The Living objects
By am On 2007年5月7日月曜日 At 16:16
The pub is more like a one-(wo)man-show, the owner Mummy being the accountant, the cook, the entertainer and the cleaner. In her job, social skills are most important – the ability to make friends with the customers, talk to them, make them want to return. Since the room is so small, every customer can take part of the conversation. Having a drink with the customers is also part of the job. Costumers do not give tips, but they will offer to have a drink with them and refusing a customer’s kindness is considered rude (Smith 1988:82). To attract the students living in the area, she started the so-called English Pub. Generally, that means getting a couple of exchange students to help behind the counter two nights a week; she calls it the place “where everyone can practice English or Japanese”.
“I started it a year ago, because I could speak some English, I decided to ask some students to help me one night a week. I didn’t think many exchange students would come, since the bar was too far from the dormitories, but the word spread and more people started coming.”
Why did you start your izkaya in Hirakata?
Mummy: My son studies in KG University, so I decided to rent here. Hirakata is not so expensive as Kyoto or Osaka.
What people mostly come to the bar?
Mummy: “Mostly older people. Older people live in this neighborhood. Money is also an issue - my bar is not expensive, but big chain-izakayas can be even cheaper, so younger people usually go there.”
Why do people come here?
Mummy:“Many people feel lonely or sad, depressed and they want to go out and talk to someone. So it is fair to say that feeling lonely or sad is good for my bar. If people stopped feeling lonely, nobody would come here. Yes, you can say, that I profit from people’s loneliness. But I think it is so everywhere in the world.”
Lonely or not, this picture shows two regular customers who I’ve seen coming to the bar many times a week. Why do they come here? The answers are similar: good food and good talk.
“The English Pub” has proven to be a good business idea. The man sitting behind the counter on this picture came to the pub for the first time out of curiosity after reading a flyer about it. He is a salaryman in Osaka city and usually goes to izakayas in Osaka.
A very typical picture – someone explaining where they family comes from. In reality, of course, English is of little use in such situation, and students have to manage with their knowledge on Japanese. A positive fact from KG University’s point of view, which urges the foreign students to practice Japanese as often as possible.
The woman sitting in the background is a regular visitor, comes many times a week.
A short 15-second video I shot in the izakaya as an example of active interaction with the customers (very low quality, shot with a cellphone, 3gp format)
“I started it a year ago, because I could speak some English, I decided to ask some students to help me one night a week. I didn’t think many exchange students would come, since the bar was too far from the dormitories, but the word spread and more people started coming.”
Why did you start your izkaya in Hirakata?
Mummy: My son studies in KG University, so I decided to rent here. Hirakata is not so expensive as Kyoto or Osaka.
What people mostly come to the bar?
Mummy: “Mostly older people. Older people live in this neighborhood. Money is also an issue - my bar is not expensive, but big chain-izakayas can be even cheaper, so younger people usually go there.”
Why do people come here?
Mummy:“Many people feel lonely or sad, depressed and they want to go out and talk to someone. So it is fair to say that feeling lonely or sad is good for my bar. If people stopped feeling lonely, nobody would come here. Yes, you can say, that I profit from people’s loneliness. But I think it is so everywhere in the world.”
Lonely or not, this picture shows two regular customers who I’ve seen coming to the bar many times a week. Why do they come here? The answers are similar: good food and good talk.
“The English Pub” has proven to be a good business idea. The man sitting behind the counter on this picture came to the pub for the first time out of curiosity after reading a flyer about it. He is a salaryman in Osaka city and usually goes to izakayas in Osaka.
A very typical picture – someone explaining where they family comes from. In reality, of course, English is of little use in such situation, and students have to manage with their knowledge on Japanese. A positive fact from KG University’s point of view, which urges the foreign students to practice Japanese as often as possible.
The woman sitting in the background is a regular visitor, comes many times a week.
A short 15-second video I shot in the izakaya as an example of active interaction with the customers (very low quality, shot with a cellphone, 3gp format)
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