Happiness cannot be stolen.
Happiness is in a glass.
There is a bus stop called "Motokeibajo-mae" on Meguro Street in Tokyo.
The name is a remnant of the Meguro Racecourse that existed from the end of the Meiji period to the beginning of the Showa period.
On a nearby street, there is a bistro with an eye-catching red facade.
Guests can enjoy a wide selection of natural wines and a la carte dishes, and the restaurant is bustling with repeat customers every day.
You can see a few celebrities here and there, and there are also many foreign visitors.
The owner of the shop is Ryotaro Miyauchi, who is in charge of floor service.
He was the first Japanese staff member at the famous Parisian natural wine shop and bistro "Le Vert Vole," where he played a central role, and has continued to spread that movement at the Tokyo store. In 2017, the store name was changed to "Meguro Anjour" and he continues to go his own way.
In a calm and collected manner, he spoke about his unique career history and his thoughts on the restaurant industry.
After working at a hotel and as a Japanese confectioner, he landed a job in France
Miyauchi was born in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, and was a boy who excelled at basketball and long-distance running.
"I don't particularly like cooking, but if I had to say, my mother was a nutritionist, so the food at home was always nutritionally balanced and colorfully presented, which may have had some influence on me.
When I was in high school, a friend's father ran a brasserie in Ningyocho, Nihonbashi, and I worked there part-time, which was my first encounter with French cuisine. I thought it was cool, so I enrolled in Tsuji Culinary Institute and studied cooking for a year. Next, I had the option of studying abroad at a French school, but the tuition fees were expensive, and at the time I wasn't sure I wanted to go to France."
After graduating, he got a job at Hotel New Otani (Tokyo) and was assigned to the international restaurant Trader Vic's Tokyo, where he worked in the service department for about four years, and had the opportunity to learn about classic wines such as French Grand Vin.
After that, he worked at a casual French restaurant in Shinbashi, but it suddenly closed down, and his next job was as a Japanese confectioner at the Japanese confectionery shop "Miharado." It may seem a bit outlandish, but it wasn't a particularly bold decision for Miyauchi. However, he was interested in European fashion, and not having attended a French school as a student had always bothered him, so he wanted to get revenge.
After two years of working in Japanese confectionery manufacturing, an unexpected opportunity presented itself to move to Paris. 
"An acquaintance of mine was opening a Japanese restaurant in Paris and offered me the opportunity to work there as a pastry chef. I was lucky enough to be granted a carte de séjour (a residence permit). This meant I could work openly, so I thought it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."
The unique owner was the reason I entered the world of natural wine
He worked at a Japanese restaurant in Paris for two years. In reality, he had to do a variety of tasks, not just pastry but also cooking and service. He didn't have much money to spare, and in his small apartment he lived off frozen curry or natto, cooked rice from Spain, and other foods.
Despite my busy and stressful life, I discovered an interesting wine shop close to where I live.
"It was a store specializing in natural wine, which was still rare at the time. I was impressed by the casual-looking wine display and the owner, who was a very unique character with long dreadlocks. I was a reggae fan who owned about 100 records in high school and even had dreadlocks (laughs), so I was drawn to him.
Drinking natural wine for 6 to 8 euros a glass became a small pleasure for me, and after I became a regular customer, people would recommend me things like, "Try this." This bar was what got me hooked on natural wine, and I think a big part of that was because of the owner." 
Miyauchi, who wanted to leave the city and live in a natural wine-producing region for a while, visited Jean-Yves Perron and worked there as a live-in employee for about a month. Located in the cool climate of the Savoie region near Albertville, the producer practices hand-picking, no additives, and long maceration.
"I would get up at 7am, eat locally produced yogurt, cheese and bread, and work all day pruning the grape vines and bottling. As the region is also a producer of Chartreuse, I would have a nightcap and fall asleep by 9pm. I thoroughly enjoyed this rural lifestyle, and felt like I was becoming healthier both physically and mentally. This was in the days before smartphones, so there was no entertainment for me and I rarely took photographs to record my experiences.
But I think that was actually a good thing. The experience of seeing and touching things with your own eyes, rather than just seeing the scenery through a machine or receiving superficial information, is something that can't be replaced by anything else."
Working tirelessly at a super-popular restaurant in Paris
Upon returning to Paris, he worked for a month at Le Vert Vole, a natural wine bistro on the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement, as a temporary position to return to wine-producing regions.
The next wine-producing region is Anjou in the Loire Valley. This is an area that is home to many natural wine producers, and Miyauchi worked at Domaine Moss. They practice biodynamic farming methods, focusing on soil health, and produce wine that makes the most of the unique characteristics of the grapes.
One day, I received a call from Cyril Boudalier, the owner of Le Vert Vole, who said, "We're officially hiring you as an employee, so come back right away!" So I did as I was told and returned to Paris for the first time in three months. 
"Le Vert Le Vole was a pioneer in popularizing natural wine in a casual setting in Paris, and it was here that the trend of writing the price directly on the neck of the bottle began. The store also doubles as a liquor store, and is incredibly popular, attracting 100 customers a day. The staff were a group of professionals with extensive knowledge of natural wine, but the kitchen was hardly what you'd call a kitchen; it was just big enough for two people, and the only cooking equipment was two toaster ovens and a Chinese-made rice cooker used as a steamer.
Even Alain Ducasse himself came to eat there and was left with his eyes wide open, saying, "What is this kitchen?" In other words, there were very few professionals in the restaurant business, which is why he contacted me."
The owner had high regard for Miyauchi's abilities, but because of his Asian appearance and the language barrier, he was often treated with contempt by French customers and staff. He vowed to himself, "I'll definitely get back at them," and worked 16 hours a day, handling all tasks from preparation, cooking, serving, and washing up.
He showed his ingenuity by wrapping tuna belly in nori seaweed and freely incorporating Japanese seasonings, such as ponzu, tamari soy sauce, and yuzu pepper, which Michelin chefs have started using, as a Japanese chef, which was well received by customers.He also managed to create bistro staples such as boudin and caillette (how on earth did he manage to make them in such a kitchen? People must have thought he was a magician from the East).He was told, "We're renovating the kitchen, so you can do whatever you want," and his salary was also increased.If that happened, the people around him had no choice but to accept him. 
"I worked hard on my days at work, but I was also able to take plenty of days off, which allowed me to enjoy short trips to Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and other EU destinations. I worked at Le Vert Volet for four and a half years, and the owner told me he wanted me to stay, and I thought that was the case, but..."
He returned to Japan in 2012, due to his wife's wish to give birth in Japan. They had already been married before moving to France, but his wife was constantly traveling between Japan and France on a short-term visa, and at one point Miyauchi was working away from home, leading to an unstable lifestyle. They finally had a child, and the time had come to repay his wife for the freedom she had given him up until then.
"So we started talking about opening a branch of Le Vert Vole in Tokyo. It's a really appealing store, so I was happy to be able to expand into Japan, and it gave me new hope."
Part 2 -----
Miyauchi worked at a natural wine winery and then at a very popular Parisian bistro, where he handled everything from cooking to service, and after gaining skills, he opened a sister store to his Parisian store after returning to Japan.
