@mfohl sorry i missed your comment from some time back...this is just down the street from me on the local "shopping street". i live in a city called "setsu", which is north of osaka city proper, but still part of osaka prefecture. the shop on the left used to be a kind of "higher end" japanese restaurant that has since closed, and the shop on the right is a kind of makeshift bar/local hang out. it's not doing too well financially, either. there are thousands upon thousands of places like this in japan.