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  • Tokyo Jizake Strolling (restaurant Jinsei Sakaba inside the New Shinbashi Building) 

Tokyo Jizake Strolling (restaurant Jinsei Sakaba inside the New Shinbashi Building) 

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By Ryuji Takahashi

Shinbashi is a renowned business district where many shops line the streets, reminiscent of the Showa era (1926-1989). One venue familiar to many is the New Shinbashi Building, a large multi-tenant shopping mall on the Hibiyaguchi side of Shinbashi Station, occupied from the first basement floor to the fourth floor by many restaurants, a ticket broker, massage parlors, and shops targeting businessmen. Some call it a mall for old men. The Shinbashi Station west exit started as a black market after World War II and evolved until the current New Shinbashi Building was constructed in 1971.             
The interior of the retro, chaotic mall is long cherished as a mecca for businessmen. Many new commercial buildings were constructed recently to lease retail space to swanky shops featured on TV. The New Shinbashi Building built over fifty years ago offers a heartwarming nostalgic ambiance of the Showa Era, not felt in new stylish buildings. The basement of the New Shinbashi Building is home to many restaurants that serve alcohol during business hours on weekdays. Since I had a day off during the week with nowhere to go on my day off, I walked many rounds inside the basement floor of the New Shinbashi Building like a migratory fish.    
I saw “fans of alcoholic beverages” here and there partaking early in the day. I started to ponder ordering a glass of beer when a female restaurant worker greeted me and said, “We’re serving alcohol right now.” I quickly accepted the invitation and entered the restaurant “Jinsei Sakaba.” What a suitable restaurant name for me, I thought. The worker said, “If you want to enjoy more than one drink, all-you-can-drink is a better deal.” I quickly agreed and selected the 1 hour all-you-can-drink option for 980 JPY. First, I ordered draft beer. 
The cold beer was delicious after walking around inside the mall.       
The food menu listed Chinese style izakaya menu items. I ordered a chilled wakame seaweed salad. My appetite switched on as soon as I took the first bite. I ordered another glass of draft beer, then fried gyoza, Japanese-style omelet with spicy Pollack roe, and fried rice. All menu items were delicious, and the food was served quickly. I got into a lively conversation with the restaurant staff as I ate, and the first hour passed quickly. Of course, I exceeded my time limit and ordered several green tea highballs and shochu highballs. 
Two hours of fun passed quickly before I realized it. The food was delicious, the restaurant was comfortable, and the price was economical at this wonderful restaurant. The New Shinbashi Building is home to this excellent restaurant, currently under consideration for redevelopment due to deterioration. Although it would be sad to see this retro and chaotic ambiance close their doors, changes in the local landscape are inevitable in any era, surely, “all that remains of a warriors’ dream.”  
 
 
東京地酒散歩(ニュー新橋ビル人生酒場)  

サラリーマンの街として有名な新橋には、昭和の雰囲気を色濃く残した場所が数多くある。誰もが思いつく場所のひとつがニュー新橋ビルだろう。ニュー新橋ビルは新橋駅の日比谷口側にある大規模な雑居ビルで地下1階から4階までは飲食店や金券ショップやマッサージ店などサラリーマンをターゲットとした店が数多く存在している。その為、おやじビルなどと言われることもあるらしい。新橋西口は戦後のヤミ市から発展して現在のニュー新橋ビルが1971年に建った。レトロでカオスなビル内はサラリーマンの聖地として長く愛されている。最近は大規模な商業ビルが新しく建って、そこに入るオシャレなお店がテレビなどで取り上げられているが、建設から50年以上経っているニュー新橋ビルには新しいオシャレなビルでは決して感じる事の出来ない気取る事のない昭和の安心感がある。そんなニュー新橋ビルの地下には平日の昼間から酒が飲める店が沢山ある。平日休みの私はある休日に当てもなく、ニュー新橋ビルの地下1階を回遊魚の様にグルグル回っていた。昼間ながら既に酒を飲んでいる兵(つわもの)達をちらほら見受けることが出来た。その姿を見て、私もビール1杯でも飲もうかなと思い始めた時、一人の女性店員に「お酒飲めますよ」と声をかけられ、いとも簡単にその誘いに乗って店内に入った。店の名前は【人生酒場】。今の私にちょうど良い屋号じゃないかとか考えながら「もし、何杯か飲むなら飲み放題がお得ですよ」と言われ素直に1時間980円の飲み放題をセレクト。そしてまず生ビールを注文。ビル内を歩き回っていたので冷えた生ビールが最高に美味い。メニューを見ると中華料理ベースの居酒屋という感じだ。軽くわかめの冷菜を頼み口に入れた瞬間スイッチが入った。おかわりのビールを頼み、焼き餃子や明太子入りの玉子焼きや炒飯と次々に注文。何を食べても美味いし提供スピードも速い。途中、お店の方とも話が弾み、あっという間に1時間が終了。しかし当然延長戦に突入。途中から緑茶ハイや酎ハイを何杯呑んだだろう。あっという間に楽しい2時間が過ぎてしまった。料理が美味い、居心地が良い、何といっても安い。三拍子揃っている素晴らしい店だった。そんな素晴らしい店があるニュー新橋ビルは老朽化の為、再開発の話があるらしい。レトロでカオスな雰囲気が無くなる寂しさもあるが、風景の移り変わりはいつの時代も付き物である。まさに「兵(つわもの)どもが夢の後」とはこのことなのだろう。
 
#Shinbashi #alljapannews #japanese #japanesefood #japanesesake #jizake #sake #tokyo

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