Happiness cannot be stolen.
Happiness is in a glass.
On Tokyo’s Meguro-dori street, there is a bus stop called "Motokeibajo-mae" (In front of the Former Racecourse).
Its name is a remnant of the Meguro Racecourse, which existed from the late Meiji era to the early Showa era.
Along the street nearby, there is a bistro with an eye-catching red facade.
It offers an extensive natural wine list and à la carte dishes, and it's bustling with repeat customers every day.
Celebrities are occasionally spotted, and there are many foreign customers as well.
The owner is Ryotaro Miyauchi, who is in charge of floor service.
He was the first Japanese staff member and played a central role at "Le Verre Volé," a famous natural wine shop and bistro in Paris, and inherited and spread that movement as the Tokyo branch. From 2017, he changed the restaurant's name to "Meguro Un Jour" and has been forging his own path.
With a calm and quiet demeanor, he spoke about his unique career and his passion for the food and beverage industry.
From hotel work and Japanese confectionery artisan to making it to France
Born in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, Miyauchi-san was a boy who excelled at basketball and long-distance running.
"I didn't particularly like cooking, but if I had to say, my mother was a nutritionist, so the meals at home were always well-balanced and beautifully presented, which might have influenced me somewhat.
When I was in high school, a friend's father ran a brasserie in Nihonbashi Ningyocho, and working there as a part-timer was my first encounter with French cuisine. I thought it was very cool. So, I enrolled in Tsuji Culinary Institute and studied cooking for a year. Then there was an option for a study abroad program in France, but the tuition was expensive, and at that time, I wasn't really keen on going to France yet."
After graduation, he joined Hotel New Otani (Tokyo) and was assigned to "Trader Vic's Tokyo," an international restaurant. He worked in service for about four years and had the opportunity to learn about classic wines, including Grand Crus from France.
After that, he worked at a casual French restaurant in Shinbashi, but it suddenly closed. The next job he chose was as a Japanese confectioner at "Miharado," a wagashi (Japanese confectionery) shop. While it might seem like an unexpected move, it wasn't such a bold decision for Miyauchi-san. However, he was interested in European fashion and the fact that he hadn't gone to culinary school in France during his student days still bothered him, so he had a desire for a "revanche."
After two years of working in wagashi production, an unexpected opportunity to go to Paris arose.
"An acquaintance offered me a job as a patissier at a Japanese restaurant they were opening in Paris. And fortunately, I was able to obtain a 'carte de séjour' (residence permit). This meant I could work legally, so I figured I had to go."
What led him to the world of natural wine was an eccentric owner.
He worked at the Japanese restaurant in Paris for two years. In reality, he had to handle various tasks, not just pastries, but also cooking and service. He had little financial余裕, and in his cramped apartment, he said he spent his days eating frozen curry or natto with Spanish rice.
Amidst the busy and stressful environment, he discovered an interesting wine shop very close to his home.
"At that time, it was still a rare natural wine specialty shop. The seemingly haphazard display of wines had a good sense of style, and the owner was a very eccentric person with long dreadlocks. In high school, I was a reggae lover with about 100 records and even had dreadlocks myself (laughs), so I was drawn to him.
Drinking natural wine there for 6 to 8 euros a glass became my small pleasure, and after I became a regular, he would often say, 'Try this.' It was the shop that got me hooked on natural wine, but a big part of it was because of that owner."
Miyauchi-san, who had considered moving away from the city to live for a while in a natural wine producing region, visited "Jean-Yves Péron" and worked there for about a month, living on-site. Péron is a producer in the cool climate near Albertville in the Savoie region, practicing hand-picking, additive-free methods, and long maceration.
"I would wake up at 7 AM, eat local yogurt, cheese, and bread, and then be physically active all day, pruning grapevines and bottling. It was also the home of Chartreuse, so I'd have a glass before bed and be asleep by around 9 PM. I truly enjoyed that rural life and felt my mind and body becoming healthier. It was before smartphones, so there were no such distractions, and I hardly took any photos to record things.
But I think that was actually a good thing. Instead of seeing landscapes through a machine or getting superficial information, the experience of seeing and touching things with my own eyes and hands became a valuable asset that is irreplaceable."Working relentlessly at a hugely popular restaurant in Paris
Upon returning to Paris, he worked for a month at "Le Verre Volé," a natural wine bistro on the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement. It was meant to be temporary, as he intended to go to another wine region.
The next region was Anjou in the Loire Valley. In this area where many natural wine producers gather, Miyauchi-san worked at "Domaine Mosse," a producer committed to soil health, practicing biodynamic farming, and making wines that directly express the character of the grapes.
One day, Cyril Baudouin, the owner of Le Verre Volé, called him and said, "We're officially hiring you as a full-time employee, come back right away!" Miyauchi-san returned to Paris as requested, after three months away.
"Le Verre Volé was a pioneer in popularizing natural wine casually in Paris. For example, the style of writing prices directly on the neck of bottles became popular from this restaurant. It also doubled as a wine shop and was an extremely popular place with 100 customers a day. The staff were professionals with extensive knowledge of natural wine, but the kitchen was barely a kitchen; it was a space only big enough for two people, with only two toaster ovens and a Chinese rice cooker used as a steamer.
Alain Ducasse himself came to eat and his eyes went wide, saying, 'What kind of kitchen is this?' In other words, there were hardly any professionals in the restaurant business, which is why they probably reached out to me."
The owner recognized Miyauchi's abilities, but due to his East Asian appearance and the language barrier, he often experienced disrespectful attitudes from French customers and staff. He swore to himself, "I will definitely prove them wrong," and handled all tasks from preparation, cooking, service, to washing dishes, working 16 hours a day.
He also showed ingenuity by rolling tuna scraps in seaweed and freely incorporating Japanese seasonings that Michelin chefs had started using, such as ponzu, tamari soy sauce, and yuzu kosho, which were well-received by customers. On the other hand, he also managed to prepare bistro classics like boudin and cailettes (one wonders how he managed to make them in such a kitchen; he must have been thought of as a magician from the East). He was told, "We're renovating the kitchen, so you can do whatever you want," and his salary was increased. At that point, everyone around him had no choice but to acknowledge his talent.
"I worked frantically on my working days, but I also got proper days off, so I could easily enjoy short trips within the EU to Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. I worked at Le Verre Volé for four and a half years, and the owner told me, 'I want you to stay forever,' and I intended to, but..."
He returned to Japan in 2012. The reason was his wife's wish to give birth in Japan. They had already been married before moving to France, but his wife had been going back and forth between Japan and France on short-term visas, and at one point, Miyauchi-san was living alone, so their life had been unstable. It was during this time that they were finally blessed with a child, and it was time to repay his wife, who had given him so much freedom.
"Then, the idea came up of opening a Tokyo branch of Le Verre Volé as a sort of spin-off. It's such an attractive restaurant, so being able to expand it in Japan made me happy, and new hope was born."
Part 2 -----
Miyauchi-san, who gained expertise by working at a natural wine winery and handling every task from cooking to service at a hugely popular bistro in Paris, opened a sister restaurant of the Paris establishment upon his return to Japan.
