Must be tough

A group of coworkers and I went to have happy hour yesterday after work. We went to this Italian place near the office. The restaurant wasn't in an obvious place. The main building was located on a side street off of a not so major roadway. To add to the complication, the actual restaurant was located on the second floor of an ambiguous building, where its sign was overwhelmed by a newly opened Japanese pub located on the first floor. I honestly have no idea how my coworkers found out about this restaurant in the first place. Anyways, we went up and I found myself in a small yet cozy atmosphere. The restaurant had about 10 tables and a bar area. We came at the start of their "happy hour" so we were the only ones there. We quickly got our drink orders in and ordered the usual, cheese and prosciutto with bread. The quality of the food and their wine selection were surprisingly good. We all ended up having a good time. By the time we left, which was around 9:00PM I realized that our group was still the only ones in the restaurant and that no one else came into the place. I started thinking if some nights whether or not this restaurant would get any customers at all. It would make sense if the place was bad, but this mom and pop restaurant had better quality than some of the chain places I've been to. Even though the location is a bit out of the way, the rent being in Nishi-shinjuku I would bet is very high. I couldn't imagine the stress the owner(s) must have in maintaining their dream when there are days without any type of incoming cash flow. I have always wanted to get out of the IT world and do something like owning a restaurant or cafe of some sort in Japan. However, seeing the heavy competition in Tokyo and having to deal with these scenarios, I don't know if I will ever have the balls to do so.