If you are a Japan-and-Sake lover, you probably won’t be unfamiliar with Izakaya. It is a usual sight in Japan where salarymen and students gathering together in Izakaya, smacking their lips over nice meals and alcohol, and making merry. This time in Ginza, we found an Izakaya providing a novel service.
A demon in Izakaya?!
Under the light with moderate brightness, the restaurant was filled with calm atmosphere, thronged and alive with lots of customers. While all groups were enjoying their drinking parties at ease, suddenly a suspicious voice vibrated through the whole restaurant. Five minutes later, a red ghost on a straw-made costume showed up and walked from table to table, yelling “Are naughy kids around?”. We were scared by his look at first sight, but he was surprisingly kind and just drank and made merry with customers.
Messenger of God from Akita coming to Izakaya?
As a matter of fact, this ghost is a messenger of God showing up in the famous traditional yearly event “Namahage” in Akita Prefecture. Sometimes the ghost himself is also called “Namahage”. The event Namahage is held for admonishing against bad behavior, getting rid of bad luck and bringing a good harvest and a good catch. It is very unusual to see this character in Tokyo. Moreover, there must be nowhere else but this Izakaya where you can even interact with him such closely. We highly recommend this place to those who are interested in experiencing provincial traditional culture in Tokyo.
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