I’ve lived in Japan for 2 years and noticed something odd about gyudon restaurants — is it just me?

So I'm finishing up my degree and writing my thesis, and the topic ended up being something I noticed in my everyday life here.

I've been living in Japan for about two years now, and at some point I started noticing this pattern at gyudon places (Matsuya, Yoshinoya, Sukiya): I almost never see women eating alone there. The counter seats — you know, the ones where everyone sits in a row staring at the wall — are almost always entirely men.

At first I thought maybe it was just one store, or just bad timing. But then I started paying more attention and it really did seem consistent. Women would come in with a group, but solo? Rarely.

I found that genuinely interesting. Like — the food is cheap, fast, and good. So what is it about the space that makes it feel less accessible to women dining alone?

Is it the counter layout? The atmosphere? Some unspoken social norm? I honestly don't know, and that became my thesis question.