My love has a limit to its quantity. - Mr./Ms. Yamaguchi, Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores

In this article, we interviewed Takeo Yamaguchi, a buyer for Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores.

Our professional relationship began in 2023. I was a bit nervous about having our mead sold at a department store, but Mr. Yamaguchi is such a kind and inclusive person that he instantly put me at ease.

Mr. Yamaguchi sells hundreds of different types of alcohol, but what he truly wants to deliver is the "love" of the producers behind the bottles. He holds an event a few times a year called "Hen-ai" (meaning "partial love" or "obsession"), where he and his colleagues describe and sell products that they are deeply passionate about.

What exactly does "love" look like to someone like Mr. Yamaguchi?

When do you feel love in your work?The "baton of love" received from producers

Before the interview, Mr. Yamaguchi was a little unsure if he could answer my questions, but when I asked this one, he immediately replied, "When I meet the producers."

"When I hear people who make delicious alcohol talk passionately and happily about their products, I start to feel a sense of affection toward them, too. I think to myself, 'They’re amazing, they’re so cool.'"

Mr. Yamaguchi says that knowing the producer's thoughts and the care they put into making a bottle of alcohol makes his attachment to that bottle grow significantly deeper.

"Nothing is actually created in our shop. That’s why I believe our role is to take the 'baton of love' we receive from the producers and pass it on to the next customer in our own words."

The "tank of love" circulates

So, what does "love" mean to Mr. Yamaguchi himself? After stating that "you can't be involved in anything without having love for it yourself," he gave us his ultimate definition.

"Love is being able to think, 'It doesn't matter if they dislike me.' It’s the conviction that no matter what the other person thinks, I will never, ever stop caring for that person or thing."

More interestingly, Mr. Yamaguchi’s love is not infinite.

"My love is like a tank with a set capacity," he says. That’s why he can't pour it into just anyone. Precisely because the amount is limited, he can be truly sincere toward those he chooses to pour it into.

The way he talks about his "tank of love" makes it impossible not to feel his sincerity toward the producers. Surely, that "tank of love" isn't just emptying as it is poured out. The passion and thoughts of the producers are poured into it, only to be passed on to someone else. In this way, love is always in circulation.

Passing the baton received from the producer to the next hand with love. We hope to continue delivering our love so that we can help keep Mr. Yamaguchi’s tank full at all times.