International Izakaya

from the 3rd edition (12/95) of what was then called the "Ibara Report"

Near the Katsuta train station, across from a pachinko parlor and a karaoke box, is a . . . Japanese style izakaya.

"No, no! Wrong, wrong! Tonari desu!" said the Japanese master in the white smoke, cutting up food behind the counter of his bar.

Next door is the Drunken Duck, an English-style pub built one year ago by Australian Martin Gillett and his Ibaraki wife Yukari and her sister Yasuyo Kaminaga. "Welcome" and "Irasshaimase" both get called out when the Japanese-style shōji doors are opened.

Back in Australia, thinking about what they could do to build a life in Japan, Martin and Yukari decided to bring Australia with them and open up an English-style pub. A traditional English pub is a center for the community, a place where people of different generations and backgrounds get together. In Japan, Martin, Yukari and Yasuyo wanted to build a place that would fit into the local community and become a gathering spot for foreigners and Japanese people to get to know each other in a relaxed way.

Yasuyo and Yukari did the work finding a good location. They both wanted some place that was in a small town in a residential neighborhood rather than an area known for its drinking spots and snack bars. They also wanted a place on a corner with lots of windows so customers could look out and others walking by would be drawn in.

Martin was shocked at first when he came to Japan and saw the building which they chose. "Small." he said. "I couldn't imagine it as a pub. Originally it was an old izakaya and then a noodle restaurant. There used to be raised tatami where we've put benches and tables, and you can still see the marks where the paper shōji screens were." When they put a horseshoe-shaped curved bar in the middle of the room and old pictures and posters from England and Australia on the wall, the pub took a more traditional English feel.

The staff, a mix of local Ibarakians as well as foreigners, have all had experience traveling or living abroad, adding to the international feel that draws in regular customers. According to Yasuyo, the customers are a very mixed group. A lot of businessmen from Hitachi and Mito come because they've traveled internationally and like to meet with people from other countries. "I think they probably find foreigners entertaining," Martin adds. Others, usually younger people who haven't traveled, are interested in the world outside of Japan and come to experience some Western culture and customs. A regular contingent of foreigners hangs out, as well. Talking is no problem. There is a mix of Japanese of and English flowing about the room, people switching to whatever is easiest to get their point across.

Naturally, many people come for the food as well. In as English twist on the customary izakaya otōshi, Martin will bring you a small plate of sliced roast beef with hot mustard before taking your order. There's also traditional fish and chips, and a selection of bottled beer from 8 countries.

Back in Australia and the UK, pubs often organize sports events, special parties or group outings. Martin, Yukari and Yasuyo have found that such a tradition is a good way to bring people together. Trips to the beach and Nikkō as well as a Sports Day have already occurred. They've also had fun celebrating Western festivals. Last year, Halloween and St. Patrick's Day, an Irish festival, both came to Ibaraki. Martin and gang hope to create their own traditions in the years ahead and help with building a sense of community among the foreigners and locals of Ibaraki.

[This was 13 years ago . . . now the Drunken Duck has a second location near Mito City Hall. http://www.thedrunkenduck.net/ for more information. -ed]