I walk by Shomin nearly everyday(the one with the Alfred Hitchcock-esque silhouette on its billboard…), and almost every time the crowd inside is spilling out into the street because it’s so busy. The reason for its popularity? Drinks(beer, shochu highballs, sake) and food(assorted Japanese tapas-like dishes) that are 200 – 350 yen each. It’s very possible to gorge on excellent food/drink here and yet pay less than 2000 yen. The catch, of course, is that you have to be someone who is willing to step into/seeking a 100% japanese environment, whether it be the menus which are all in Japanese, the crowd of semi-rowdy smoking Japanese businessmen(with a woman or two thrown into the mix), and the Japanese food and drink, while jostling with others to carve out your own 2×2 ft of space. This is tachi-nomi(a standing bar) after all. However, every item on the menu is a steal, often about half of what you’d pay in any regular izakaya, and 4 beers will only set you back 1000 yen. Chances are you’ll arrive with a lot of people inside, but they’re all generally very welcoming and friendly, and if you don’t understand Japanese it’s always possible to point at the food/drink you want from others nearby.
