Each year around the date of August 13th, our friends at Aquwa Brew Works, Beer Nova, and Beer Hunting Urawa host a joint Kyoto Brewing tap takeover.
This is a bit different from our other tap takeovers, however, as it is one that we have continued in memory of our friend, the late Kenta Fujii, who owned and ran Primordial in Minami-Urawa, Saitama prefecture.
While an event in the memory of someone who once passed might sound like a more solemn affair, this is actually one of the most fun events that we take part in each year, and is attended now by many who never had the pleasure of meeting Kenta-san at all.
The reason we take part in this event and believe it to be important is two-fold. One reason is quite serious, and the other is fun.
The first reason comes down to raising awareness, which was also the message we put out when we brewed the memorial beer Paradise (“藤源郷”) in his memory a few years ago. Japan’s healthcare system is one of the best in the world, and one thing that people don’t realise that is unusual is that company workers and government workers are encouraged, often required, to go and have health checks. This helps prevent many people from catching serious illnesses before they become an issue.
Unfortunately in some industries people don’t tend to make use of this yearly check, and this is especially the case in those running their own small businesses. The bar and restaurant scene, in particular, struggles with this, with owners often working 6 days per week, sometimes 7, and for very long hours. While it is easy to say “close up shop for a day”, many don’t prioritise getting a check, or simply feel they cannot afford to.
This was something that we believe might have helped Fujii-san and so we take this as a reminder, both to ourselves, and to anyone else who will listen, to say “let’s get checked”.
The second reason we believe this event is important comes down to what Primordial meant to Minami-Urawa. The area that Fujii-san opened his shop is mostly residential, and there really are no other bars or restaurants around. It seems like a strange choice, but Fujii-san knew exactly what he was doing. Slowly but surely he gained regulars who clicked with him, or simply with the vibe of the place he had created. Others showed up and became friends with regulars. Essentially, in the small place that he built, Primordial became a community hub.
When Fujii-san became ill, some of his wonderful regulars kept the place going periodically and, after he passed and we had one last finishing event at his establishment. The event was upbeat, happy, full of fond memories, and also full of a lively and energetic keenness from everyone to value and keep these connections, and to carry the torch that Fujii-san and Primordial had lit.
Fujii-san was relatively new to craft beer when he opened Primordial, but he had a sense of how beer would bring people together, and why it has become a hub in many countries in a way that other drinks simply do not.
And so we invite everyone - both those who used to visit Primordial regularly and those who had never heard of the place before - to come together and raise a glass. Reminisce over good old times, meet new friends and create new memories.
Event details:Date: 14th-16th August (Fri-Sun)Locations:Aquwa Brew Works, Minami UrawaBeer Nova, UrawaBeer Hunting Urawa, Kita-Urawa
There will be a stamp rally taking place for those interested in picking up some KBC merchandise, and Ben will also be attending on the (Saturday? TBC).
