BJ's American Dining Bar

American-sized portions with American-sized show-stopping fun

With such a large Expat population, Nagoya is FULL of Western style restaurants. One of my favorites for a saucy night out is BJ’s American Dining Bar. Tucked into a side street in Fushimi, BJ’s (which stands for “Big Joy” according to the menus), is a bit reminiscent of a Hooters in the vibe it projects. Friendly wait staff, clad in tiny “ cowboy” outfits, are all bi-lingual (at least Japanese and English, and one waitress even conversed with us in Spanish) and gleefully take your order buffalo wings, burgers, mac’n’cheese and more. Around the bar are giant TVs which constantly show classic films from the 80’s like Top Gun, Back to the Future, and Cocktail. The servings are all “American” sized, meaning you won’t just go home full, you’ll go home stuffed. The bar staff are fun and cheeky - all the more so if you happen to visit during one of their “Flash” shows - over A bumping’ soundtrack, a team of bartenders will throw, juggle and precariously balance bottles of liquor as they prepare a bevy of drinks for the rowdy crowd. Not enough eye-candy for you? Well, while you’re having your drink poured, take a gander down the line of the bar - see that shiny silver pole down at the end? Oh yes friends, there are pole dancing shows as well! Flair and Pole Dancing happen every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at nine and ten pm, which makes BJ’s a great place for a crazy party. BJ’s isn’t the type of place you go just to grab a bite - BJ’s is a place you go to get entertained by the Japanese interpretation of what it means to be a *slightly* Tacky American. And it is a LOT of fun, even if it is a bit hard to hear your friends over the bass line of the 80’s hair-band music. Because it’s 80’s hairband music - what else do you really need to hear?