One day I was walking down the streets of Kamata, observing all the different typically Japanese businesses located along its roads, when something unusual caught my eye... Could it be? A Spanish flag in this typical Tokyo neighborhood? It was.
A Spanish-styled bar, partly hidden under the staircase of a hair salon, was waiting for me right next to the share house where I was staying. So, evidently, I had to walk in.
Camp Nou is the perfect combination of a Spanish bar and Japanese hospitality. The small and cozy establishment has two big wooden tables, a long bar, toilets, air conditioning and an 80 inch LED TV screen in front of which customers can gather around to watch sports. The walls are filled with soccer flags because the main purpose of the pub is to drink good quality beer and watch sports with friends in the Spanish style (except more quietly). The Mediterranean inspired menu goes from baked potatoes to beef soup, and a reasonably priced Serrano ham leg will trick you into thinking you are in a Spanish taberna. However, no real Spanish dishes can be found here so do not ask for a tortilla.
Their specialty drink is miles from being a Mediterranean one, habushu; an Okinawan liquor consisting of a bottle of awamori in which a live snake is drowned and stored until consumption. I know what you're thinking, and, yes, it does sound a bit bizarre, but they claim it gives you energy and keeps away fatigue, which might be appropriate, because watching sports can be tiring sometimes.
Although, far from being in a convenient location due to the lack of tourist flow in the area , Camp Nou is not remote; it is located just 200 meters away from Zoshiki train station which is a 30 minute train ride from Shinagawa on the Kehin Kyuko Honsen line.
What makes this bar unique is the astonishingly warm welcome of its owners. They will treat any visitor like family and will try to make their short stay be as positive and remarkable as possible. Although I must warn any potential Iberian visitors, Spanish is not spoken here!
