Almost everyone interested in sake wants to know where to drink great sake at cheap prices. Perhaps you don't always want to settle down for the evening in a nice traditional pub. Perhaps you just want to sample a few decent sake on the cheap or have a quick drink on the way home. Well, assuming you pass through Shinbashi Station, Tachinomi Gin is the place for you.

The tachinomi part of the name tells you a bit about why it is so cheap; it is a stand-and-drink place. The overhead is minimal, the turnover is high and the frills are nil. Another reason the prices are low and the selection is impressive is that Tachinomi Gin is owned and operated by one of the largest distributors of premium sake in Tokyo, Oboshi-Okamura. The character for gin is taken from ginjoshu, hinting at the fine quality of the sake you can enjoy here.

But be warned: This is a salaryman joint all the way. Most folks are there alone or with one other person, winding down before the trip home. It is hardly a place to settle into for a couple of hours -- though this is made pretty obvious by, among other things, the total lack of chairs.