Asakusa (department store)Denki Bran (brandname)bar
Kamiya Bar, the oldest bar in Japan, has been observing the changes and bustle of the town in front of Asakusa Station since 1880 (Meiji 13). The fifth generation of the Kamiya Bar is also a member of the Kamiya Bar. We interviewed Naoya Kamiya, the fifth generation owner of Kamiya Bar, about the origins of Kamiya Bar and the innovations it has produced over the years.
*The company is closed at the time of interview (March 2022).
We have Naoya Kamiya, the fifth generation of Kamiya Bar, to spend some time with us today. Could you quickly introduce Kamiya Bar?
The restaurant is located at the foot of Ozawa Bridge in Asakusa and operates on three floors: 1F beer hall, 2F Western-style restaurant, and 3F Japanese-style kappo restaurant.
What are each of the three stores like?
Kamiya Bar” on the 1st floor offers draft beer, Denki Bran, and food, while “Restaurant Kamiya” on the 2nd floor offers not only drinks but also coffee and tea, and is often used by families with children. It is currently closed due to Corona.
What is your own career history, Mr. Kamiya?
I was born in 1964 in Meguro-ku, Tokyo. Many Asakusa people are born and raised in Asakusa, but I have never lived in Asakusa.
Yes!
People call me a fake downtown kid (laughs).
In the Asakusa area (laughs).
I say things like, “I’m not an Edokko at all,” but I am not an Edokko at all. After I started working, I worked for Asahi Breweries for four and a half years. We were just the same age as Super Dry.
That’s great.
Super Dry was released on March 17 and I joined on April 1.
Seniors.
You are two weeks my senior. Because of that relationship, naturally our beer is mainly Asahi Beer.
It is symbolic that Kamiya Bar and Asahi Beer are facing each other across Azuma-bashi Bridge. There was no Asahi Beer building then, was there?
That place used to be a beer brewery. After the brewery was closed and the land itself was disposed of, it was repurchased and the current head office building was built. That’s why some of our customers say, “Kamiya Bar’s beer comes directly from there (Asahi Beer’s headquarters)” (laughs).
It’s up to you whether you believe it or not (laughs). Mr. Kamiya, why did you decide to join Asahi Breweries?
Denki Bran, of course, handles a high percentage of beer in our company. After joining the company, I decided to work for a beer company, in part because as a sales representative, I would be able to learn by working with wholesalers, liquor stores, restaurants, and many other sites.
When I was in middle school, I declared that I was going to take over the business.
I still remember, when I was in junior high school, I made a three-minute speech in homeroom and for some reason declared, “I am going to take over the business in the future. The class of 50 people was shocked and said, “What is this guy talking about?
Isn’t it a good story?
I am not sure what directly motivated me, but I was beginning to understand the value of a store with a long history, and I guess that thought came to me as I was thinking about the future.
When you were a student, you were already prepared to take over to some extent.
I was prepared for that. When I thought about what I could leave behind in my life, I thought that it was my destiny or fate to be involved in a place with a history like Kamiya Bar and take it over. …… That’s cool, what you’re saying. Don’t be embarrassed, yourself (laughs).
That is so cool (laughs) . Just as there is a good thing about people who have lived in Asakusa for generations, there is also a good thing about people who know the outside of Asakusa because they don’t live in Asakusa.
Many people say so, but I still have a complex because I was not born and raised in Asakusa. What surprised me when I started meeting people from Asakusa was that they suddenly started calling each other by their first names, and they called me Nao-chan from the beginning. I started working at the restaurant when I was 26, and I began to have many relationships with people around the age of 30, but I still feel that I am not a “local” person.
I guess I am a little envious of the relationship that we have in Asakusa, where we call each other “~-chan” and have been playing together since we were little.
Asakusa is a “nosy town” in a good sense. For example, even if I go golfing without telling anyone, everyone knows my score when I get back. It is that kind of town.
There are no more secrets. I guess that’s rather easy.
Some young people, for example, may not like to have their territory invaded, but I am the type of person who is not bothered by such things at all.
I could sense from what you have just said that Kamiya Bar also has an atmosphere that values the humanity and human connections of the town of Asakusa. Does Kamiya Bar have a family motto?
There is nothing special about it. We’ve had a reinforced concrete storefront in Asakusa for over 100 years since 1926, and much of our records were lost in the earthquake and war damage.
So, do you have any cherished thoughts or words that you hold dear?
Unlike in the heart of the city, we are located in a friendly downtown area, so we have always wanted to be a place where people can comfortably eat and drink alone or with friends and family without feeling self-conscious.
In fact, many long-established restaurants say, “We don’t have a family motto. Rather, they all feel that it is more important to properly carry on the service in front of them, and I see that Kamiya Bar shares this view.
When he was in junior high school, Naoya Kamiya, the fifth generation owner of Kamiya Bar, was determined to take over the business and made it a reality. His complex of “not having grown up in Asakusa” has turned into a strength of “having an outside perspective,” and he seems to be putting it to good use in his business.
⇒latter part(temporal or logical sense) follow …
*If you would like to see this dialogue on video.here (place close to the speaker or where the speaker is)
