Smokey Japanese Pub

The overall presentation of numerous white lanterns and bright lights of this izakaya betray a growing taboo in Japan--a smoker-friendly pub. Two of the placards (left and center) are advertising that it’s OK to smoke tobacco in this pub.

That said, the pub has high star reviews! If you haven’t broken the habit, this is the pub for you. For non-smokers, just be wary that there are still plenty of restaurants and bars that still allow smoking or will have a half-hazard smoking/non-smoking sections. Over the past few decades, laws and regulations have been slowly implemented to prohibit any smoking in public in line with fewer smokers among younger generations.