All-You-Can-Drink in Ginza: 90 or 150 Minutes for a Party?
Whether to make all-you-can-drink 90 or 150 minutes is decided by the purpose of the evening. 90 minutes if you are moving on to a second venue, 150 if the evening ends here. At Chura Shabu-tei in Ginza 8-chome, courses with 90 minutes start at ¥9,900 (tax included) and those with 150 minutes at ¥11,000 (tax included). Private hire is arranged for 20-50 guests.
Choose the length by design, not by price
Most organizers choosing the length look at the difference in price. Take the cheaper one, or pay a little more for longer. It is a natural way to decide, and it is the wrong way round. What should come first is the design: where you want the evening to end.
90 minutes is not short, it is tight. Everything from the toast to the goodbyes runs as one line, and guests go home without their attention breaking. 150 minutes is not long, it has margin. Even with speeches and a program there is still time to talk, and room for people to move around the tables.
Look at the prices with that difference in mind and the decision comes fast. For the Okinawan Appetizer Course it is ¥9,900 (tax included) with 90 minutes and ¥11,000 (tax included) with 150. For the Three Selected Okinawan Pork Shabu-shabu Course, ¥12,650 (tax included) with 90 minutes and ¥13,750 (tax included) with 150. The food is the same in each pair; what you are buying is time.
In fact, what makes a guest feel an evening was long is not the number of minutes. It is whether there was a stretch of dead time. If the food has all been served and the conversation has dried up for 20 minutes, 150 minutes is long. If the dishes keep arriving in stages and people are still busy around the hotpot, the same 150 minutes feels short. Choosing the length is also choosing what happens during it.
The parties that suit 90 minutes and those that suit 150
| Criterion | 90 minutes suits | 150 minutes suits |
|---|---|---|
| A second venue | Yes. Close the first party and move on | No. The evening ends here |
| How well guests know each other | Already close. The talk starts immediately | Some are meeting for the first time. They need time to warm up |
| Speeches and program | Toast and closing remarks only | Speeches, awards and entertainment |
| Headcount | Small. Everyone can follow the same conversation | Large. Conversation divides table by table |
| Start time | Late. Starting after 20:00 | Early. Able to start at 18:00-19:00 |
| Nature of the party | Regular drinks, the first stage of a wrap party | Welcome/farewell party, year-end party, an anniversary |
When in doubt, decide by whether there are speeches or a program. If someone is to say a few words or awards are being given, take 150 minutes. Pack a program into a 90-minute party and the time for conversation disappears, leaving guests who sat and listened to other people talk.
Settle how the time is counted in advance too
All-you-can-drink is generally counted from the start of the course. If the toast runs late, does the finish move back by the same amount, or does it end at the original time? Practice differs by restaurant, so check when you book. A large party takes time just to get everyone seated, so arriving on the night with this point unresolved is what leaves an organizer scrambling.
Always check what all-you-can-drink includes
The phrase is the same everywhere, but the labels it covers differ by restaurant. Book without checking and you discover on the night that what you wanted to drink is not included.
The drinks list at Chura Shabu-tei is broad. Orion Beer is served on draft, and the restaurant has completed the Orion Beer draft quality seminar. Awamori (Okinawan spirit) includes Zanpa, Kikunotsuyu VIP Gold and Ryukyu Ocho. Sake includes Hakkaisan, Urakasumi and Kikuhime. Whisky includes Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chivas Regal. There is also wine, including Californian bottles from Napa.
Which of these all-you-can-drink covers, however, is best confirmed when you book. Depending on the nature of the evening, skipping all-you-can-drink and ordering individually can leave guests more satisfied. At a party where how much people drink varies widely, it is worth considering the Okinawan Appetizer Course at ¥6,600 (tax included) or the Three Selected Okinawan Pork Shabu-shabu Course at ¥9,350 (tax included) with drinks ordered separately. For a group that comes back regularly, keeping a bottle at the restaurant is another option.
What to watch when combining private hire with all-you-can-drink
Private hire can be arranged from 20 to 50 guests. The maximum seated is 45, and courses are arranged for 2-45. If you are ordering a course with all-you-can-drink for everyone, keep in mind that 45 is the ceiling.
There are constraints on the time frame as well. Opening hours are 17:00-23:30, with last order at 22:30 for food and 23:00 for drinks. If you choose 150 minutes of all-you-can-drink, set the start time by counting back from the drinks last order. Parties running over 2 and a half hours are accommodated, so a 150-minute evening itself is no problem to arrange.
Check the day-of-the-week conditions too. Sundays and public holidays are closed. Saturdays are by reservation only; it may be possible if you call ahead, and contact is needed at least 3 days beforehand. The address is Kawabata Building New Wing 3F, 8-5-21 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, a 5-minute walk from Shimbashi Station and a 7-minute walk from Ginza Station.
And with a private hire, the start time you announce determines how much of the all-you-can-drink you actually get. Announce a 19:00 start and nobody is seated at 19:00 exactly. Put the toast at 19:15, for instance, building the time it takes to get seated into the plan from the outset. At a party of more than 20, those ten-odd minutes change how satisfying the evening feels. Check when you book from what point the all-you-can-drink is counted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the food differ between 90 and 150 minutes?
The dishes in the course are the same; the difference is the length of the all-you-can-drink. The Okinawan Appetizer Course is ¥9,900 (tax included) against ¥11,000 (tax included), and the Three Selected Okinawan Pork Shabu-shabu Course ¥12,650 (tax included) against ¥13,750 (tax included).
Is it all right if some guests do not take all-you-can-drink?
Discuss how individual guests are handled when you book. At a party with many non-drinkers, you can pair a course without all-you-can-drink with drinks ordered individually.
I want to know which drinks all-you-can-drink covers
Check the included labels on 03-3573-5529. The individual list is broad: Orion Beer on draft, awamori (Okinawan spirit), sake, whisky and wine.
Can we extend beyond 150 minutes?
Parties running over 2 and a half hours are accommodated, but whether an extension is possible should be discussed when you book. Note that last order for drinks is 23:00.
Can all-you-can-drink be added to a private hire?
Private hire covers 20-50 guests and courses 2-45. If you want a course with all-you-can-drink for everyone, give your headcount and date and discuss it.
Reservations and inquiries
Once the timing is designed, all that remains is to claim a date. Chura Shabu-tei, 03-3573-5529 (17:00-23:30 / closed Sundays and public holidays, Saturdays by reservation only). Details of the courses and all-you-can-drink options are on the official site at https://churashabu.com/
