Little Japantown, part 1

Did you know there's a section of the East Village where a bunch of Japanese places are clustered together? Well, I lived there for 2 years and I just figured this out. Little Japantown, as I'll unofficially call it, is on 9th St between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. It also extends onto Stuyvesant Street.

Decibel, a sake bar, is one of the more hidden places in this area. It's located below ground at 240 E. 9th St. Don't let the graffiti-laden stairwell scare you!

In a nutshell, Decibel is a divey, gritty sake bar. I'm not a sake expert, but if you're into it, they've got plenty of it. Of course, they have other drinks too. I was there on a Monday evening, which was pretty low key. But I've heard it can get pretty packed.

When you're sipping on sake at Decibel, you really feel like you've been transported to a far off land. So if Japan is on your list of places you'd like to visit, heading to 9th Street is an easy way to make a quick visit - and a lot more economical!