"Gourmet News" No. 7: A trip to "Maison de Himiko"

Last September, I went to Shizuoka City, where my late parents' hometown is, for the first time in a long time. My father was a banker, so I joined the bank at the Shizuoka branch, but I was born in Tokyo. After that, he was transferred to Suwa and Kobe, and thinking about my high school entrance, he returned to Tokyo and built a house near Funabashi, where the company housing was. As a typical parasite single, I have continued to live in that house even after my parents passed away, without leaving it. For me, Shizuoka is a strange place, a hometown where I have never lived, and as the end of my life is approaching, I have begun to feel a desire to visit it. Last year, I ate my favorite "Karamimochi" at "Sekibeya", the original Abekawamochi that I always stopped by with my grandfather on my walk home, and then went to "Kawasaki", a renowned French restaurant that has been featured in national magazines.

For this writer, there was a place in Shizuoka that he had been wanting to visit for a long time. It was the building that was the setting for the film "Maison de Himiko," directed by Inudo Isshin and released in 2005. In the film, the setting was a seaside love hotel somewhere on the Miura Peninsula that had been renovated into a gay retirement home. However, in reality, it was a cafe called "Cafe Welcome Tea" in Omaezaki City, which has since closed down. It was put up for sale but no buyers could be found, so it seems the building remains as it is.

This film stars Odagiri Joe. He was extremely active at the time, having been invited to the Cannes Film Festival in the same year for Suzuki Seijun's Operetta Tanuki Goten. The following year, what I consider to be the greatest TV drama of all time was the broadcast of Jikimei Keisatsu. I wasn't particularly impressed with him in Kamen Rider Kuuga, but when I saw him appear as a blonde heir in OL Visual Kei ( 2001 ), which aired shortly after, I thought, "Wow, this is an incredible actor!" I immediately included him in my lectures on "beautiful men," and as expected, he became a big hit. He remains as handsome as ever, and to me, he is an indispensable figure when talking about "beautiful men."

However, in early 2005 , I fell seriously ill and was on the verge of death. I was hospitalized for the first time in my life for two months, and at one point I was not allowed to have visitors, so I spent the whole time in a private room. I somehow managed to escape death and am still going to the hospital regularly for treatment. "Maison de Himiko" is a film set in a gay nursing home that depicts the death of Haruhiko, played by Joe Odagiri, his older girlfriend Himiko (Min Tanaka), and his new love for Himiko's daughter Saori (Ko Shibasaki). While I was hospitalized, I was haunted by the thought that I would die there and would not be able to see the film. Even after I was discharged from the hospital, my prognosis was not good, and I thought I would be lucky if I could live for five years, so when the film was released, I did not have the energy to go to the cinema and hesitated. At that time, one of my fellow researchers, through someone in the industry, gave me an invitation to a preview screening at the distribution company's screening room. I was grateful to be able to watch it in a place with few people. Of course, Joe Odagiri was wonderful, but I was especially struck by the beauty of the building of "Maison de Himiko" and the surrounding scenery. I really wanted to visit that place someday. And before I knew it, 15 years had passed.

Then, this May, I decided to go to Kawasaki again, and this time I decided to go to Omaezaki. I had a friend who was willing to lend me his car and said he would take me anywhere. Unfortunately, it was raining, but it was surprisingly close to Shizuoka City, and if I used the highway, I could get there in about an hour. I turned left on the national highway in the countryside, went to the end of a farm road, and came out onto a road along the sea. I continued along that road toward the lighthouse, and found Cafe Welcome Tea, which still stands today. There was no sign of anyone living there, but there was a nameplate, so I thought someone must have bought it and left the building. The sea was right in front of me, and since it was the open sea, the sound of the wind and waves echoed throughout the place. I wondered if I could achieve my 15 years of dreams so easily, and I thought that these 15 years had meaning, and that if I didn't come here, I would never see this view in my life. I vowed to come back on a sunny day.

Furthermore, due to a recent illness, I was able to meet someone I had not seen for 15 years. In 2002 , a French restaurant called "Le Dessin" opened in Ushigome Yanagicho, just after the Oedo Line had opened. The restaurant gained a reputation for the friendly personalities of the chef and his wife and their delicious food, and I began to frequent it. Then, in November 2004 , I celebrated my birthday at "Le Dessin." However, shortly after that, he fell ill, and since then he had to avoid going out as much as possible, so we became estranged. Then, before I knew it, he had closed the restaurant and returned to his hometown in Shimada City. However, when I heard that the ramen served at the end of the meal by Chef Kawasaki of "Kawasaki" was directly taught by "Le Dessin," I asked if it was Chef Masuda's "Le Dessin," and was told that it was a popular ramen restaurant in Shimada where there are always long lines. I missed it last year, so this time I decided to go for the "morning ramen" that is a daily routine for Shimada residents. After all, the restaurant opens at 7am and closes at 1:30pm .

When I saw Chef Masuda and his wife for the first time in 15 years, I almost cried. They're not Joe Odagiri, but they haven't changed at all. Although the restaurant has become a ramen shop, I could feel the same atmosphere as when they were in Ushigome Yanagicho. For some reason, I'm the only one who's aged, and I'm heading straight for Himiko in the movie.

When I returned from Shizuoka, I received a notice from the university that the class "Handsome Men Theory" would be discontinued from next year due to a curriculum change. When I think about it, I'm amazed that I managed to continue for 27 years since 1994. With "Arashi" also going on hiatus, it may be time to move on.

I am convinced that what is left to me in the time I have left is to "write," including this "Gourmet News." In an earlier essay, I quoted the French writer Hervé Guibert, who died of AIDS at a young age, who said, "For me, writing is living," and concluded, "Keep writing, no matter what the outcome may be. Until writing entangles death, rather than being entangled by death" ("Quantifying Death," first published in 1993 ; included in my book "An Introduction to Beautiful Men," 1996 ).

This month's recommended wine: "Italian Champagne, Franciacorta"

"Franciacorta Brut Cru Perdu NV Castello Bonomi" 6,500 yen (excluding tax)

The six sessions of recommended wines are intended to make up one course. The second course will be an advanced version, so this is the second course. As this is the first session, we will be introducing an advanced version of Champagne, Franciacorta from Italy. The most widely consumed spumante (sparkling wine) in Italy is probably "Prosecco" from the Veneto region and "Asti" from Piedmont. However, there is another type of spumante in Italy that is made in the exact same way as Champagne. This is "Franciacorta" from Lombardy. You may not know what Lombardy means, but if you learn that the regional capital is Milan, you'll probably feel more familiar with it.

It is exactly the same as Champagne not only because it is made using the Champagne method of bottle aging, but also because the varietals are the same, with Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc) and Pinot Meunier and Pinot Blanc being the only differences. The Bonomi Cru Perdus I will introduce today is 70 % Chardonnay and 30 % Pinot Nero, so it is a varietal that could be used in Champagne. By the way, the reasonably priced Spanish "Cava" made using the Champagne method uses Spanish grape varieties such as Macabeo and Xarello. So, if you drink Franciacorta, you can enjoy the pure difference in terroir from Champagne. Also, if you go to an Italian restaurant and ask for Franciacorta, you will surely be thought of as knowledgeable about wine. Bonomi is the only chateau winery in Franciacorta, and produces rich Franciacorta by aging the wine in the bottle for at least twice the prescribed period ( 36 months). This "Cru Perdus" is a popular cuvée that can be said to be the face of Bonomi. Enjoy the difference from Champagne!

For inquiries about the wines featured,
To AVICO Co., Ltd.

Biography
Osamu Seki Born in Tokyo in 1961. Currently a part-time lecturer at Meiji University and other institutions.
He specializes in contemporary French thought and cultural theory, and is a director of the Reefer Wine Association.
His books include "An Introduction to Beautiful Men" (Natsume Shobo) and "My Neighbor is Arashi-kun" (Cyzo), and his translations include "How Should We Read Foucault?" by Oksara (Shinsensha) and "Mr. Pydrow, What Use Is a Gastronomic Critic?" by Pydrowski (Shinsensha).
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