As a bit of an experiment I decided rather than write up about the meal, I’d write up an appreciation of the meal and its surroundings, which is really what you have to do if you get the opportunity to experience eating in Japan.

From the outside Itaru looks like a typical small Japanese bar or pub. Once you enter the restaurant, we quickly began to realise it was a little more than a drinking hole. We were immediately greeted by the chefs on duty and had our coats taken off and hung onto the coat rack by the waitress. I was already impressed with this joint and I hadn’t even seen the menu yet.

Nonotori was an eye opening experience into a restaurant which seems to focus mainly (only) on all things chicken. Atleast they have made me immune to eating raw chicken, which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I’d like to try it again.

By the time we checked into our hostel (J-Hoppers) it was nearly 9pm. We actually had dinner at a chicken yaki tori place famous for it’s chicken, but I’ll post that one later because I am still trying to figure out the name of the izakaya. On the way home to our hostel, I was still hungry despite the feast we had earlier in the night.Hakkenden would be my first experience of an izakaya in Japan.