Kusatsu Miyataya

A charming down-to-earth neighbourhood izakaya

Peter Sidell Jun 10, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>There's a tatami area where you can sit on the floor</p>

<p>Or you can sit at a table or at the counter</p>

<p>This cat keeps an eye out to make sure everyone behaves</p>

<p>The fittings are traditional and unfussy</p>

<p>When there's a car parked in front, this is what Miyataya looks like</p>

A few minutes' walk from touristy central Kusatsu, Miyataya is a friendly, down-to-earth and very reasonably priced neighbourhood izakaya (dining bar), open for lunch and dinner every day except Thursdays.

Single dishes such as tempura or curry, served with udon or soba noodles, cost around ¥550 or ¥650, while full meal sets with tempura, pork cutlet, fried seafood or fried chicken are between ¥700 and ¥1000. By way of drinks, juices are ¥200, whisky or sake ¥450, beer ¥650.

It's more for locals than for visitors, so everything's only in Japanese, but the staff are perfectly friendly, making it a good place to get a cheap, tasty, filling meal in an authentic everyday Japanese setting.

Peter Sidell @peter.sidell

I came to Japan from Manchester, England in 2003, and have travelled a lot since then, around Japan and in Asia. When I'm not working, I write satire and perform stand-up comedy in and around Tokyo. Check YouTube for a taste.