I was in the mood for a drink and walked into Katsuyama Liquor Store. I saw a counter, a table, and a few customers standing around and thought, “Perfect, it’s a standing bar.”

The clerk handed me an empty glass, which is not what I expected when walking into a bar, but then again, it didn’t exactly look like a bar. He saw my puzzled face and explained to me that you take what you want and pay later.

I took a can of beer and some snacks and sat down at the counter when the woman next to me started a conversation.

“It’s gotten colder these days hasn’t it?”
I was surprised that a stranger was talking to me. This never happens back in Tokyo. But I saw she was drinking a full glass of sake, and I loosened up a bit.
“Is it your first time at a combined liquor store?”
What does she mean, “combined liquor store”?
“Is it like a standing bar?”

She laughed, and I noticed she was in a suit, probably on her way home from work.
“At a combined Liquor Store you can grab a quick drink and head home. it doesn’t matter if you’re sitting or standing, or if you stay long or not. That’s what a combined liquor store is.”
I turned around and saw people sitting and drinking. True, it wasn’t a standing bar after all.
“So how does it work-- Do you go around to a few locations each time?”

“Sometimes, yeah. Back in the day when Kitakyushu had a thriving factory culture, workers from all around the country gathered here to work. So after work, they would all grab a drink to recoup and gain the strength to work another day. That feeling seeped into Kitakyushu and combined liquor stores came to be.”
“Where will you go tomorrow?”
“To a place called Yahata.”
“As a matter of fact, there’s a really good place there…”

She continues to tell me about a little place only the locals know. Then she turns to the clerk and asks for the check.
I know I shouldn’t have, but I peeked at the check-- only 250 yen. I couldn’t hide the shock on my face, and she smiled at me.
“I told you, didn’t I? I absolutely love these combined liquor stores.”
I’ll never forget her smile. It was radiant and energetic, not the kind of smile you usually have after a hard day's work.

Should I try to find a few more combined liquor stores? I’ll think it over as I finish this beer.