Did you know you had a Japanese ’80s pub? YOU DO! It’s in Fremont, it’s called Showa, it specializes in izakaya (inexpensive Japanese small plates) and well-priced drinks, and Bethany Jean Clement writes all about it in the latest Bar Exam.

David Schmader—former weed columnist and Stranger associate editor—is the author of the solo plays Straight and Letter to Axl, which he’s performed in Seattle and across the US. His latest...