Backyard Coffee and Jazz in Kyoto

during our visit to Kyoto last year we noticed dozens of unmarked restaurants/bars while walking to our hotel at night. we saw packed bars through the blinds of houses indistinguishable from any other around them. we wondered if maybe they are coop bars or something? we never intruded because all were unmarked and at capacity

mostly forgot about it until reading this article because there is a lot to take in while visiting Japan from the US

There are "unmarked", membership-only places, but most likely you just didn't see or understand the sign.

Many restaurants and bars are small mom-and-pop places that gain clientele through neighborhood word-of-mouth, and don't invest in advertising.