Snack Bar
スナック · sunakku
Also known as: sunakku
A small venue where the mama stands behind the counter and regulars pass the evening with bottle keep and karaoke; the most everyday kind of Japanese nightlife venue.
A snack bar is a small venue built around a counter, where the mama, the woman who runs it, mixes the drinks herself, talks with guests and sings along at karaoke. Some have cast members, but at heart it is a place for conversation between the mama and her regulars. The customers are mostly locals, the mood is relaxed, and every town in Japan has them.
The bill is usually a set fee, or charge, covering ice, water and snacks, plus the bottles and drinks you consume. Regulars keep a bottle and drink from their own. Hostess club mechanisms such as nomination fees and dohan fees do not, as a rule, exist here.
At a snack bar new to you, open the door, say it is your first time and ask whether you can come in; once seated, ask the mama about the prices and she will explain. Join the circle of regulars quietly, and if you are offered the karaoke microphone, one song goes a long way.
When you'll encounter this
You meet it as a category name on this site, on signs in drinking districts, and in everyday talk of going to a snack.
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