Day in the Life of a Japanese All-Night Izakaya Restaurant Worker

Nov 18, 2023 | News On Japan

TOKYO - In Japan she is called an Okami, the head lady in charge of the restaurant, in this case a Japanese Izakaya.

This is the typical day of a Japanese night worker or a Japanese person who works all night at an all-night restaurant in Tokyo. She works at Ginza Karin, an all-night Izakaya restaurant that offers traditional home-style Japanese cuisine with a wide selection of alcohol in one the most opulent areas of Tokyo, Ginza. She built this shop from nothing and now she’s serves as the Okami. The early-shift workers start the prep beforehand, just in time so she can check the dishes when she arrives, ensuring that each dish created meet the high quality standards she’s put in place. Her restaurant is located in the heart of the Ginza 7 chome / 8 chome district, renowned for its abundance of Japanese hostess clubs, with many of the hostesses in the area either wearing dresses or Kimonos just like Yuka. The Izakaya serves Obanzai, which are everyday Japanese side dishes made with seasonal ingredients, originating from traditional Kyoto-style home cooking. The dishes are usually served in large bowls lined up on the shop’s countertop for customers to able to see and choose. We follow her from her morning routine all the way until the end of her work night.

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