Bar 7th

Ayukawa was a high school graduate, freelancing while devoting all his spare time to his band. However, somewhere between 22 to 23 years of age, his friends around him had left university to enter the workforce, which left him feeling a little anxious.

At the time, he had no thoughts in his head about becoming a salaryman or company employee. Instead, he had some vague ideas about learning more skills and becoming independent instead.

At first, thanks to his experience doing track and field in junior high school, Ayukawa thought he had a talent for massage and figured getting certified to work at an osteopathic clinic would be a good idea.

In the back of his mind though, he always had the idea of becoming a bartender.

Even though he couldn't drink during his highschool days, he bought a cocktail book and would tell his friends how to make the drinks inside.

One day, the father of his band's guitarist took them to a bar. He singled Ayukawa out to the bartender and said, "This guy wants to be a bartender. Make him something interesting!"

After some thought, the bartender flipped through his cocktail book and somewhat clumsily made a drink called Around the World. Looking back, Ayukawa realises that the bartender was not exactly good, and that his pondering about the order and referring to the cocktail book isn't really worth of praise.

That said, he'll never forget that moment; the drink was truly delicious. Ayukawa felt like a whole new door inside of him had opened.

Infact, that one sip may have been what led him all the way into the world of bartending.

At first, Ayukawa worked the opening shift at a dining bar in America-mura (Nishi-Shinsaibashi), home to Osaka's youth. When he eventually started mixing his own cocktails, the young customers, especially women, often complimented him and he felt very comfortable there as a result.

One day, he picked up a cocktail magazine that happened to be lying around the bar, suddenly noticing the words "competition winner" on its cover.

An interview further inside said, "There is a pinnacle in this world and there are people working hard to reach it."

These words made Ayukawa think for a while... "If I stay here, I'll only wind up being a stuck-up man."

After that day, he started taking home free newspapers to look for further part-time work.

During this time, he came across a job opening at Machi no Akari (Town Lights), a bar in Sakai. The master had created his own website, something very unusual for the time. On that site, there was a record of all his competitions documented for all to day.

Ayukawa told himself, "If I work for this master, I might be able to grow as a bartender!" and immediately applied for an interview. During the interview, he told the master "I want to be a bartender, " with Ayukawa telling the master all about his background and desires. In turn, the master handed Ayukawa the menu of his bar, which contained about 200 different kinds of drinks, including some that almost noone would order.

The master then said "You have to memorize all of these to work here."

The day Ayukawa found out that he passed the interview, he immediately put aside the happiness that was welling up inside him and got to work studying hard. He took notes and learned everything he could, bringing an energetic and hard-working spirit from day one. As he looked at the more experienced workers in the bar, he thought to himself "This person has memorized everything...!" and it made him a little nervous.

But after about a week, he noticed something. He was surprised to hear his seniors asking him "How do you make this drink?"

He had experience from his previous job, and had managed to memorize the entire menu. However, his co-workers had not memorized the entire menu at all.

One by one, his co-workers left due to daytime work or getting married, so his shifts increased to four days a week, followed by six a week. At this time, Ayukawa didn't understand the concept of having a day off and worked with a single goal: to support Machi no Akari.

One day, as he opened his locker to start work, he noticed an employee insurance card inside. This card was for him.

Ayukawa was so ecstatic he almost jumped out of his skin! At this time, practically no one in the bar industry was working as an salaried employee, which comes with special benefits such as employment insurance and a pension plan, amongst other things.

Ayukawa still doesn't think it's common even these days, but he is following his master's lead and trying to make his current staff salaried employees wherever possible.

Ayukawa started seriously preparing to participate in bartending competitions while learning from his master. The master wasn't really a detail-oriented individual, so he gave Ayukawa very little guidance or advice. He simply watched over and observed.

Reflecting on his own bartending career, at his first workplace he was treated very well. Then, at the second he was promoted to a salaried employee due to his good performance. He studied all the books he could and practiced whenever he had a free moment.

However, at the first competition he participated in, he finished in 58th place out of 60 competitors.

Ayukawa felt a mixture of shocked emotions and thought to himself "This is my starting point."

At the next tournament he participated at, he was visited by the master of his master. The grandmaster, so to speak. This grandmaster wasn't interested in competitions at all, but when he saw Ayukawa's performance, he said "You will be the best in Japan someday."

Inside, Ayukawa thought "How could a person who ranked 58th out of 60 do that?" But he had a sense of being moved and inspired by the words of the grandmaster at the time, who radiated a mysterious charm of his own.

Ayukawa used the inspiration he got from the words of his master's master to work even harder, taking third place in the junior (under 29s) division at a national competition. Not many others around him had achieved that level of success, so he was content with this title at the time.

He told his master "I've already won third place in the junior nationals, so I think I'm done with the main competition (30 and above)."

The master, who rarely spoke tersely to him, replied boldly "Before you say that, participate [in the main competition] once."

Ayukawa thought "Really? Is this really the right answer, I wonder?" and decided to give it a shot. He asked someone who had achieved results in those competitions to let him record a fruit cutting session. It took them ten minutes to complete their fruit cutting.

It took Ayukawa an hour to replicate it. At this point, he realised "This is an amazing world."

He practiced diligently, which changed his normal movement at work as well. Uselessness was cut out, and he became more concious of not only his cutting, but the gestures used and sharpness of his cuts.

He wanted to spend more time practicing for competitions, but at the same time couldn't neglect his work. Machi no Akari had an affiliate store and Ayukawa was given the job of running it. It was both treated well and paid well there, but it led him to think...

"Which way will make me grow the most ten years from now? Staying here? Or leaving?"

At the time, Harukas and Q's Mall, both large building complexes, opened up in Abeno. He wanted to work as a bartender in that area, and that feeling was building up inside him more and more.

When Ayukawa told his master aboutl his plans, his mind was already made up.

"Actually, I've decided to have an interview in Abeno. Whether I pass or not, I'll be leaving here."

The master replied with one word, "Okay." Very typical of him, he thought.

At his next workplace, again Ayukawa worked as a bardertender, but he also worked on teppanyaki and lunch duties there. There was very little time to practice for competitions!

That's when he stumbled across the perfect property for him. It was down a quiet back alley, with little foot traffic. Anyone at the time would have told him not to open there, but it was close to a train station, had a quiet atmosphere, plus for someone like Ayukawa who wanted to make Abeno a base, it felt like fate was intertwining.

He already had some money in savings, then borrowed from various sources, got help from carpenters and kitchen equipment vendors.

Bar 7th was finally open.

He thought in the worst case if he worked part-time during the day, he could pay back the money he owed. Very fortunately, he has been able to make his living as a bar owner full-time since Bar 7th opened up.

At first, only a few customers came to his new bar. He really needed good results from some competitions to help him bring more prestige to the store. In this bar, finally he could practice again and prepare for events. Without worrying about the watching eyes of a master or other employees, before the store opened for the day's trade, Ayukawa would spend his time practicing.

But the road was still a tough one. It took him a full five years to go from his bar opening to the national competition.

When you seriously train for a competition, you need the help of family, staff, your seniors, and many other people. Ayukawa would ask people who had gotten good results in competitions to let him take videos of them, and would visit such places bringing his own equipment to gauge his own performance. Customers would often say "You were so close!"

As he participated in more and more competitions each year and gradually improved his ranking, he began to receive support from many more people.

At this point, the competition victories, which he originally practied for the sake of his pride and to place on his store's main signboard out front became not just his dream, but one with everyone's hopes and feelings carried along with him.

Ayukawa mentions honestly that there are days where he will suddenly think "Maybe it's time to quit." But on days like that, regular customers always ask him "Will you make it and compete again this year?"

These comments motivate him to keep going.

In 2022, it finally happened. Ayukawa won the Suntory The Cocktail Award.

This is important because of the way competitions work in Japan. If you win a competition hosted by the Japan Bartender Association, generally you aren't allowed to participate in the next competition.

But manufacture sponsored events, like Suntory The Cocktail Award, do not have this restriction, so as a result the Suntory competition felt like an all-star event! It had so many winners from previous association competitions participating.

Even with the tough opposition, Ayukawa was able to win! He felt like his hard work had paid off and he could give a little back to those who helped him by winning.

When he informed his master, and his master's master, they said "Now you have to win the Japan Bartenders Asssociation tournament"!

Fruit cutting is one of the performances that is judged at competitions, and to perform well here, you need a knife that has quality thinness and sharpness.

For this purpose, Ayukawa uses the Kirameki Forge Welded Damascus Petty Knife. Ayukawa enjoys how sharp the knife is, but also finds the blade's edge retention to be fantastic.

He's bought many whetstones and studied sharpening by himself, but of course when it's time for a competition he visits Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide for a professional sharpening.

Immediately after sharpening, the knife is almost too sharp which causes fruit to stick to the blade. After about a week of usage though, the knife feels perfect to him.

Competitions are a game of speed, fluid movement and perfect in mere seconds, so he uses this knife which has an emphasis on proper balance in the hand. Of course, the cutting ability changes the performance itself and the beauty that can be found in the fruit's cross-section.

Naturally, he wants to compete with a kitchen knife that has been sharpened especially for the occasion.

"You'll use it in your next competition?" we asked.

"Of course. I aim to win!"

Ayukawa uses knives to prepare beautiful artistic works of fruit, and to prepare garnishes for his wonderful cocktails. He specifically uses the one below...