however, such shops begin to focus on quality of food as well as speed. This type of service provides these young salaried-men and office workers new choices of dining even in a busy and economically disordered society.