Sat right outside Uguisudani Station on the Yamanote line and open from 7am daily, Shinanoji is a haven for revellers looking to grab a drink at dawn. Part bar, part budget eatery, it offers a variety of cheap meals, including shiratakini (a type of noodle salad), doteyaki (beef flavoured with miso and mirin) and aji-furai (deep-fried horse mackerel)...
Chain izakaya may lack flair, but they more than make up for it with homeliness. The best of the bunch can snare even bar-hoppers as avid as veteran DJ Moodman, who always makes a point of seeking out local watering holes when travelling around the country. Moodman’s go-to Tokyo boozer is the Uguisudani outpost of Shinanoji, a long-established Tokyo chain founded in Omori that currently operates two bars in the capital.
What’s special about this izakaya?
I guess it’s the instant gratification it provides. There’s an extensive menu of staple dishes dating back to when the place was a noodle restaurant, so you can have a great time here no matter the time of day. My go-to is the katsu-ni stew with a bottle of beer. Shinanoji satisfies both my hunger and my craving for a drink, and since it’s close to the station, I can head straight home once I’m done. That’s why I often use it as a pit stop during walks. If I worked around Uguisudani, I’d probably drop by every day.
Any memorable nights at Shinanoji?
I tend to visit when I’m performing at (the music venue) Tokyo Kinema Club nearby, and one fun memory is from when the band Kataomoi played there. They asked me not just to DJ, but to join them on stage as one of their ‘old guy dancers’. I practised quite a bit, but still messed up pretty badly. Luckily nobody seemed to notice it was me [laughs]. That night, I drank away my sorrows here before going home [laughs].
What type of music best describes the place?
It looks kind of blues-y from the outside, but I’d say ambient. There’s a shrine just above the bar, and I think a low-volume ambient soundtrack would match the vibe nicely.
