Have a drink on me

My bar experience has been limited whilst here.  I know...amazing!
But, having a 3 year-old does hamper what you do.  Especially when you don't have a babysitter and the only option so far (since mom has left) has been a strangely friendly Japanese woman who stopped me on our street one day to tell me, in VERY broken English, that she "babysits American kids" while pointing to Landon...Uh, yeah.  NO THANKS.

Anyway, I have been to three bars thus far: (in order of visitation)
Bar #1
The HUB Pub.  An English pub type bar located in the middle of Yokohama.  Conveniently right near the train station. It is small, has an open air patio option, very small tables and booths, and Western style bathrooms (meaning - there isn't just a hole in the floor to randomly aim at).  The music is loud - usually something American is playing - well, Beatles and then something American, and there is futbol (soccer) on all the televisions.  The bartenders and waiters all wear black pants and black & white referee jerseys.  They are all Japanese.
The bar has American and English bar foods (which I have not yet tried):  Fish & chips, burgers, onion rings and some sort of  'popper' type dish.  They also have bar nuts...which you have to BUY.  What is THAT all about.  Bar nuts are never good anyway so why would you BUY them??
They also let you reserve tables.  On one hand this is good - but it isn't really a 'restaurant' per say - so reserving tables takes the bar atmosphere (first come, first serve drunky) completely out of the equation.
And you can smoke.

Bar #2
Benny's.  This bar is located near Motomachi (the Rodeo Drive of Yokohama).  It is upstairs and if you don't know its there...you will never find it. Benny is a retired Navy guy and he has carved himself a little niche.  The bar is small, upstairs, has 5-7 tables, 3 electric dart boards (not the REAL dart boards - to the disappointment of some UK friends) and the bar is an S shape.  Well, HALF an S-shape. ( I guess that would be a U-shape, huh? Well, it has the makings of the next 'curve' in the S - so it still looks S-ish to me)  - it couldn't have been the alcohol! nooo.
The waitresses are Japanese and one of them (whom I have seen each time I've been there) speaks better English than most people I know.  The bartender (s) are, well, have been British...the accent is lovely, and in a loud smoky bar - they all sound the same.  So apologies if they are from Ireland, or Australia, etc...after a few toddies - it all sounds the same!
The food here is EXCELLENT.  They have a standard American menu...
burger, fries, grilled BBQ chicken and RIBS!  These ribs are as good as any I have had in the States.
They have loved seeing us coming through the door...husband 6'4", two stepsons each 6'2" - and all order the ribs!  A lunch can cost us upwards of Y20,000 = $200 USD.
You can also smoke in this bar.

Bar #3
D'Erlanger
This has been my favorite so far!  We ended up here on recommendation after a night with some new found friends from the first bar (The HUB)!
This bar is quite small (smaller than the rest) and none of them are big.  It has swinging front doors akin to an old-west saloon.  The bar is in the shape of what I remember being a triangle. Three or four SMALL tables in the back on the way to the restrooms and that's it. And you can smoke.
(if you haven't guessed it yet - you can smoke ANYWHERE here.  They have the no-smoking section, but until now - I have never realized how useless this really is). - and no, I don't smoke, anymore.
They also have cigarette machines on every corner!  And if you're lucky - a beer machine too!

When we ventured into this bar - there was only the bartender (a girl) and a Japanese gentleman wearing an American baseball cap.  Since there were 7 of us (all Americans, even though 3 live here in Japan and have for YEARS now) we got the 'eyebrow' look.
But after a few drinks (and me teaching the bartender how to make a lemon-drop shooter), and more loud music - I was shown why the one friend has been calling it "Vinyl" Bar all night...

Yes, they have all vinyl records and they are all in English!!!!!  I hit the mecca!


The bartender, luckily, took requests and after a little time and a few more drinks - me and the single Japanese gentleman at the end of the bar were singing at the top of our lungs together (across the bar mind you) and both playing air-guitar!  I know, lovely visual! Obviously I somehow bonded with the Japanese guy.

It was funny though - that Japanese guy didn't speak very good English in conversation - but I'll be damned if he didn't know EVERY SINGLE WORD to AC/DC's Back in Black!

So the night went on and we drank more and more,  we sang more and more and the vinyl kept burning up the record player.
My new friends decided I was a little crazy and that it had been way too long for me not to have heard any good ole American Rock-n-Roll.
My husband, I am sure, is still wondering why he married me!!!!

One more thing I have under my belt....singing at the top of my lungs to strangers in a bar in a foreign country!
You gotta love it!