Book Break

Izakaya: the Japanese Pub Cookbook

by Mark Robinson, photographs by Masashi Kuma

Tuesday, June 24, 2008.　6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

(The speech and Q&A will be in English)

The izakaya, most commonly translated as “Japanese pub,” is a unique culinary institution, yet so ubiquitous that most Japanese take it for granted. At the same time, the izakaya and its tapas-like style of small dish dining, along with free-flowing drink, has until recently been little known in the West.

All this is changing. A new boom in izakaya is underway among Japan’s young people, and a significant trend toward this culinary form is blossoming overseas, in both the West and Asia. In short, izakaya look set to become Japan’s most significant dining-culture export since the sushi bar.

But what defines an izakaya? Is it the allure of the lantern or hanging noren curtain masking a cheery, even raucous combination of restaurant and bar, every place with its special atmosphere and cast of local characters? Is it the attitude of the master, or madame, or the layout of the room, the menu itself, or indeed the actual recipes?

Mark Robinson, a Tokyo resident and journalist/editor for some 20 years, has pursued his fascination with izakaya and summed up his findings in this first publication in English to delve into every aspect of a unique and vital cornerstone of Japanese food culture.

Robinson will present an overview of izakaya and also discuss the challenges of making the book, its unusual hybrid format of cookbook and food-culture exploration, the criteria for the varieties of establishments included, and the perverse pleasure he gained when his overtures to several establishments were rejected. He will also address questions of Izakaya etiquette, menu ordering, and others.

Izakaya: the Japanese Pub Cookbook, published in 2008, was described by the New York Times on June 1 as “. . . delightful . . . more a paean to the vibrant and complicated izakaya culture than a definitive cooking guide (one of the Tokyo joints he writes about has a name that translates as Laughing Drunk), but the recipes, more than 60 of them, are the sort you wish more neighborhood restaurant chefs in New York would read.”

A dinner will be served at a cost of 1,750 yen (including tax). Sign up now at the reception desk (3211-3161) or online at http://www.fccj.or.jp. To help us plan proper seating and food preparation, please reserve in advance, preferably by noon of the day of the event. Those without reservations will be turned away once available seats are filled.

Reservations cancelled less than 24 hours in advance will be charged in full.

Library Committee,
THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS’CLUB OF JAPAN