Hiroshima: Izakaya Akariya

Japan is a culture of silence. On public transport, in restaurants, and even in the streets, everyone is quiet, creating a sense of peace. You travel or eat in tranquility, without cell phones or other distractions. Even big cities are quiet. Except for izakayas, neighbourhood pubs, where people seem to let loose. Our guide warned us that an izakaya can get pretty rowdy, but it was hard to imagine having experienced silent places.

In Hiroshima, after a day of activities, we didn’t feel like walking far for dinner, so we found an izakaya near the hotel. We were greeted warmly at Akariya and led to small table separated to the left by a mesh screen from another couple. The waiter closed the door on the right, and we found ourselves sitting in a little box, not great for my claustrophobia but intimate and neat. We don’t know how many tables/boxes that izakaya had, but judging by the loud laughter, conversations and shouts, there were quite a few. At first, we were shocked by the noise, but then we settled down, as it was all happy sounds of people enjoying the event and the company.

The menu was a pub fair, from fried chicken to Caesar salad, but it did have a selection of local dishes as well, and we enjoyed the pickled spicy cucumber, teppanyaki chicken (pieces sautéed and served on a hot pan), fried chicken skins, and yakitori (different meats on skewers; we particularly liked chicken hearts), rice, and a pint of beer (refreshing in the summer heat). A very pleasant experience.