Izakaya - Japanese Pub

At the end of a teaching contact, my brother often goes to an izakaya with his students to relax and hang out. I was invited to the Za-Watami izakaya by my brother, Michael, in order to experience some Japanese food and drink. I met his two students, Lisa and Hide, who were great people to have this first experience with. They introduced me to many native foods and drink they thought were essential to Japanese experience. I tried sake for the first time, as well as many foods. Of note, it was my first experiment with raw horse meat, sashimi and several other delicasies that I can not remember the names of. I am constantly in awe of the quality of service received in this country, espescially since there is no tipping! Good thing I did not get drunk, because I had to take the train and bike it home after.