Whenever people ask me if anything 'surprised' me about Japan, this is usually my answer. I'm not sure I ever saw what we would think of as a 'normal' bar in Kurihara. It was all Snack Bars. I only ever want to one alone once, and it was a very strange and expensive evening. It ended when I saw one of the ladies take some money out of the wallet of a passed out patron and then call him a cab. You knew this was not the first time they had this interaction. Seemed like a good time to head home.