Last week I went to Tokyo for the annual New Zealand Wine Tasting and Business Meeting.
I attended a professional lecture called "Master Class," and then tasted a lot of wine for the first time in a while (of course, I spit it out instead of swallowing it, as I do at these types of tastings).
This year, we had a bountiful harvest, but the large numbers of people in Tokyo for the first time in a while, the sweltering heat, motion sickness, and declining physical strength all piled up on me like a mille-feuille, and I returned to Nagoya feeling thoroughly and completely exhausted.
I plan to post a detailed report on this event at a later date in my column for New Zealand Wines .
Well, this week marks Bokumo's 14th anniversary .
Bokumo, which opened in 2009, is already in his second year of junior high school. He's in his teens. He's still a grown man. He needs to be watched closely, so please keep an eye on him (come to the store regularly)!
On the anniversary of our opening, July 17th, we held a joint event with the mail order company Bokumo Wine, where we had a 14% off sale on all items for one day only, and we received a lot of orders.
Before COVID-19 hit, Bokumo used to plan a party around July 17th every year, but this year, due to various circumstances, we decided to hold the party in the fall.
So, what do you think about this heat right now?
During parties, the hallways and grounds are always filled with people, so if it had been held in such scorching heat, it may have been a little dangerous.
We will be planning our 14th anniversary music and wine event once the weather gets a little cooler, so stay tuned.
However, since I don't do anything in July, I wanted to create an opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone, so this time I made some novelty items to give as gifts for the first time in a while.
In the past, we have made Bokumo goods such as T-shirts, fans, and wine glasses, but this year we made eco-bags.
I think that with eco-bags, you can never have too many and they won't get in the way.
A small touch is that part of the fabric is made of reflective material. When you go home from Bokumo, stop by the store on the way, and walk down the street at night with this eco bag, it will reflect the light of your headlights. We put our heart and soul into it, wishing you a safe return home.
The logo was created by Iwasu himself. He made 50 of them. As of the time of writing this, there are still a few left in stock. Please feel free to take one if you like.
We will give it to you if you say the password, "If you say 14 years old, that means you're in the second year of junior high school!" (It's fun because everyone says it blushingly).
Now, Bokumo is in its 15th year. The first thing we'll do from now on is hold in-store events, which we haven't been able to do because of COVID-19.
In the past, we used to do a variety of events, such as science events in collaboration with universities, live folk music events, subcultural talk events, rakugo performances, wine events with winery representatives, and mixer events.
Yes. Events were an important element of Bokumo .
However, after a major renovation last year, the layout changed and it no longer feels like an event venue. The capacity has also been reduced. As a result of prioritizing food and beverage functions, it is undeniable that it has become a little difficult to hold events.
However, just as I was thinking that, I recently started receiving requests to plan events one after another.
One of them is a project by my good friend, a freelance writer named Toshiyuki Otake. In November, we'll be holding a talk event on a somewhat niche topic for the first time in a while. Subculture? Sociology? It seems like it will appeal to people who like unusual things. More details later.
Then there's the Aichi Science Festival, hosted by Nagoya University, which is also a series we've been working on for a long time and which has also been revived.
Yesterday, a representative from Nagoya University, with whom we have been working for some time, came to Bokumo and said, "Wow, so you renovated it like this. But it looks like you could hold an event there just like normal."
Oh, really? It seems like it would be easy to do!
I felt a bit relieved that someone who had worked with us on events in the past looked at BOKUMO objectively now and felt that we could do it just fine.
Ah, I see. I was the one who blamed it on COVID and created a gap between the past and the present.
If you use your imagination you can make it work.
Yes, we've been doing things in a haphazard way up until now. From now on, let's continue to make Bokumo's games more enjoyable for everyone with our own ingenuity. Being ingenious is normal for Bokumo.
I reconsidered.
Alright, we'll be actively holding Bokumo events in the second half of this year.
That's right, I've been thinking about a project for a while now , "Gibier x New Zealand Wine Pairing Course Event" . I'm going to do this too.
We invited a chef from a certain restaurant to have a collaborative dinner with Chef Bokumo Koen. The main dish was pheasant, accompanied by a selection of New Zealand wines selected by Iwasu. Isn't it great?
After all, we have to create something fun.
If you want to hold an event, please contact us. We have a capacity of 23 people. Let's work together.
By the way, the "Bachelor Wine Party" that I'm going to hold during the Obon holiday has reached its capacity in no time. I'm a bit surprised. I might make it a series.
