Tourists to Japan Love the Historic Snack Bars [Video]

Tucked behind a windowless door, in the corners of buildings or up a narrow staircase in parts of Japan lie once mysterious sunakkus, or snack-bars. Once an unusual place even for residents to frequent, these establishments are rapidly becoming a top tourist attraction.

Since shedding their shadowy history, Japan’s modern snack bars have been transformed into cozy, retro hideaways. Rife with decades-old traditions and jammed with Karaoke equipment, tourists love discovering these secret spots.

Once deemed locals-only spots hidden from tourists, Japan’s famous snack bars traditionally catered to late-night patrons. Crammed into small spaces in the business district, they enticed businessmen with delicious local food treats and the doting attention of the resident ‘Mama.’ Nowadays, the clientele frequenting snack bars is a wide demographic, and even tourists have started discovering these quirky spots.

The Transition From A Shady Past

Like prohibition necessitating American speakeasies, Japanese snack bars came about due to a ban on their own: …