The Special Radiance That Yurakucho Wears at Year’s End
On December 29, 2024, walking through the streets of Yurakucho as the year drew to a close, I felt a special atmosphere different from usual permeating the air. The illuminated streetscape beautifully staged this milestone moment marking the end of the year.
While gazing at this scene, I found myself reflecting on the year 2024. This year was truly a turbulent era. Various events occurring around the world, waves of technological innovation, and changes in each of our individual lives. It’s precisely during this special period of year’s end that I feel anew the significance of stopping to look back.
Yurakucho is also a place that has continued to witness the transitions of eras. From modernization since the Meiji era, through post-war reconstruction, high economic growth, to the present day, it has consistently functioned as Tokyo’s cultural center. Perhaps there is deep meaning in welcoming the year’s end in this city.
Modern “Craftsmanship Spirit” Embodied by Izakaya Chains
My destination was Kajiya Bunzo Yurakucho branch. While appearing to be a nationally expanding izakaya chain at first glance, this establishment breathes with a clear concept. As the name “Kajiya” (blacksmith) indicates, it prominently features craftsman-like dedication to fire-based cooking.
In the modern food service industry, maintaining “artisan character” while being a chain store presents unimaginable difficulties. However, Kajiya Bunzo attempts to answer the modern challenge of balancing efficiency with quality through Japan’s traditional craftsman spirit. This may be an expression of sincere attitude toward Japanese food culture that transcends mere marketing strategy.
Upon entering the restaurant, what first caught my eye was this beef tendon stew. The beef tendons slowly simmered in an earthenware pot are truly a crystallization of craftsmanship worthy of the “Kajiya” name. Through long hours of heating, the fibers break down to achieve a texture that melts in your mouth. This is not merely a stewed dish, but an artistic creation using time as seasoning.
Diversity of Modern Japan Seen in the Lively Restaurant Interior
The restaurant interior was bustling with many people, partly due to the year-end timing. Groups of salarymen, families, couples, and friends like ourselves. The sight of people with various backgrounds enjoying meals in the same space symbolizes the richness of modern Japanese society.
What was particularly impressive was the sight of foreign staff members dressed in the restaurant uniform, energetically calling out in Japanese. Their presence vividly represents the internationalization and diversity of modern Japan. People with different cultural backgrounds working under one spirit of “omotenashi” (hospitality), providing joy to customers. This is exactly the beautiful aspect of modern Japan.
While gazing at this beautiful sashimi platter, I was reminded anew of the profundity of Japanese food culture. The deep red of tuna, the lustrous orange of salmon, and the transparency of prawns. The harmony woven by these colors represents the aesthetic sensibility that Japanese people have cultivated over many years.
Overlaying the Era of 2024 with Slices of Sashimi
While bringing a slice of sashimi to my mouth, I thought deeply about the year 2024. This year witnessed rapid development of AI technology, geopolitical changes, efforts toward climate change, and various changes in our individual lives.
Like the taste layers of tuna sashimi, 2024 also had various “layers.” Beneath surface events lurked deeper social and cultural changes. Behind the convenience brought by technological innovation, new challenges also emerged. Changes in international situations affected our daily lives as well.
However, as I sat around delicious food with companions at year’s end, I felt the importance of “unchanging values” precisely because we live in times of rapid change. Friendship, family bonds, gratitude for delicious meals. These are universal values for humanity, no matter how much times change.
The “Ichigo Ichie” Culinary Experience Realized by Chain Stores
When the yakitori platter arrived, I was surprised. Despite being a chain store, each skewer had individuality, achieving a non-uniform grilling result. This must be Kajiya Bunzo’s true strength.
The greatest challenge facing modern izakaya chains is balancing “efficiency” with “individuality.” While many chain stores fall into uniform service, Kajiya Bunzo values the individuality of each store and even each dish, centered on the concept of “fire-based cooking.”
This can be called an epoch-making attempt to apply Japan’s “ichigo ichie” (one time, one meeting) spirit to modern business models. Even with the same menu, they provide subtly different experiences depending on that day’s ingredients, the person cooking, and the person eating. Maintaining “handmade warmth” while being a chain store—this may be the direction that modern Japanese dining culture should aim for.
The Warmth of Community Seen in Hot Pot Cuisine
The final dish was a hot pot filled with vegetables and meatballs. While surrounding the steaming pot, our conversation naturally became animated. Stories of 2024 memories, hopes for the coming year, and the happiness of this present moment.
Hot pot cuisine has a mysterious power to connect people. By sharing from the same pot, distances shrink both physically and spiritually. This is also the wisdom of “communal dining” that Japanese food culture has cultivated.
The year 2024 was a series of difficult challenges for many people. However, savoring the happiness of sharing meals with important people at year’s end brings confidence that any difficulty can be overcome.
The Meaning of Time Felt at Year’s End
This night spent at Kajiya Bunzo was time with deep meaning beyond a mere dinner gathering. Precisely because of this special period of year’s end, we can stop to look back and gain the strength to face forward.
2024 was a year that became an important turning point in human history—the spread of AI technology, changes in international situations, efforts toward environmental issues. On a personal level, many people experienced various changes in work, relationships, and values.
However, no matter how much times change, the joy of sharing delicious meals and connecting hearts remains constant. Watching people with diverse backgrounds exchanging smiles in the same space within Kajiya Bunzo’s lively interior, I couldn’t help but feel hope for the future.
The New Form of “Community” Built by Izakaya Chains
The true value of izakaya chains like Kajiya Bunzo lies not simply in providing delicious food. It lies in reconstructing “community consciousness,” which tends to become diluted in modern society, within commercial spaces.
Foreign staff embody Japanese hospitality culture, while customers with diverse backgrounds relax in the same space. This scene symbolizes modern Japan’s inclusiveness and adaptability. Within the modern business model of chain stores breathes the spirit of Japan’s ancient “za” (gathering) culture—places where people assemble beyond status or origin.
Having gone through the turbulent year of 2024, what we may be seeking is such “open communities.” Pursuing efficiency while not losing human warmth, accepting diversity while cherishing common values. Establishments like Kajiya Bunzo are precious entities embodying such ideals of modern Japan.
Hope for the Coming 2025
After finishing our meal at Kajiya Bunzo and stepping out onto Yurakucho’s streets, the illuminations seemed to shine even more beautifully. The satisfaction of reflecting on the turbulent year of 2024 with companions and savoring delicious cuisine warmly filled my heart.
This special night spent in Yurakucho at year’s end was a fitting experience to conclude 2024. While there were difficulties, it was a year with far more learning and growth. And above all, I could truly feel the happiness of sharing time with important people.
No one knows what kind of year 2025 will become. However, with the warm human relationships felt at Kajiya Bunzo and society’s tolerance in accepting diversity, we can overcome any challenge.
For domestic and international intellectuals, cultivated people, and those who understand life’s profound flavors, time spent with important people during the special period of year’s end is an irreplaceable treasure. Next year’s end, why not spend a special night reflecting on the year at Kajiya Bunzo in Yurakucho? There awaits the blissful time woven by timeless human warmth and delicious cuisine.