Greg Girard - Snack Sakura (pre-order)

Greg Girard
Snack Sakura (pre-order)

Published by Kominek, 2025
Size: 29 x 23 cm
272 pages
Language: English
Softcover with dust jacket.

“If you know Japan, you will be familiar with a certain type of drinking place called a snack bar. They are found all over the country, in large cities and small towns. They generally consist of a counter and a few stools, perhaps one or two booths, usually presided over by a middle-aged woman, the maman, or less often by a man, the maître. The customers are usually regulars. Unlike a normal bar where the first customer simply enters and sits down, the etiquette at a snack bar for a newcomer is to first ask their maman if they can come in. The entertainment, if you can call it that, aside from a simple drinks menu, is conversation with the maman, conversation with other customers, and karaoke. At the time of writing, they are considered the least fashionable places in the country to have a drink.”

A few years ago, while traveling in Japan, I noticed that every town seemed to have a snack bar named "Sakura." The name Sakura, or cherry blossom, is so common for a business that it can be a little unimaginative. But in a way that seemed to fit with the old-fashionedness of these places. It really did seem like every town had one, and after checking with the Japan Snack Bar Owners Association, they confirmed that indeed, among their members, Snack Sakura was the most common name. And so I decided to try to visit and photograph as many as I could, across the country, from Okinawa to Hokkaido.

At first, I simply stumbled upon Snack Sakuras without looking for them. Once I decided to try to find them, things got complicated. Many of them don't have phone numbers or a web presence. For others, when you arrive, you discover that they've changed their name or the building has been demolished or they closed and never reopened. But little by little, I started to make progress. After six years of traveling the country, I've now photographed snacks named "Sakura" in more than half of Japan's 47 prefectures. "Snack Sakura" introduces this world of snacks that isn't really "hidden," but only opens up to you when you look at it from a certain angle."