INTERVIEW

Lunette
Owner Kazumichi Inoue

Shinjuku’s Honan Street has been redeveloped and is lined with tall buildings and apartments, but there is a quiet residential area off the main street that has changed very little. It is a unique area. This wine bar’s lot sits on the corner of a former shopping street, where there used to be a realtor and a beauty salon. The atmosphere of the place felt familiar, perhaps because I grew up in one of Tokyo’s “shitamachi” commoners’ neighborhoods, and I liked this place right away. It has been five years since I opened Lunette.
　I originally didn’t drink alcohol. After studying to be a patissier, I worked as a cook at an Italian restaurant, but was asked to work outside the kitchen because I was so talkative and was put in charge of wine. It was a difficult transition, but I came to understand the differences between wines the more I drank, and became very interested in them. I then discovered so-called natural wines, and got hooked. We now serve ten different types of natural wines daily, including domestic wines. Lunette is a small place that seats ten people and serves dishes using seasonal ingredients. About half of our customers come alone, while others come with coworkers, significant others, and family. Most customers live nearby, but recently there have been more customers visiting from afar.
　This is not a stuffy place. I hope people can come enjoy the place as if they were visiting the home of a friend who loves to cook.