A note on the words: hokkigai is the surf clam of the northern seas, sweet and firm; hamaguri is the hard clam prized for the broth it holds in its shell; Akaboshi, the Red Star, is Sapporo Lager; bettara-zuke is daikon pickled in sweet rice malt; and oshizushi is sushi pressed in a wooden box rather than shaped by hand. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Daini Chikara Shuzo on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
I want to eat something good today as well. This is Hangover Meshi.
Drinking in Nakano, and when it comes to a second bar, this has to be it: “Daini Chikara Shuzo”.
I remember being brought here once, long ago, and the fish was very good.
Inside it is bright and very clean. Bright enough that it is easy to walk into.
We were only dropping in, so the plan was a light drink and something to pick at.
A beer first.
Pickles are exactly the thing to go with the second bar’s beer.
You are not especially hungry, but you want something to pick at — and they are vegetables, after all.
Sakuradai, I think. Lightly seared and fragrant.
Butter-grilled, and grilled fairly hard.
Not sauteed, but grilled — you can feel the strength of intention behind that.
It is a pleasure that vegetables, mayonnaise and lemon come with it. Being well grilled, the moisture has gone out of the clams — but the flavour of the hokkigai comes through the more you chew, so for something to drink with, this degree of cooking may be the better choice.
Grilled hamaguri, three to a set. Relatively small ones.
The springy flesh and the clam juice inside are delicious.
Well, for a second bar, this is about right.
We only dropped in this time, but at a place built around fish and shellfish, being able to pick at clams is a real pleasure. The prices are reasonable, and above all the room is bright and easy to enter, and although it is noisy the atmosphere is good. Rather than settling in here for a proper meal first, I thought the way to use it is as a second or third stop, picking at fish and drinking a little as you go.
Daini Chikara Shuzo (izakaya / Nakano Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.4
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
