Take on the Japanese nigh spot

What is better than walking down a otherwise undescript Main Street in a major city and walking into a thriving little Mecca of restaurant and nightlife This is what makes Asia so great, around every little corner, down every little alley you can find an amazing place to sit and drink. The food (seems) fresh, the beer is cold, the service is solid and the smoke is thick but the best part is how easily you can feel like you are a part of it. Go to a bar in the US and you a practically alone, walk into a restaurant by yourself and they give you a huge booth but in Asia they throw you right in between a bunch of strangers and you just go with the flow. The expectation is that you interact or at least don't look away. It's the polar opposite of what you'd expect if you walked into a Denny's.