Originally published: Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2008. Japanese pubs, called izakaya, are attracting growing attention in Japan and overseas. As a matter of fact, a recent article in The New York Times claimed that the izakaya is starting to shove the sushi bar off its pedestal. While Japan has many guidebooks and cookbooks, this is the first publication in English to delve into every aspect of a unique and vital cornerstone of Japanese food culture. A venue for socializing and an increasingly innovative culinary influence, the izakaya serves

Photographs by: Masashi Kuma