Fun times at my favourite (sake) bar in Tokyo/Japan/the world! :)

  

A brand of sake I've drank far more in Japan than Hong Kong

 

A Taste of Autumn is the name of this dish! :)

Some eleven years ago now, I went to a specialist sake bar for the first time in my life.  Sasagin was recommended to me by a friend then living in Hong Kong who had previously lived in Tokyo.  And despite not being a sake lover then, I went with another friend -- who was a Tokyo resident -- when visiting the Japanese capital city -- and had such a great night there that it's become a "must go to" for me on every subsequent visit to Tokyo since!

For one thing, the sake on offer there is very good indeed (with brands like Juyondai, Eiko Fuji, Tengumai, Hiraizumi and Kankiku (AKA Kangiku) among the offerings I enjoyed on this recent Japan trip).  For another, the food there's pretty tasty too.  (Among the dishes I had there on this visit: a refreshing persimmon and spinash salad with a creamy tofu dressing; healthy tasting simmered seasonal vegetables; other seasonal items, including cod shirako, chestnut, gingko nuts and sweet potatoes; and fried cheese dumplings!)  

 

And then there's the convivial "feel" of the place; particularly if one sits at the counter -- where other customers are likely to strike up a conversation with you, a total stranger, as well as being nearer to where Narita-san, the owner, holds court -- rather than at individual tables -- though that's perfectly fine too if you're happy to hang out with friends you already know (as opposed to make new ones!). 

 

On this recent Japan trip, I ended up going to Sasagin not just once but twice!  The first time was on the evening of my first full day back in Tokyo for some four and half years -- and I ended up drinking six glasses of sake (the majority of which were the Sasagin standard size of 150 ml)!  Amazingly, I managed to make it back to my hotel room afterwards, and didn't have a hangover the next morning.  I think it's because I drank all that over the course of some four hours and had plenty to eat as well as drink while there!

 

The next time I walked into Sasagin, Narita-san and the wait staff greeted me with big grins on their face.  I think it's partly because they were surprised that I had remembered that I had made a reservation for another evening there in the middle of that first evening of carousing there!  But it also felt like we were now old friends!  (While I did feel that already about Narita-san, the wait staff had only just started working at Sasagin less than a year ago -- and, in the case of one of them, just a few weeks ago, in fact!)

 

Speaking of old friends: On my first night there on this trip, I had met up with a Japanese friend who used to live in Hong Kong.  And before the end of the night, I had made new friends there -- one of whom decided to join me there the second time I went to Sasagin on this trip! 

This new friend lives in the area and Sasagin is a "local" for her.  (Envy, envy!)  She's Japanese but went to school and university in England.  By the way, my Japanese friend who I met in Hong Kong had gone to university in Australia.  Also, Narita-san actually lived and worked for a time in England.  So there may be more internationally experienced Japanese around than may be realised!  Including by other Japanese!

By the way, after I was seated at the counter on my first visit this trip, I spoke to Narita-san in English straightaway -- and when Narita-san replied in English, hearing his doing so startled the (Japanese) customer seated a couple of seats away from me!  Even funnier was when my Japanese friend who had lived in Hong Kong came in.  

 

I think by that point, that customer figured out I was not Japanese.  But he also assumed that my friend (who speaks English with a very American accent -- despite having gone to university in Australia, not the US; something he ascribes to having watched lots of American TV shows as a kid in Japan!) was not Japanese too.  So when said friend then started speaking to Narita-san and the wait staff in (fluent) Japanese, that other customer looked at my friend in amazement and enquired: "Are YOU Japanese?"  And I think you could have knocked him down with a feather when he received an answer in the affirmative! 

 

For the record: on my second visit to Sasagin of this recent Japan trip, I had fewer glasses of sake than the first time: specifically, "just" four.  As I said to the folks at Sasagin, I felt calmer since this second time, only a few days had passed since my previous visit there -- in contrast to the previous time, where I had waited some four and half years to drink and dine there again!  (Thanks for that, Covid!)