Irish Pubs

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Irish pubs the best--bar none
Cameron McLauchlan / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer

Until 1993, anybody hankering for a pint of Kilkenny or Guinness and some craic at an authentic Irish pub in Japan would most likely have died of thirst while they searched. It wasn't until Murphy's opened in Chuo Ward, Osaka, in November that year that patrons finally had somewhere to down a few beverages in surroundings reminiscent of the Emerald Isle. And in April 1995, Paddy Foley's in Roppongi, Tokyo, became the first pub in Japan pieced together by Irish builders and painters especially sent over to build a pub modeled on a traditional design, right down to the authentic bric-a-brac.

A decade or so later, the thirst for Irish pubs seems almost unquenchable. According to Takashi Toyama, a representative of Enterprise Ireland, about 70 Irish pubs now dot the country, 40 of which opened in the past five years. This equates to about one pub per 25 Irish people registered with the embassy here.

"Customers are looking for a cozy, warm atmosphere with Irish music," Murphy's Dublin-born manager Michael O'Carroll said by telephone.

Taro Maeda, president of New Tokyo Restaurant Co., which operates Duffy's in Ginza, Tokyo, said the expansion of Irish pubs is a trend indicative of changing lifestyles.

"Many people don't want to stand on formality anymore when they go out, but they want to do something trendy," Maeda said. "Irish pubs, with their casual, friendly atmosphere, fit the bill nicely."

Having a top-quality menu also is indispensible for running an Irish pub, he added.

Complementing this change--and reinforcing it--was the 2002 soccer World Cup finals. The games were the biggest impetus behind the seemingly relentless expansion of Irish pubs in the past few years, said Yoshinori Wakabayashi, general manager of The Dubliners pub in Otemachi, Tokyo, which opened in November 2003.

"The excitement generated by the fans visiting for the World Cup really kick-started people's awareness of Irish pubs," he said. "Interacting with fans from overseas over a drink really helped people learn about the beauty of an Irish pub."

Irish pubs today are a fluctuating mix of Japanese and non-Japanese of a mostly younger age bracket. Maeda said about 30 percent of Duffy's clientele are non-Japanese, while Wakabayashi said the ratio varies among the Dubliners pubs but averages about a 50-50 split. And while businessmen tend to be the main guests at the Dubliners pubs in Otemachi and Akasaka, you'd struggle to find a suit at the Shinjuku and Ikebukuro bars, which attract patrons mostly in their 20s and 30s.

But an Irish pub would not be an Irish pub without Guinness, and Japan's taste for the stout has been growing since Sapporo Breweries Ltd. began importing and selling it in 1964. These pubs in this country have turbocharged the demand for Guinness and Kilkenny, with sales of the brews at Irish pubs here showing the highest growth in Asia, according to Toyama.

For Irish bar operators, success can hinge on finding bar staff able to fulfill the staple role of being happy to chat with the customers--an aspect inherent in genuine Irish pubs that leaves their imitators green with envy. Several, such as Paddy Foley's, have Irish managers, ensuring the pubs stay true to their roots.

"Just having a place for customers to stand and serving Guinness doesn't make an Irish pub," said Hiroko Ueno, an assistant manager of the corporate planning department of Sapporo Lion Inc., which operates the seven Dubliners pubs in Tokyo. "The beauty of an Irish pub is the staff's closeness with the customers...they are more like friends. It shouldn't just be a restaurant you go to eat and drink--it has more of a family feel, where you go to meet people."

Indeed, not every Irish bar is guaranteed success. Although the circumstances vary, the Shamrock in Kichijoji, Tokyo, closed down recently and two Dubliners bars in Kobe and Osaka were wound up a few years after opening.

But Ueno believes there is a huge untapped customer base that will whip up the craic, the lively atmosphere of a pub in which conversation mingles with the music and clinking glasses.

"I took a friend to a pub recently and they asked me, 'What's Guinness?'" Ueno said. "I realized there are still people out there who don't know about [Irish pub culture]. I think there's room for growth yet."

Now that's worth drinking to.

Slainte!

(Mar. 11, 2006)