Expanding the Mead Circle at the Kaku-uchi: Vol. 2 - “Tsukiya Liquor Store” in Tokyo

Introducing "Spreading the Mead Circle at Kaku-uchi," a project featuring liquor stores that serve our mead in a "kaku-uchi" (standing bar) setting.

For our second installment, we introduce "Tsukiya Liquor Store" in Kyodo, Tokyo.

The word "passion" fits no one better than the proprietor, Chikara Hashira. Every time I encounter the warmth woven into each word of the Instagram posts where he introduces our mead, I find myself smiling at the screen.

Even though we have only known each other for half a year, I feel a sense of familiarity as if we were old friends—undoubtedly due to the sincerity and passion overflowing from Chikara-san’s posts.

@tsukiya_ankh

The introduction on Tsukiya Liquor Store's Instagram reads as follows:

"Thinking about agriculture, learning the intrigue of fermentation, and exploring the depths of brewing. A liquor store that connects with life and delivers moments of gustatory bliss."

I set out to discover what thoughts lay hidden behind those words, and to get closer to the heart of Chikara-san’s vision.

1. History - The Journey So Far

Chikara-san is the fourth-generation owner of Tsukiya Liquor Store. During the time of the first and second generations, the shop’s form and name were different. Originally, it was rooted in the community as a "yorozuya" (general store) handling everything from oil and tissues to rice, and began selling alcohol during the second generation's time.

Ankh

The shop is named "Ankh." It comes from the ancient Egyptian symbol for life, also famously used in the "Monster Reborn" card from Yu-Gi-Oh!

The name carries the wish: "I want this to be a place where life gathers." Food, sake, and people—everything is life. Let's make this a "life plaza" where all kinds of life can gather! That was the resolve of the previous generation.

The name changed to Tsukiya Liquor Store during the third generation, his father's era. It holds the wish that those who come to the store will find "tsuki" (good fortune). What a romantic and customer-focused name.

Chikara-san actually first learned about ANTELOPE mead four years ago. After many twists and turns, their paths finally crossed in May 2024. The relationship began when Chikara-san had the opportunity to visit Shiga Prefecture and came to our brewery.

"I want to convey the charm of the crops grown by wonderful Japanese farmers."
Having received the baton from the producers, ANTELOPE passed it on to Chikara-san, who received it with deep passion and has been conveying the charm of mead ever since.


2. Values - Chikara-san's Vision

"Who, where, what, and with what intent is it made? I want people to feel safe consuming what they eat and drink."

That is how Chikara-san speaks of the importance of traceability. It started with his family’s health. Avoiding additives and using natural ingredients became the foundation of the Hashira family’s life.

Around the same time, his father's attitude toward sake began to shift through an encounter with a sake called "Tamura"—named after Tamura-machi by the brewery "Niida Honke" to show gratitude to the farmers who had grown their rice for many years.

"We must properly look at the agriculture, the producers, and the people making the sake."

This sentiment was naturally passed on to Chikara-san. He realized this when he turned 20 and visited Niida Honke, where he drank "Hyakunen Kijo-shu." His father had felt like he was struck by lightning when he drank "Tamura," and Chikara-san felt that same strike when he drank "Hyakunen Kijo-shu" served warm.

Beyond the flavor, what moved him most was the story behind the sake. It is said to be a sake completed 100 years later, made by repeatedly adding sake instead of water. Created in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the idea of something continuing for 100 years captured Chikara-san's imagination, and he realized he was drawn to the history behind the bottle.


3. Experience - The Experience at Tsukiya Liquor Store

"Well then, shall we drink some mead!"
When the conversation reached a pause, the signal was given.

You can, of course, enjoy chilled mead at Tsukiya Liquor Store’s kaku-uchi, but this winter, the top recommendation is "Kan-mead" (warmed mead). Chikara-san is arguably the most knowledgeable person in Japan when it comes to warmed mead.

"The flavor changes drastically with temperature," says Chikara-san, as he carefully warms the mead. His style is to warm it to around 60°C.

A realization from this day was that even carbonated mead can have new, delicious qualities when warmed.

The one that moved me most was "The Last Supper." The recommended temperature is 62°C.

There is an image that lactic acid doesn't smell very good when heated (similar to the "burnt" smell said to occur when proteins in milk denature), so he hadn't been very positive about warming it.

However, he tried warming it because it had been open for a while, and the result exceeded his expectations in a good way.

A pleasant nuance of acidity, as if drinking hot lemonade, spread through both the aroma and his palate. This will be a staple for me this winter as a drink before bed.

Introductions to other meads:

- This is it
Around 60°C. Smells like buttery popcorn or toasted bread.
The scent might be divisive, but it seems to pair well with bread. The sweetness fades away, allowing you to enjoy the fragrance.

- What Churchill Said
Around 60°C. He tried warming it based on the intuition that there is a culture of warming gin and that it seems good for the body. It feels botanical, like drinking medicinal herbs. It’s similar to the scent of gin in a gin and tonic.

- Join us - day2.
Around 60°C. Hashira-san says the flavor of pepper stands out more at higher temperatures.
The flavor of pepper spreads throughout the mouth so much that you’d want to eat it with meat dishes forever. A perfect pairing for meat dishes!

- Le Dessin’24
30-60°C. At around 30°C, the scent of osmanthus comes out; at 60°C, the scent of mandarin orange really emerges.
It tastes like the nostalgic mandarin orange juice I often drank as a child.

The handiest vessel for warming mead is a Kenbishi cup, says Chikara-san. It can be microwaved, and glass doesn't change the flavor profile of the alcohol inside too much.
“Since the heat is transmitted evenly, it’s definitely much tastier than other single-cup sake containers," Chikara-san adds. Please give it a try.


4. Future Plan - About the Future

The kaku-uchi space, which repurposed the beams (hari) of the house passed down from the second generation into table material, was started during Chikara-san's era. While inheriting the spirit of "Ankh," a place where life gathers, new challenges continue.

Chikara-san's dream is to create a "Sake Classroom" in the kaku-uchi space. A former health and physical education teacher, Chikara-san envisions a space where he serves sake on school lunch trays and uses a whiteboard (chalk dust from a blackboard would get into the sake!) to explain the craft.

Chikara-san speaks with a shy smile, saying he could go on, but it would take a month if he talked any more. He says his vision for that dream is already colorful. Based on his skill in explaining "kan" (warming), I was able to visualize it in color, too.

A colorful dream is one that comes true. Keep your eyes on the future developments of Tsukiya Liquor Store!

5. Editor's Note - After the Interview

As soon as I arrived at the shop, he asked, "Shall we play some music? What would you like?" As a huge music lover, I was delighted by that question and talked about my favorite music.

I learned later that he had looked me up beforehand and knew I was interested in music. Imagining that he has "lived life always thinking about how to make the other person happy," and that "surely customers and everyone around him are drawn to this warmth of Chikara-san," I couldn't help but smile.

What left an impression through this interview was Chikara-san's passion for "conveying the story behind the sake in his own words." Not just the taste, but he researches or feels the producer's intentions and history himself before sharing it through his own unique lens.

A flavor with a climax, as if two compatible souls are pushing each other to the limit until the very end.

A mead has been created that makes you want to drink it while watching the final scene of a gripping drama or movie.

This is the expression Chikara-san wrote for the scene of drinking the tea-based mead, "Honey Tea Fermented Sake." I’ve been complimented before that my writing always expands into colorful scenes, but I truly love Chikara-san’s writing. What kind of immersive mead is it? It makes me feel nervous and eager to put it to my lips.

■Store Information

〈Tsukiya Liquor Store〉

• Address: 3-3-19 Kyodo, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-0052
  （Google Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/PnBgSU2iuu2T4sVF6）
• Access: 5-minute walk from Kyodo Station on the Odakyu Line
• Business Hours: 10:00–21:00 (Kaku-uchi 15:00–21:00; Saturday from 13:00)
• Closed: Sundays, Mondays, and National Holidays

※Please check Instagram for the latest business hours and event information.

I will continue to introduce other liquor stores little by little.
Which store should I feature next?🚶