Cigarette hanging from the side of his mouth, Toru Kambayashi is busy behind the counter preparing to open his bar when a couple ¡ª American, perhaps, judging from their accents ¡ª poke their heads in the door, asking if they can come in for a drink.
¡°Not yet,¡± says Kambayashi, the bearded and bespectacled owner of , one of the near 280 bars, pubs and other establishments tightly packing the labyrinthine alleys of Shinjuku Golden Gai. His place opens promptly at 7 p.m.
¡°OK, we¡¯ll come back later,¡± one of them says as they drift back out into the winter evening where fluorescent shop signs are beginning to flicker to life, slowly transforming these narrow, rustic streets into a colorful concoction of cramped watering holes.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.