Tokyo and Osaka English-Only Bars

Two new English-only bars have opened in Japan. The Japanese language is not allowed in these bars, which helps customers learn how to talk in English. The new bars in Tokyo and Osaka opened on October 1, 2022, and are receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Both of the new bars are called "Sick!" and are meant to be fun places where people can speak English while having a drink or two. First-time visitors don't have to worry about how well they speak English because the bar staff speaks English and will talk to them at their level.

But people who go to Sick! can only speak English. If they speak Japanese, a yellow card will be given to them. If they keep speaking Japanese after that, they will have to buy an extra drink as a punishment.

Both bars have a structure where customers pay for the time they spend in the bar and can drink as much as they want. For 30 minutes, the Tokyo branch costs 3,000 yen, which is about $20, and the Osaka branch costs 1,500 yen, which is about $10.

This may seem like a lot of money for a few drinks, but it includes English conversation practice that would cost the same or more at a typical language school.

And the people who go to the new bars are very happy. One customer wrote in a Google review of the Tokyo bar that it was fun to speak English with friendly people there.

Another customer wrote about the Osaka bar, saying that they didn't expect to have so much fun speaking English and that they can't wait to go there again for drinks.