Wine Bar BLESS

To.Eric WilliamsThank you for visiting Wine Bar BLESS after your tiring day sightseeing in Nikko.By now you must be home, perhaps feeling nostalgic for Japan and regretting that time was too short?Your Japanese was truly splendid.Japanese is full of challenging expressions and idioms, so please take your time and enjoy learning it.Now then, Japanese wines are improving year by year, so you'll surely discover even more enjoyable wines in the future.Much like Wine Bar BLESS, there are many railway-themed establishments across Japan. How about a journey next time visiting railway cafés, railway bars, and railway museums?Enjoying wine whilst visiting railway-related facilities would be splendid.When it comes to passion for Japanese wine and railways, we're second to none!!When you next visit Japan, please do drop by Wine Bar BLESS.We look forward to seeing you again.

To.Susanna G It’s been a while, but I’m delighted that you still remember that little wine bar in Nikko. Thank you so much. Thank you for posting that review. I’m absolutely delighted!! Even though it’s a wine bar specialising in Japanese wines, weren’t you surprised to find a model railway diorama right in front of you as soon as you walked in? Didn’t you think for a moment that you’d walked into the wrong place?! As for the sound of the model trains running, we’d originally planned to play jazz when we first opened, but our customers rejected the idea, saying, ‘The sound of the trains is so soothing, we don’t need jazz.’ Surprisingly, listening to the sound of the trains whilst drinking wine seems to be quite relaxing; some people even fall asleep!! Just kidding. As for Japanese wines, I still visit the wineries myself to speak with the winemakers and decide which wines to stock in the bar. That’s the most enjoyable part, and I’ve included anecdotes from those visits on the menu. It’s a shame I can’t speak English. If I could, I’d be able to explain more about the winemakers and the locations of the wineries. I’m sorry about that. It seems you enjoyed the salami too. It looked absolutely delicious. This salami, produced in Tochigi Prefecture, contains Brie, a white-mould cheese, which I believe really enhances its flavour. In fact, as the purchase price and retail price of this salami are the same, we make absolutely no profit on it; however, we have set the price at this level in the hope that you will all enjoy it. We source this salami directly from the producer. Furthermore, as a general rule, just as with our wine, we do not rely on wholesalers for the delivery of other ingredients and supplies, but go out to purchase them ourselves. The next time you visit Japan, please do drop by ‘Wine Bar BLESS’. I’m sure you’ll be able to enjoy even more delicious wines there. Until then, please look after yourself and have a wonderful time. I look forward to seeing you again.

To.Rie Pedersen Thank you very much for visiting our wine bar, ‘BLESS’, the other day. We are grateful for your candid feedback regarding sake and Japanese wine. It may be difficult to appreciate the merits of sake unless one has a deep-rooted understanding of rice culture. As for Japanese wine, the reality is that, unfortunately, many Japanese people do not find it particularly delicious. However, Japanese winemakers are making tireless efforts to produce wines that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s best – in other words, delicious wines that they themselves can confidently recommend to others. Even if a particular wine does not suit your taste at present, we only stock wines from wineries where we have spoken directly with the winemakers and are convinced they will produce delicious wines in the future. Rather than purchasing Japanese wine from a wine merchant, we travel directly to the region, visit the vineyards, inspect the winemaking facilities and speak with the winemakers to experience the character of that year’s vintage first-hand. If I could speak a language other than Japanese, I would be able to explain each wine individually without relying on the menu, but it is a slight pity that this is not possible. I apologise for this. Sake is made from rice and water, whilst beer is made from hops, malt and water—both use a variety of ingredients. Wine, on the other hand, is made solely from grapes, isn’t it? I truly believe it’s far healthier than other alcoholic drinks. That’s one of the differences, I suppose… Still, I’m delighted that you enjoyed the Japanese wine. It may not be perfect yet, but please look forward to the future of Japanese wine. As a supporter of Japanese wine, I too intend to continue cheering on the wineries. If you’d like, please do come back to Japan again. And next time, I hope you’ll enjoy a wide selection of Japanese wines at that little wine bar in Nikko. Until we meet again, please look after yourself and stay well.