It’s easy to get homesick as a Texan abroad (and by “abroad,” we often mean anywhere north of, say, Interstate 40). “Authentic Texas” gets blown into a stereotype pretty easily, and the further you go from the source, the more the representation of Texas seems to be based on, say, Woody from Toy Story.
Still, there are great Texas-themed bars and restaurants around the world, by people who know what they’re doing. And via our friends at Eater.com, we’ve found another: Little Texas, in Tokyo, which is the oldest honky-tonk in Meguro. As RocketNews reports, Little Texas aims for authenticity in both its atmosphere and its music:
Little Texas isn’t just about the atmosphere–it’s also about the music. Now, when you think of country music, you might think of pop country singers like Taylor Swift or pure country musicians like Hank Williams and Waylon Jennings. If you’re a big fan of O Brother, Where Art Thou?, you might even think of bluegrass. Well, whatever springs to mind, you are almost guaranteed to find someone playing it at Little Texas! As surprising as it might be, it turns out that Tokyo is home to quite a number of country bands[…]
The breathless review of Little Texas from RocketNews highlights the aesthetic of Little Texas: Rows of cowboy boots, discarded Texas license plates hung on the wall, Texas-shaped neon over the bar, “Don’t Mess With Texas” signs, etc, etc.
The menu, meanwhile, leaves us with a few more questions: The chorizo, tacos, and “Texas fried steak” are probably legit, but it’s hard to countenance something called “Cowboy Pizza.” (And the less said about the Spam ni-gi-ri, the better.)
Nonetheless, if we find ourselves homesick in Tokyo, odds are this’ll be the place we end up. Especially if they show football on Sundays (in the middle of the night, of course).
(images via LittleTexas.jp)
