Yotsuya Kakuuchi「Suzuden」・ 四谷の角打ち「鈴傳」

My first visit to Suzuden in the Yotsuya neighborhood in the southeastern part of Shinjuku ward in Tokyo was in July, 2024, after I gave a guest lecture at Sophia University's Institute of Comparative Culture about my ethnographic research of a tachinomiya「立ち呑み屋」standing bar in Osaka. My colleagues from the University thought a nearby tachinomiya would be an appropriate setting for the after-party. At the time, I was tired and hot from the lecture, and sweating after a 10-minute walk in my sports jacket carrying a heavy backpack containing artifacts and gear. I was also hungry and thirsty. We were lucky to be amongst the last customers to squeeze our way into the shop and make it to the counter. It was almost closing time. I could tell that this place was special. It had that tradtional vibe that I am so fond of in my drinking establishments. The nihonshu was excellent and the last remaining snacks of the evening were tasty. I really didn't have time to take in the full experience of Suzuden or take photographs. But I knew I had to return.

And I did return the very next afternoon, although this time I was too early. The tachinomiya was not open yet. I looked around Suzuden's liquor store (the original and main part of the business) and felt like a kid in a candy shop with all the bottles of nihonshu, shochu, whiskey, wine... I asked a staff member to recommend a nice bottle of nihonshu and was shown a premium sake from a famous brewery in Niigata; the brewery made this particular brand only to be sold at Suzuden. I bought two bottles. I talked with other staff members a bit and asked permission to take photos. Despite a displaying "No Photographs" sign, they gave me permission. I was able to go downstairs to see their sake cellar (described on their web site as a "underground refrigerated storage room, divided into three temperature zones [which] was built [by the family's previous and 6th generation chairman] with the sole desire to provide our customers with sake in the best possible condition, without degrading its freshness or flavor"); it was chilly and a little dark and a very much appreciated cool respite from the hot humid weather outside.

I was able to return to Suzuden in Janaury, 2025. I made sure I went in the evening so I could enjoy the tachinomiya. But before I went again I had done a little more research. Tachinomiya literally means "to stand and drink," and this style of drinking goes back to the Edo Period (1803-1868). It is different from an izakaya「居酒屋」in that one can sit down and eat at an izakaya. There are no chairs or stools at a tachinomiya; one is expected to stand while imbibing, which might limit the amount of time a customer stays at a tachinomiya (although I have seen this "rule" broken many times). Specifically, the drinking area at Suzuden is a kakuuchi「角打ち」, a place where customers can drink right at the liquor store. The kakuuchi is a specific type of tachinomiya that is inside a liquor shop rather than a regular drinking establishment like an izakaya or restaurant. There are some differences in terms of modern business licesnses (since 1948) as well. As a part of a liquor store, a kakuuchi has a Liquor Retail License combined with a basic or simplified food permission (canned food, simple snacks, oden, etc.), whereas an izakaya has a license based on food service hospitality regulations.

Before I started drinking, I looked around the sake shop again and bought two more bottles of the same nihonshu I purchased before. The staff was kind enough to wrap the bottles and keep them in a refigerator until I left. While drinking and eating, I was able to interact with more staff members and customers. I also formally met the founding family's 7th generation owner/chairman/represetative director and his sister, the executive vice presdient. I was took many photographs. It was a great evening.

A couple months later I made a small photo album of the photos I had taken in the previous two trips and sent it to Suzuden. They seemed very happy and signed off their thank you letter with "from your friends at Suzuden."

I returned to Suzuden for my fourth time in July, 2025. It had been a year and a half since I had been there. A few of the staff members remembered me. There were some other employees I hadn't met before. I bought two more bottles of my favorite nihonshu. The owners (I include the brother and sister with this term; they are definitely the bosses, but they work on the floor as well, greeting customers, serving drinks and washing dishes as needed) absolutely remembered me. And they gave me a real VIP treatment. The first drink and food orders were on the house. They gave me a shop towel. And they kept coming back to check up on me and talk. (Other customers wondered who the hell I was...) The kakuuchi technically opens at 5:00 PM. I had arrived at the shop a little after 4:30. I was the first to be allowed in the kakuuchi 15 minutes early. But many other people came early as well. The place was completely packed before the official 5:00 opening time. I told the owners that it was a good thing I got there early so I could get a spot at the counter. The sister told me, "you will always have a spot here."

Suzuden is 176 years old; it opened in 1850 (when Tokyo was still Edo) at the same spot where it is now in. The shop has gone through many changes and has weathered the years well, living though historical and challenging times such as the arrival of Commodore Perry and his black ships, the Meiji Restoration, Great Kanto Earthquake, Tokyo air raids, and COVID-19 pandemic. Suzuden has its own history and stories. I am not sure what I can add to that with more of my own simple words. (I apologize for the large amount of text here...)

What I present here are three batches of photos from the three times I visited and took photographs. This is the first time I am documeting Suzuden on VAoJ. This post starts with the most recent photos and then goes back through time. I hope to show the reader/viewer the development of my research, fieldwork, experiences and relationships with Suzuden. I am going to let the photos speak for themselves.

July 2026 ・ 2026年7月

January 2025 ・ 2025年1月

July 2024 ・ 2024年7月

On my way home to Osaka on the shinkansen...
新幹線で大阪の自宅へ帰る途中です...

***

This photo in January, 2025 is of a photographer from the Asahi Shimbun also documenting Suzuden.

I have already questioned what words I could add the to story of Suzuden. I have attempted to offer my own multimodal visual ethnography. But of course there is so much more to know. Not to worry, I will not leave my readers/viewers high and dry. Suzuden has been documented many times before. And so I am including here links to some of the words and photos (probably more illustrative and perfect than my own ethno-photographic attempts) of others that have been motivated to share the stories and history, usually in the context of enjoying sake along the way. I am also including links to more general descriptions of tachinomiya, often from a Kansai perspective. If you have suggestions for additonal links and/or comments and questions, please contact me. And explore VAoJ!

A sample of other online sources about Suzuden:
「鈴傳」に関するその他のオンライン情報源の例：

Suzuden Specialty Sake Shop Official Website
地酒専門店 鈴傳（すずでん） 公式サイト
http://suzuden-sake.com/

東京・四谷《スタンディングルーム鈴傳》
江戸時代から続く角打ちの聖地【前編】
｜新しい酒に出合える角打ちの名店①
Yotsuya, Tokyo: Standing Room Suzuden
A Mecca for *Kaku-uchi* (Shop-front Drinking) Dating Back to the Edo Period [Part 1] (2024)
A Renowned *Kaku-uchi* Spot Where You Can Discover New Sake ①
https://discoverjapan-web.com/article/121369

東京・四谷《スタンディングルーム鈴傳》
日本酒が進む呑兵衛好みの味つけ【後編】
｜新しい酒に出合える角打ちの名店①
Tokyo, Yotsuya: Standing Room Suzuden
Flavors that go perfectly with sake, a favorite of sake lovers [Part 2] (2024)
| A famous standing bar where you can discover new sake ①
https://discoverjapan-web.com/article/121378

創業170年、江戸より続く東京・角打ちの名店 四谷「鈴傳で一杯。」
"A drink at Suzuden in Yotsuya"—a renowned Tokyo *kaku-uchi* (standing bar) with a 170-year history dating back to the Edo period. (2024)
https://otokonokakurega.com/meet/secret-base/101139/

四ツ谷「スタンディングルーム鈴傳」#225　・　おんな類の酒場放浪記　(BS – TBS)
初回放送：2015年7月10日(金)
Yotsuya "Standing Room Suzuden" #225 *Onna-rui no Sakaba Hōrōki* (BS-TBS)
Original broadcast: July 10, 2015 (Fri)
https://bs.tbs.co.jp/onnasakaba/shop/225.html

男の聖地 角打ちに憩う: 全国名物立ち飲み酒屋特選 (ポスト・サピオムック)
Unwinding at the "Kaku-uchi": A Sanctuary for Men—A Selection of Famous Standing Bars Nationwide (Post-Sapio Mook, 2016)
Information about the mook: https://www.shogakukan.co.jp/news/141920
Available at Amazon.jp: https://www.amazon.co.jp/男の聖地-角打ちに憩う-全国名物立ち飲み酒屋特選-ポスト・サピオムック-小学館/dp/4091031684

Related Miscellaneous Sources on Japanese Tachinomiya and Kakuuchi:
日本の立ち呑み屋・角打ちに関するその他の関連資料

創業150余年なんばの老舗角打ち・シバチョウ本店をご紹介 Introducing Shibacho Main Store, a long-established standing bar in Namba with over 150 years of history. (2021)
https://ebisubashi-magazine.com/namba-shibacho-kakuuchi/

The Ultimate Local Experience: A Guide to Osaka’s Kaku-uchi Scene (2026)
https://osakaa.net/experience/osaka-kakuuchi-guide/

The Oldest Kakuuchi in Namba: Going Deep at SHIBACHO (2026)
https://www.osaka.com/drink/the-oldest-kakuuchi-in-namba-going-deep-at-shibacho/

Expoloring Osaka's Standing Bars Sober: A Guide to Friendly Fuse osaka.com/eat/exploring-osakas-standing-bars-sober-a-guide-to-friendly-fuse/

The standing bars of Osaka: Cheap, cheerful and nostalgic (2018)
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2018/11/10/food/standing-bars-osaka-cheap-cheerful-nostalgic/

Kansai Tachinomiya Dive Bar Guide
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1386385474945319

Saijō-chō Sake Breweries in Higashihiroshima

The last adventure and post in the VAoJ Hiroshima Research Trip Arc is about my tour of the sake breweries in Saijō-chō in Higashihiroshima. I left the big city and took a leisurely train ride through the countryside to get to Saijō-chō, located on the plains surrounded by mountains. It felt good to get away from the big crowds in Hiroshima (although I enjoyed the fewer numbers of tourists in Hiroshima compared to Osaka and Kyoto closer to home). Saijō is famous for its sake breweries that make ginjo and daiginjo nihonshu (premium and ultra premium rice wine), many of which have 100 years or more of history. The staff was very friendly at the train station information booth and helped me get to the brewery streets. The area is inviting and it is easy to walk to all of the breweries (even in the extreme heat). I visited 4 of the 7 larger breweries. Here are a couple of sources for more information about Saijō:

Higashihiroshima Kanko website: Saijō Sake Brewery Street / 西条酒蔵通り https://higashihiroshima-kanko.jp/saijo-sakaguradori/

Dive! Hiroshima website: Visit Hiroshima's local sake capital “Saijō” https://dive-hiroshima.com/en/feature/sake-wine-sake/

Kamoizumi

The first brewery I went to was Kamoizumi. This was my favorite of the shops I visited. It seemed more traditional and the staff was the most hospitable. I was allowed to sample small cups of the 4 brands of sake they make. You can purchase their products online. The other shops I went to were OK, and I gained much new knowledge from the staff that seemed releived I could speak Japanese, but they seemed a little more touristy. And the sake samples were limited and not free. Still, I was able to sample some very nice and varied kinds of sake. At Kamoizumi I bought a small bottle of sake that one is supposed to drink hot; I am doing my best to save it for the winter months.

Kirei

Saijotsuru

Lunch Break at Kamotsuru France-ya

At the train station information booth I asked what restaurant they would recommend for some traditional Hiroshima gourmet (something other than okonomiyaki). The big-hearted and good-natured lady recommended a place associated with the Kamotsuru brewery; she mentioned a very nice nabe dish. But when I got there, the lunch menu was only "Japanese French" dishes. And they seemed to focus on the pairing of French food and Japanese nihonshu (one of my favorite examples of globalization). I welcomed their air conditioning along with their suggestions for the lunch special and a good sake that went well with it. I'm afraid I don't have much experience with French food and its small portions so I wasn't quite sure about what some of the dishes I was eating was. I did develop a thirst for wine, but the (French?!?) restaurant didn't serve wine. So I settled for a pink lemon sake cocktail instead. Since I spent more than 3,000 yen, I received a coupon for a free sample of sake at the next brewery.

Kamotsuru

This place seemed to be the most famous and the crown jewel of the tour. It had many exhibitions and varieties of sake. I drank my free beverage and then purchased a tasting set of 4 different varieties.

One of this brewery's sake varieties is served at the famous shop, Sukiyabashi Jiro, in Tokyo featured in the film, Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Gelb 2011). Several years ago, then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took then U.S. President Barack Obama to Jiro's shop and enjoyed drinking the sake.

I would very much recommend Saijō for sake enthusists or anthropologists/travelers looking for a more relaxed experience at a less beaten tourist path spot. I would also recommend doing more research than I did beforehand because it seems like there are discounts and free items at breweries given (or purchased) at other local shops and information booths.

I learned a lot in this brief VAoJ Hiroshima Research Trip that I can use in my various projects and course lectures. I wish I could have had more time, but I had to return for a faculty report meeting (where I really didn't learn much...). The fall semester starts soon and research trips will have to wait. But I have some good ideas for next summer to explore Japanese baseball, cuisine and sake.