Standing outside Shimokitazawa station on a gloomy Saturday afternoon were these two guys trying to brighten up the day with an almost unbelievable offer: one hour’s worth of vodka nomihodai (drink all you can) for only ¥780.
Welcome to the wonderful multicolored, slightly vomit-spattered, world of recession drinking.
In addition to a proliferation of nomihodai offers, cut-price tachinomi (standing only) bars, where the customer sacrifices the comfort of a seat in return for cheap drinks and no table charge, are becoming ubiquitous. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun the number of standing bars in Sendai has increased fourfold since last year.
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