Sake Sommelier Chizuko | Part 3: A Wonderful Evening Where Everyone Became Friends in a Single Night

Everyone wants to eat delicious food and drink well in life!

Part 3: A Wonderful Night When Everyone Became Friends in a Single Evening

Hello, I'm Chizuko, a Kikizakeshi (sake sommelier) in New York. I'm here to report on another fantastic party filled with great drinks, coming to you from a buzzing New York, alive with back-to-back sake events.

Text by ChizukoPhotos by Atsushi Nishijima

“Don’t be shy, let’s shout our LOVE out loud! ♪”

This party was held at "Bohemian NY," one of Ayumu Takahashi's hideouts, to celebrate the arrival of the Takahashi family in New York, who are now on an indefinite world tour.
(Follow Ayumu Takahashi's journey here: http://www.ayumu.ch)

A moment when a dancer's dress perfectly overlapped with the silhouette of the world map painted on the wall! Could a Japanese belly dancer change the world!?

Actually, I participated as an advisor for the sake menu at this establishment. My goal was to create a space where stylish New Yorkers could enjoy sake, so I've curated a selection ranging from approachable options for those hesitant about sake to more sophisticated choices for connoisseurs.
The guests this evening included Ayumu Takahashi, members of his creative collective "Play Earth," and their friends from around the world. As the saying goes, "Birds of a feather flock together." It was a wonderful night where a gathering of fun-loving people, regardless of profession or age, instantly bonded as if they had known each other forever.

Ayumu Takahashi hitting it off with my friend, the artist Chris Rubino, who came with my husband. Chris, whom I'm a huge fan of, has created illustrations for DIESEL, URBAN OUTFITTERS, and most recently, for the stylish, New York-esque ACE HOTEL. (http://www.chrisrubino.com/)

I wonder if many Japanese people, myself included, are not good at expressing love for family and friends openly and loudly due to shyness? But with Ayumu Takahashi's talks and books, encouraging us to "Don’t be shy, let’s shout our LOVE out loud! ♪," I'm sure young Japanese people navigating today's chaotic world have found great courage. Reading his books, seeing his photos, and now speaking with him in person, his straightforward and unwavering message deeply moved me.

Ayumu Takahashi's adorable children, Umi and Sora. And in the center, making funny faces with them, is our always-helpful photographer, Mr. Nishijima. (http://www.jimagraphy.com/)

On the left is Taeko Takigami, director of "Gohan Society" (http://www.gohansociety.org/), an organization that bridges Japanese food culture to renowned French and Italian chefs in New York. In the center is artist KAORUKO. And on the right is Mr. Hoshino, president of TV Tokyo US and a dear sake friend of mine.

Everyone wants to eat delicious food and drink well in life!

Part 3: A Wonderful Night When Everyone Became Friends in a Single Evening 2

Gathered around Dassai, now arguably New York's most popular sake

At one point, I seized an opportunity to present Mr. Takahashi with a bottle of "Dassai Junmai Daiginjo Niwari Sanbu," a request from Mr. Sakurai, the managing director of Asahi Shuzo, the brewery behind Dassai. It turns out Mr. Sakurai is a huge fan of Mr. Takahashi. During his job interviews after graduating from university, when asked about his favorite book, he blurted out the title of one of Mr. Takahashi's books, leading to a disastrous interview where he was told, "What's a graduating student supposed to do reading a book about traveling?" Perhaps it was this very experience that led him, along with his father, to spread Dassai worldwide, making it the most popular sake in New York today. Who knows, maybe it all worked out for the best? Incidentally, Mr. Takahashi, without any flattery, upon seeing the bottle, exclaimed, "Wow! This is my absolute favorite sake!" and even kissed the bottle.

Mr. Takahashi kissing "Dassai Junmai Daiginjo Niwari Sanbu"

An ELLE editor favors the full-bodied "Tengu Mai Umakuchi"

Yuuichi Okuhara (right), one of the Play Earth members who created Bohemian, and the highly popular Takuya Yamazaki (left), author of "The Switch for Motivation!" and "The World's Easiest Success Principles."

Mr. Taiki, president of Nepenthes US (far right), my oldest friend in New York, Mr. Isomoto (second from left), the tall, bearded man is artist Chris (far left), and in the center are my husband and I.

Having previously worked in the fashion industry, many of my friends are still active in the field, and just listening to them is incredibly reassuring. Mr. Isomoto, a skilled pattern maker at Engineered Garments in New York, has been my friend since I was a student in Tokyo... wait, has it been over 15 years?! By the way, during a recent Fashion Week job for 'Rebecca Taylor,' my photographer Mr. Nishijima was suddenly called over by Rebecca Taylor and her husband. To his surprise, they exclaimed, "Your pants are 'Engineered Garments,' aren't they? Look, so are ours!" Apparently, they both wore 'Engineered Garments' to her own fashion show. My husband also loves the brand, and people always ask about it when he wears it.

People often ask me why I left the fashion industry, but I don't really feel like I "left" it. It's just that, before I knew it, my suggestions for coordinating spring-colored shirts and pants evolved into pairings with freshly squeezed 'Arabashiri' nama sake and seasonal vegetable appetizers, and my recommendations for warm fur jackets and elegant dresses transformed into pairings with delicious steak and exquisite, luxurious daiginjo.

And regardless of profession, everyone wants to eat delicious food and drink well in life. Being able to connect with people through sake like this makes every day incredibly joyful for me.