Izakaya

Izakaya(居酒屋) is a Japanese style bar which you can enjoy both food and drinks. Compared to normal bars, Izakaya has quite distinctive characteristics.

First of all, Izakaya tends to be reasonably priced and normally has coupons you can use, like Hot Pepper. You can order à la carte, or they also have course meals with "Nomihoudai (飲み放題)" meaning as much as you can drink. That is usually allows you to drink within certain drinks for 2 hours at a fixed cost, for example 3000 yen Nomihoudai for 2 hours including  a course meal. If you feel like drinking a lot, I'd recommend you to use this system. 

How things work at Izakaya is quite simple. You enter one and tell the staff how many there are in your group, and they will show your table. Note, a lot of Izakaya have booths where you can get a private space, and so you are not going to be bothered by people sitting next you. Then, you will receive "Oshibori (おしぼり)" which is a damp towel and you clean hands with it. Whenever you are ready to order your food or drink, just push the button on your table, and they will come and take your order. While you are waiting for your drink to come, they will give you "Otoshi (お通し)" which is a kind of small appetizer, and you have to pay for it even though you didn't ask for, because this is sort of in lieu of paying a table charge, usually costing 300 yen or so.

Food at Izakaya can vary, since there are so many Izakaya out there, e.g. Asian Izakaya, Western Izakaya. However, there are some items that they always have, and they are typical Izakaya food. Edamame (boiled green soybeans)  is one of them, and which is also a traditional beer side for Japanese. Also, Karage (deep fried chicken) is a regular item too. In addition, Izakaya has fries, pizza, salad and even dessert.