Enjoy a casual drink and new encounters! A Special Feature on enjoying the Kaku-Uchi culture at liquor stores

A standing bar at a liquor store where you can meet new people and drinks

Kaku-Uchi refers to the culture of drinking at the standing bars installed in a corner of liquor stores. The word is said to come from the practice of drinking sake directly from a square wooden cup called a "masu". In times past, the square cup was used to measure out quantities of Japanese sake from barrels for sale, and the purchaser would then use the same cup to taste it on the spot, but the meaning of the term gradually changed.
One of the most popular areas for Kaku-Uchi in the prefecture is Kitakyushu City. Said to be where the custom originated, it began when tired workers in the industrial areas would stop by a liquor store to enjoy a drink after work. According to the Kitakyushu Kaku-Uchi Culture Research Association, there are no less than 65 liquor stores in the city where you can enjoy Kaku-Uchi, but today, that culture is spreading throughout Japan, and is becoming a common sight at both liquor stores and Izakaya style bars.

How to enjoy Kaku-Uchi 

The first thing you need to know to enjoy a drink at a Kaku-Uchi is how to pay. In most places, you pay cash-on-delivery each time you order, so those of you who have gone cashless should remember to carry some coins and bills with you. You can of course order single drinks, but many places offer a set of a drink and snacks called “Senbero”.
Needless to say, the variety of sake available is usually very wide, so you can select your preference from among that liquor store’s many proud offerings. The standing bar allows you to enjoy your drink at a comfortable distance from other bar goers, a situation that naturally leads to conversation among them. So when your inhibitions have been lowered just the right amount by the delicious sake, why not be brave and try speaking with the shop staff or one of the regulars? Another appeal of Kaku-Uchi is not only the sake, but the snacks and foods on offer made with local Fukuoka ingredients.

Located at the center of the Tenjin Daimyo quarter, the biggest entertainment district in Kyushu, Kotani Saketen is a liquor store established 65 years ago that is always bustling with many local regulars and tourists. It is a high profile spot that has also enjoyed quite a lot of media coverage. Their rich selection includes not only Japanese shochu and sake, but beers and wines from around the world. In addition to the popular finger food and dry snacks, there are also light meals in Italian and Japanese cuisine, perfect if you are a bit peckish. The warm, old fashioned space is also easy and inviting for Kaku-Uchi first timers.

Koba Saketen is located in Yakuin Mutsukado at the center of Fukuoka City. Founded as a liquor store in 1930, visitors to the Kaku-Uchi can enter from the stylish entrance at the back of the shop.
The most surprising thing when you first enter is the huge menu of snacks written on the wall. They over over 40 different interesting snack dishes, such as squid dumplings, whale, and chicken skin in ponzu sauce. One popular dish is their airy, vertical, and crispy salt yakisoba noodles. For alcoholic drinks, they offer beers, shochu and sake from around Japan selected carefully by the owner, and wines for the low price of 300 to 700 Yen per glass.

Let us introduce Sumiyoshi Shuhan, a liquor store offering accessible Kaku-Uchi in the JR Hakata Station. This shop offers you an opportunity to fully enjoy the delicious sake and foods of Kyushu, featuring carefully selected sake, ingredients, and tableware from throughout Kyushu. All of the sake, snacks, and tableware offered at the Kaku-Uchi corner in the back of the store are also available for sale, so if you fall in love with one of them, you can buy it and take it home as a souvenir!　
We recommend you try comparing the various sakes available, and they even offer their famous Irohani-Masu set of four types of sake.

Mentaiko is one of the most popular dishes in Fukuoka. Did you know that Fukutaro, a leading Mentaiko maker, also operates their own Kaku-Uchi bar? Located on the 3rd floor of Tenjin Terra in the Chuo ward of Fukuoka City, Kaku-Uchi FUKUTARO offers a wide variety of foods including Japanese, general western, and even French, and a variety of alchoholic beverages carefully selected by their sommelier. In addition to standard side dishes such as potato salad and edamame (green soybeans), you can also enjoy Fukutaro’s own delicious products such as Mentaiko and Menbei (Mentaiko flavored rice crackers). They are open for lunch, so you can start your bar hopping early!

141 Saketen (Ishii Saketen) is located in Kurume city. The stylishly designed space offers over 1,000 different varieties of wine and Japanese sake to taste. Many of the dishes on their menu are designed for pairing with the wines and sakes, and the contents change seasonally, so you will always encounter something new each time you visit. The owner, a sommelier and former wine importer, and who also holds a “Sake Diploma”, will suggest the best drink for your tastes, so this is a great Kaku-Uchi to visit if you are not particularly knowledgeable about wine and Japanese sake.