Otaku Bar FAQ

Otaku Bar Q&A

NOW with (slightly) less virulent bigotry and anger!

Why no reviews of bars in Tokyo / Kyoto / Okinawa / Place I'll be going on holiday?

I don't live there! I'm reviewing ones I can reasonably get to, and currently that means Osaka. If I visit one elsewhere I'll stick it on the list, of course, but I'm not going out of my way to visit too-distant ones. Some of the ones in a "reasonable" distance, like those around Sakaihigashi, are already pushing it!

Can I get by with zero Japanese / Do the staff often speak English?

Probably. If English-speaking (though that may not be very good) staff are there when I go I'll note it in the reviews. But as a general rule your expectation should be that nobody else in the bar will know English at all, especially if you're going to a more out-of-the-way one. That said, there's usually a katakana (not toooo hard to get)-heavy menu, or even a Google-translated Englishish one kicking about. Or you can use a camera translator. Have fun!

If I don't know Japanese will I feel left out / cold-shouldered in these places?

More often than not, yes. But it'll the same in just about any bar in Japan that isn't built to cater to gaijin (IE 99.9999% of them). And you don't want to go to gaijin bars. Just try your luck, practice Japanese or just relax knowing you're among "your people", even if you can't talk to them.

What are "Cover Charges"? I can be charged money just for being in there?

Yes. Some bars have a cover charge and charge for the drinks, others have a higher cover charge but are "Nomihodai", meaning all-you-can-drink within the time period. Watch the clock in these places, prices can go astronomical if you aren't careful!

Some bars game the system with cover charges, or the staff pour themselves drinks but put it on your bill (or are pushy about you getting them "gifts"). We call these "scams". I'll do my best to discover and warn you about them.

As a general rule for ALL bars in Japan - if they have sexy / pushy touts on the street outside, trying to encourage you to go in, DON'T!

I see some bars have different cover charges for men and women. Will my trans* or third-gender identity be taken into account?

Probably not. Tidy your room.

$5 for a small can? That's crazy! That toadally wouldn't fly back home! Why is it so expensive?

It just is. You aren't "back home", are you? Complaining won't fix it, so take it or leave it. If you must drink cheaply, buy cans at a supermarket and get plastered in a park with the homeless / Yankii crowds first, THEN go to a bar.

I'm LGBT / A BL fan, but I've read that Japan only has two gay bars in the entire country, will I be okay to visit these places?

Were you born that stupid, or did you have to practice?

I've heard that describing yourself as an "Otaku" in Japan can get you beaten up, because of some child murder case?

Oh yes, in much the same way calling yourself a car salesman in the UK will get you beaten up over the Shirley Banks case. Wait, the what? Yeah, exactly, nobody remembers a crime that happened in nineteen-eighty-fucking-seven. FAR more smug, "not an otaku" anime fans in the USA (probably the same sort who want to "fix" anime, by making it appeal to coastal, blue-state America) know about that case than random people on the streets in Japan do.

I've heard that smoking is still allowed in Japanese bars, is it common be hit with passive smoke in otaku bars?

Smoking is not "still allowed" in Japanese bars. I think you'll find British pubs and bars temporarily lack smoking. One day they will return to normal.

Why are there American comic and Harry Potter bars listed? How are those "Otaku"?

How did you escape from 2002? While I did once find some Japanese blog that linked to the Eltingville Club cartoon and had a long treatise trying to explain the differences between a "nerd" and a "geek" (good thing they didn't realise the Eltingville lads originally appeared in a comic called "Dork!", or we'd have been there all night), and how they differed from an "otaku", and how that differed from an "otaku" in Japan, let's face facts: it's all the fucking same. If the clientele of a bar are likely to enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, horror, gaming, animation, pulps, comics, trash paperbacks and the music associated with them, it goes in.

Which bars have disabled / wheelchair access?

Basically, none of them. Outside of the train stations and government buildings, in Japan narrow, steep, narrow, winding staircases are the order of the day. Even in the Misono building there's a ramp / lift up to the lobby of the second floor... then three more inaccessible steps just to taunt you. So close, but so far! Still I'll note any that are accessible which I find. Even then, you'll probably need a standard wheelchair with the narrow wheels, no electrified buggy with extra equipment on it.

I went to some place you recommended and it was gone / there was a different bar there! What gives?

Like I said, I'll try and keep on top of things, but I can't visit every one every week, so some might close down without me noticing. The Japanese Otaku-Ba! website has stories of bars that are closing down sometimes, though you'll have to auto-translate it. But most browsers can do that these days. Also sometimes bars move!

Glossary

Terms you might see in my reviews / on Japanese bar menus

Otaku Bar / Anime Bar / Anisong Bar

What this website exists to review! These are places where there's a bar, an anime / manga / nerd shit theme and you mainly drink alcohol.

Maid Cafe

What I'm NOT reviewing! Mainly because there's thousands of them, they're constantly opening and closing, they're expensive and kind of embarrasing. They also tend to open earlier in the day and do food and tea more. Though some are also open late and have alcohol. Still others split into "Cafe Time" and "Bar Time". And still others are mainly bars which are also maid cafes, which brings us on to...

Concafe

From "Concept Cafe", and not "Con" (though some of them are that, too). These are bars or cafes built around a theme - and some of those themes are otaku ones! These are like a grey area in between otaku bars proper, and maid cafes. I'll take them more case-by-case.

Nomihodai

All-you-can-drink. Honestly I just use this one in my reviews because it's quicker to type. From 飲む, drink.

Tabehodai

All-you-can-eat. From 食べる, eat.

Master

A male bar worker. Usually refers to the owner. As Japan had no involvement in the Transatlantic slave trade, no, I doubt they're going to change it any time soon. The world doesn't revolve around you.

Mama

A female bar worker, usually referring to the owner.

Staff / Sutaffu

Staff, the bar workers. That didn't really need explaining, did it? The more maid cafe-ey end of otaku bars have special (read: expensive) charges to take selfies with the "staff's".

Shot Style

This refers to bars where you pay a cheap(er) cover charge and then pay for drinks (any size drinks, not just "shots" as we know them). Some of them have both nomihodai and "shot style". The Shot Style might seem cheaper, but you'll end up wishing you did the Nomihodai!

Wan Dorinku / One Drink

Some bars have a cheaper cover charge / nomihodai system if you order a drink and finish it within the "blocks" of time the system uses. If you don't keep up you might get moved to a different system!

Sunakku / Snack / Charm

Some crisps, chocolates etc in a ¥100 shop tray you get given to justify an exorbitant cover charge. I once read that calling it a "charm" is very 1980's, but loads of bars still use that term.

Karaoke

Er, karaoke. Some bars charge you per song, watch out! Some of the more maid cafe-ey bars let you also request the staff to sing / perform... for a fee!

Bottle Keep

They keep a bottle of something there for only you to drink from. For a fee! (usually it's expensive stuff too, like high-end whisky or champagne). Obviously if you're a tourist you won't want to do this. This is really popular in gay bars, for some reason.

Yen

The money used in Japan. No, bars don't take US Dollars or Euros instead. For reference, ¥100 is worth approximately ¥100. A good rule to remember is that if something costs more money than you have, you can't afford it.

Cashless payments, Tap 'N Pay and even normal credit card payments are increasingly accepted in Japan, but still aren't all that common, especially in small businesses. Bring cash!

Sen

Once, a "sen" was the "pennies" to the Yen's "pounds", but one Yen is worth so little those were abolished years ago. However "sen" also means "one thousand", so a "sen" today is ¥1000.

Man

¥10,000, if you hear this in your price you've been doing well, or are at a scam bar.

Glossary Terms you might see in my reviews / on Japanese bar menus
Otaku Bar / Anime Bar / Anisong Bar	What this website exists to review! These are places where there's a bar, an anime / manga / nerd shit theme and you mainly drink alcohol.
Maid Cafe	What I'm NOT reviewing! Mainly because there's thousands of them, they're constantly opening and closing, they're expensive and kind of embarrasing. They also tend to open earlier in the day and do food and tea more. Though some are also open late and have alcohol. Still others split into "Cafe Time" and "Bar Time". And still others are mainly bars which are also maid cafes, which brings us on to...
Concafe	From "Concept Cafe", and not "Con" (though some of them are that, too). These are bars or cafes built around a theme - and some of those themes are otaku ones! These are like a grey area in between otaku bars proper, and maid cafes. I'll take them more case-by-case.
Nomihodai	All-you-can-drink. Honestly I just use this one in my reviews because it's quicker to type. From 飲む, drink.
Tabehodai	All-you-can-eat. From 食べる, eat.
Master	A male bar worker. Usually refers to the owner. As Japan had no involvement in the Transatlantic slave trade, no, I doubt they're going to change it any time soon. The world doesn't revolve around you.
Mama	A female bar worker, usually referring to the owner.
Staff / Sutaffu	Staff, the bar workers. That didn't really need explaining, did it? The more maid cafe-ey end of otaku bars have special (read: expensive) charges to take selfies with the "staff's".
Shot Style	This refers to bars where you pay a cheap(er) cover charge and then pay for drinks (any size drinks, not just "shots" as we know them). Some of them have both nomihodai and "shot style". The Shot Style might seem cheaper, but you'll end up wishing you did the Nomihodai!
Wan Dorinku / One Drink	Some bars have a cheaper cover charge / nomihodai system if you order a drink and finish it within the "blocks" of time the system uses. If you don't keep up you might get moved to a different system!
Sunakku / Snack / Charm	Some crisps, chocolates etc in a ¥100 shop tray you get given to justify an exorbitant cover charge. I once read that calling it a "charm" is very 1980's, but loads of bars still use that term.
Karaoke	Er, karaoke. Some bars charge you per song, watch out! Some of the more maid cafe-ey bars let you also request the staff to sing / perform... for a fee!
Bottle Keep	They keep a bottle of something there for only you to drink from. For a fee! (usually it's expensive stuff too, like high-end whisky or champagne). Obviously if you're a tourist you won't want to do this. This is really popular in gay bars, for some reason.
Yen	The money used in Japan. No, bars don't take US Dollars or Euros instead. For reference, ¥100 is worth approximately ¥100. A good rule to remember is that if something costs more money than you have, you can't afford it. Cashless payments, Tap 'N Pay and even normal credit card payments are increasingly accepted in Japan, but still aren't all that common, especially in small businesses. Bring cash!
Sen	Once, a "sen" was the "pennies" to the Yen's "pounds", but one Yen is worth so little those were abolished years ago. However "sen" also means "one thousand", so a "sen" today is ¥1000.
Man	¥10,000, if you hear this in your price you've been doing well, or are at a scam bar.