Dialogue - Comptoir Coin -

From construction worker to chef

Before he became interested in cooking, Marui worked as a school teacher and in the construction industry building bridges.

After the Great East Japan Earthquake, food started to be a topic of negative publicity, which made me think about things I had taken for granted, so I quit my job in the construction industry. I searched for a job where I could start using only my body and get results from my experience, and I ended up in the restaurant industry.

"From the perspective of a job that suits me in terms of the speed of my response, I felt that in my previous jobs, it took a long time for a reaction to occur. By comparison, the reaction in the food service industry is quick. For example, you can see a reaction the moment you eat something, like 'Ah! It's delicious!'"
In order to gain the skills and experience to run a restaurant on his own in as short a time as possible, Marui trained in a variety of different types of restaurants, including Chinese, Italian, a bistro, a gyoza restaurant, a Kyoto cuisine restaurant, and an izakaya, working day and night in all kinds of establishments.

Discovering natural wine

While working at an Italian restaurant, Marui's encounter with natural wine at a bar became a major turning point in his life.

"I had memories of my early twenties that left me with the impression that wine wasn't tasty, so I always avoided it. But when I tried natural wine for the first time, I was shocked by how delicious it was, and thought, 'Wow, it really tastes like grapes.' I decided to invest in something that I thought was tasty, so I borrowed over 1 million yen at the time and spent all my time drinking and learning about natural wine."
At the bar attached to the bakery, he learned cooking techniques from a chef who had worked his way up through the hotel industry, and also acquired preservation techniques. At a major chain restaurant, he was entrusted with opening a new store, and acquired management know-how. Then, in 2015, he opened "Comptoir Coin".

More memorable than records

The shop was renovated from the first floor of a private home, and most of the interior and exterior design was done by the owner himself, including the plastering.

The combination of genre-less Western cuisine and natural wine in a space decorated with art and antiques has earned the restaurant a reputation, with many people from both within and outside Tokyo frequenting the restaurant.

Some customers, even those who don't like wine, come to Marui's store looking for delicious wine.

"We've had several customers come in and say, 'I can't drink wine.' When we offered them natural wine, they drank it and said, 'It's really delicious,' and now they go out drinking at nearby bars. I'm glad to see more and more people like that coming in.

In terms of the customer's reaction, this was the most pleasant reaction I've ever had in my time running a restaurant. A delicious restaurant tends to leave a lasting impression on people's minds as a taste, but it's possible that it might not remain in their memory as an experience. I want to continue being a place where, through natural wine and with customers, they can learn to like things they dislike, or give them a chance to have a lasting experience."

Putting down roots and building bridges

Furthermore, Marui's love of wine is expressed in a tangible form.

In 2021, we will open a natural wine shop called "Sakamuro - Centoux -".

The trigger was the declaration of a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a situation where it was unclear what information was correct, Marui took the time to reflect on herself and made a decision.

"Restaurants have strict operating conditions regarding alcohol, but wine has saved them so I wanted to help them out, and so I decided to open a wine shop. We will offer tastings there for a fee, and if customers like it they can buy it. I want to create an environment where the distribution of natural wine, from production to sale, will not stop. I want to continue selling natural wines that I think are delicious when I drink them myself."

"I don't buy anything that I don't think is delicious when I drink it. It may sell as a business, but it doesn't convey my feelings, and it doesn't impress people who drink it."

After this conversation, the world of natural wine is still not well known or distributed in Japan. Wanting to increase the distribution of natural wine, Marui is considering selling it not only in stores but also online. The reason behind this is the fact that the wines he thought he didn't like were only wines that contained additives such as antioxidants. "I would like people who think they don't like wine to try natural wine at least once." This may lead to an encounter with undiscovered natural wines, which will help people escape the world of wine that they have decided they don't like. [Interview with Nagase Jiro, Part 1]

Dialogue - Jiro Nagase [Part 1] -

There are people who are challenging themselves to create new things using materials that everyone knows.

Dialogue - Jiro Nagase [Part 2] -

Have you ever thought about the material aluminum in your daily life?

Interviewer and writer: Yoshiaki Ono

[Exhibition Information]

Jiro Nagase Exhibition Schedule
Saturday, July 24, 2021 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
No days off during the period Artist is in the gallery
24th,25th,26th / 30th,31st,1st hours
13:00－18:00

Comptoir Coin Dinner Party
July 24th (Sat) and 25th (Sun)
Start time 12:00¥8,000
An eight-course meal, all served in Jiro Nagase's aluminum creations