Great 🍹 drinks! Great cocktails 🍸

Very helpful and lovely gallery. Will be back

This time I bought a glass guinomi sake cup as a gift for someone who has helped me a lot. The wrapping and payment were done on the 2nd floor, and I'm grateful for their courteous service. It seems you could drink sake on the 2nd floor, but unfortunately I passed this time.

Rather than letting tradition end as art objects or antiques, they arrange it to suit the Reiwa era, which is wonderful and left a deep impression on me. There are many tea ceremony utensils, which makes it enjoyable. You can also actually hold the works in your hands and appreciate them. <What they value> ・Adding color to everyday life ・Actually holding and appreciating everyday tools ・Closing the distance with the works They also hold all kinds of events, such as tea gatherings using the utensils they sell and meet-and-greets with the artists.

I visited an exhibition by an artist I'd been really looking forward to, but unfortunately an unexpected exchange took place, and I ended up leaving without taking home any work. First, as a premise, I think gallery rules like putting umbrellas in the umbrella stand and leaving bags at the counter are reasonable from the standpoint of protecting the works, and that visitors naturally ought to follow them. Let me say up front that I was at fault for showing reluctance toward that rule this time. However, I once had a treasured parasol soiled and damaged in an umbrella stand somewhere else, and since then I've always checked a gallery's official website, social media, and reviews in advance to see if there are rules such as leaving bags, and brought an umbrella cover, preparing and taking care in my own way. That day I had just returned from a sudden overseas business trip, and it was a scorching hot day, a complete turnaround from the temperatures where I'd been staying until the day before, so I wasn't in the best shape; and since there was no mention of bag rules, I hadn't thought to bring an umbrella cover. When I entered, I was told to put my umbrella in the stand, but since there were no other customers and there was plenty of room, I politely asked twice whether it would be okay to keep holding my parasol: “I'll be careful, would it not be all right if I keep holding it?” Unexpectedly, I was met with a harsh tone and a frightening, wide-eyed glare: “No! Please leave!” Since I was the one asking for an exception to the rules, being refused was only natural, but I hadn't expected to be treated in a way that felt so one-sided and intimidating, and I was quite shaken. If I had been dismissive or overbearing, saying something like “Oh come on~! What's the big deal~!” or “Why not?!”, or had ignored the instructions and tried to walk in, I think a somewhat stronger warning would be understandable. But I stood in front of the umbrella stand without moving a single step, and spoke with a pleading attitude and tone. Even so, I was met with what felt like overbearing treatment from the second exchange, so honestly I didn't feel good either. But I'd been eagerly looking forward to this ever since the artist's exhibition was announced, and there were two pieces I absolutely wanted to buy, so rather than arguing and fighting, I wanted to explore “how this could be possible” and “whether there was an alternative,” and tried to talk politely. However, because I was flustered, I chose my words poorly and said, “If I happen to break something, I'll pay for it...”, at which point I was cut off and the conversation itself was ended with words like “That's not the level we're talking about,” “That way of thinking itself is unacceptable,” and “Please leave.” It's true I used an expression that could understandably be misunderstood, but in all my years of using a parasol I've always been very careful and have never bumped it into people or merchandise, and I value showing respect not only for myself but also for the gallery's artists and works, so what I meant was that if, by some remote chance, I did damage something, I would compensate for it, never “if I break it, I can just pay for it, right?” As I mentioned, I was a wreck that day and couldn't think straight, so I didn't feel I could continue the conversation, and for the moment I headed to the station, just as I'd been thrown out. But if I missed this opportunity, there was little chance I'd encounter the works I wanted at a future exhibition, and as someone who loves art, I also couldn't bear being misunderstood as thinking “if I break it, I can just pay for it, right?”, so I went back and explained the situation. In the end, I received an apology and, thankfully, an offer of a plastic bag. But by then I had run out of energy and my spirits had already sunk; I felt that the works I'd wanted to welcome with care would have “unpleasant memories clinging to them,” so I decided not to buy. I don't think I was blameless. I wish I had said from the start, “I've had a parasol soiled before, so I'm sorry, but do you have something like a plastic bag?” I regret it. That said, I still can't help questioning why, even though I was asking politely, I was met from the second exchange with what felt like an intimidating attitude and harsh words, as if refusing to have a dialogue at all. The gallery itself is a beautiful, open space with natural light, and the artist's works looked wonderful even from a distance. I'm still sad that I couldn't take a good look or buy the works I'd hoped for, and although I used to visit various galleries every week, this incident has become a psychological trauma, leaving me anxious about whether I'll be able to enjoy them in the future. I believe a gallery as a space can only exist when there is trust between the artist, the gallery, and the visitor. Going forward, while striving to be a better visitor myself, I hope for the day I can encounter the artist's works in a different way.