
Life is colliding
in Kabukicho backstreets
sake, singing, silence.
Life is colliding
in Kabukicho backstreets
sake, singing, silence.
The art of kaizen
is continuous progress
people harmony
Stoics and samurai
have a great deal in common
they die everyday
The life of a sake brewer
Is somewhere between science and poetry
Harnessing nature on the smallest of scales
Living, breathing, organisms, working, together,
Stop watches, singing, koji spores blooming,
See the moromi dance and bubble
Controlled and perfected over centuries
Terroir of the land
Terroir of the people
Filtered down into mythical proportions
Stories bottled and shipped
Spreading the message one sip at a time
Kanpai
I’m walking the streets
Caught in a pagoda dream
Don’t sneak up on me
You were born on the day of a storm
The weather matching the thunder and lightning
Rattling inside my chest from the moment
You were due to come into the world
I’ll never forget the gentle heartbeat
Or the tiny hand you placed into mine
The spark of potential that flashed in your eyes
Was preserved inside the kame
Sealed with a handprint
Years of maturation
Cultivated with love and care
Until the boy became a man
And what a man you’ve become
Strong, brave, compassionate
Together we’ll drink the memories
That have aged in awamori
Nuanced flavours of a life
Still maturing
Becoming more complex
With every new experience
Set aside a fresh kame
Fill it with the hopes and dreams of your children
Teach them a life distilled
Is a life worth cherishing
Secrets hide in leaves
memories as old as time
struck down in Autumn
Golden kintsuba
captures samurai soul
in wagashi form
Hands that shape the world
forge life like a katana
elegant design
Ramen craftsmanship
the art of kitchen combat
soothes heart and soul