What is an Aisekiya?
They are Japanese match-making restaurants at which women can stay and eat and drink for as long as they like. For free. Meanwhile, men have to pay per thirty minutes or so for the all-you-can-eat-and-drink Japanese match-making fun.
“What the smeg?” I hear you cry.
Yes, places like this actually exist.
The aim is to match up two or three girls with two or three guys in an attempt to spark an attraction between them. So, it’s essentially a form of speed-dating. And the guys have to pay for the pleasure because Japan is a pretty sexist country. Women generally earn less than guys here or get married and quit their jobs to become housewives. So, the men are usually the ones made to pay their way.
Related Post: The Truth Behind Most Japanese Married Couples
Anyway, I digress. The term “aisekiya” (相席屋) literally translates as “sitting-together restaurants”. So, yeah, Japanese match-making restaurants!
My friends and I often go to aisekiyas because why the smeg wouldn’t you as a poor foreign girl trying to survive in expensive Tokyo? It’s like an even cheaper form of pre-drinking* that includes dinner too! There are also free games you can play (cards, Uno, Hungry Hippo, Pop the Pirate, Jenga, etc.), but the games available depend on the venue.
*For those of you who don’t know, “pre-drinking” is drinking shop-bought alcohol to get drunk before going on a night out to avoid paying extortionate bar prices.
Reasons I love aisekiyas
– All-you-can-eat-and-drink for FREE
– Fun games
– Free Japanese conversation classes with willing participants
My Japanese improves every time I go, as does my knowledge of Japanese culture and slang words. I think they are a bizarre but wonderful creation. Some of my friends have later gone on to have real dates with guys they have met at aisekiyas.
Reasons guys love aisekiyas
– All-you-can-eat-and-drink for however long you pay for
– A selection of beautiful, young Japanese girls to hit on without having to awkwardly single someone out in a bar or club
– The possibility to change table if you don’t like the girls you have been seated with. Just go and chat to one of the staff when you get up to pour yourself drinks
– You pour your own drinks, so you can add as much alcohol as you wish
Things to know before you go
– Like with host and hostess clubs, you must be able to speak some Japanese. They don’t accept foreigners with very little or no Japanese.
– You cannot go alone, so you must be with at least one other friend.
– The changing-partners rule works for both guys and girls. If you don’t like who you’re sat with, just ask the staff to be sat with someone else. In any case, the restaurant usually rotate the tables so you meet several different people in one evening.
– For the aisekiya that my friends and I always go to, you have to download an app to make a reservation and get seated.
My recommended aisekiya
The name is Aiseki – very original, I know. It’s a chain, so you will find branches in many places. The three that I have been to were in Roppongi and Shinjuku. You can check out information on the venues on the app for iPhones or Android before you go. Information, such as how full each of the venues are and what the ratio of men to women is. Smegging incredible, right?
Best times to go
For those females that just want to get free food and drink and then smeg off elsewhere, I suggest hitting the aisekiyas at about 6 or 7pm. I once went with three other friends at 7pm, and we waited for about an hour and a half before we were seated with any guys.
For those of you who actually want to meet Japanese people, head there at about 9ish and the place should be quite full.
And there you go! Jade’s guide to Japanese match-making restaurants! Hope you enjoyed it!
Leave me a comment if you end up checking one out sometime.
Jade xxx