My three day observation was spent at a local restaurant called Yakidon Tamaya. Mr. Nishida has owned the business for 40 years. His brother started it while he was in university and he would help out. Eventually he moved on to open his own branch in Meguro.

A typical day for them starts around 4pm when they unlock the doors and start setting up. Around 4:30 Mr Nishida and the employees sit down and enjoy a quick bowl of ramen before work. By 5, they open the doors and start inviting guest. In Japan, this usually consists of standing at the entrance and clapping your hands to gain attention while yelling "irashai masse"....

On weeknights there are usually a group of businessmen looking to grab a few beers and a bite to eat after work. Sometimes there are couples on dates as well. Saturday nights are only a little different. Usually, a few more dating couples and I noticed some women that probably have sales jobs out for a dinner and some small talk. Still it's the after work crowd that gravitates toward a small and friendly atmosphere like this.

The food itself is traditional Japanese food of horomone (intestines) and old staples like nikujaga (meat and potatoes) and yaki-onigiri (fried rice ball). But there was a strange spice I couldn't quite place in the food. It tasted like garam masala, normally used in Indian food. My girlfriend said it tasted like Taiwanese food. Then I began to look around and noticed that almost all of the part time workers seemed to be of non-Japanese descent. They looked and sounded a bit Chinese. Mr. Nishida had mentioned that it was difficult to find part time help these days, and as he ages he will need more of it. Perhaps it would be interesting to find out what his plans are for passing on his 40 years of work. Will it be up to foreign immigrants to run cozy traditional Japanese establishments...?