This is a shop introduced in Yoshida Rui's "Sakaba Hōrōki" located about a 5-minute walk from Ikegami Station, the third stop on the Kamata stroll. The interior of the shop has a U-shaped counter with about 18 seats, and there is one staff member. The items ordered were: Hoppy Black (500 yen) plus a medium-sized drink (I think it was 300 yen), served with ice in a kachiwari and an unknown shochu. The Yamaimo Yaki (700 yen) was also ordered, which is grated yam that is grilled and served rolled in seaweed, similar to mochi isoyaki. This dish was delicious, incredibly delicious. The shop provides cloth hand towels, and the shelf above the counter has a Showa era feel. The atmosphere is laid-back, especially right after opening when it's almost like a private reservation. The female owner promptly brings out an ashtray when regular customers arrive. This bar is loved by the people of Ikegami.

A local friend invited me to visit "Kiyomi" which was mentioned in Rui's wandering journey. Before that, I stopped by a nearby public bath called "Hisamatsu Onsen". It's a bathhouse with hot black water that I've visited many times before, but it had been a while since my last visit. I soaked in the hot water and then headed to "Kiyomi" which was just a 5-minute walk away. The bar had a long L-shaped counter that extended towards the back and turned a corner. There was only one other customer, who seemed to be a local, seated at the counter. I sat towards the back and ordered a Kirin beer. The menu had about 20 items listed on a whiteboard, and I ordered "Omelette (with leeks)", "Pork Kimchi", and "Onion Salad". The owner, a lady, was managing the place alone. The first dish that came out was the "Onion Salad" with spring onions. I was asked if I wanted soy sauce or ponzu, and I tried both. Next was the "Pork Kimchi", which had more cabbage kimchi than pork. I felt like having more pork... After the beer, I switched to Hoppy, with a ratio of 2 parts inside (Hoppy) to 1 part outside (shochu). For the "Omelette", I chose leeks, natto, mentaiko, and cheese as the filling. It felt like it needed a bit more salt, so I added some soy sauce. Around 9 p.m., more regular customers started coming in, and the quiet atmosphere gradually became lively. It was a unique and cool bar in a part of Ikegami that I hadn't explored much before.

Recently, there have been various changes happening around Ikegami Station, such as a new grilled pork offal restaurant opening and the rebuilding of the original Hisago Mochi Ikeda-ya building. I was curious about the reasons behind these changes and the future developments, so I decided to visit this long-standing restaurant where many locals are regular customers. I arrived on a Saturday around 7 pm and found five regular customers, making the place about 60% full. I ordered a bottle of beer (600 yen), pickled vegetables (300 yen), leek and egg dish (400 yen), and sake (300 yen). The pickled vegetables consisted of cucumbers and eggplants pickled in the shop's own nuka (rice bran) mixture, although this time the pickling was a bit shallow. The restaurant opens its curtain at 8 am every morning, but business hours start from 5 pm. Please be aware of this.

Wandering Tales of Women's Taverns