Mr. Kunimoto came to Osaka from Ehime to attend Tsuji Culinary Institute on his parents’ advice, while still dreaming of becoming a musician. However, he gave up his dream of becoming a chef as early as his second year in France, where he studied abroad.
The French food there was amazingly delicious, and I genuinely fell in love with eating it,” he said. At the same time, I realized that it was not such a sweet world, and I was surrounded by people who wanted to become Michelin-starred chefs. I thought I was better suited to the service industry,” he says.
After graduation, he worked at a famous bistro in Osaka, but he decided to quit the restaurant business because he did not want to become a chef, and temporarily focused on his music career. A few years later, he had an encounter that would determine his future fate.
I still love wine, and when I picked up a copy of “The Complete Book of Wine” to study, I found [wasabi] in Hozenji Yokocho, Osaka, in the book. At that time, I also received a phone call from my mother, who was concerned about my recent situation. Right after that, I opened the magazine and saw a job opening at the restaurant. I was determined to go in for an interview, so I went to the store,” he said.
He passed the interview and entered the store, where, unusually for 2008, all the wine in the cellar was natural wine. Kunimoto-san, who had no knowledge of wine, was advised by the owner to get a sommelier certification, and he studied hard and obtained the certification two years later. Two years later, he obtained his certification. After that, he was given the responsibility of managing a bar specializing in natural Champagne, which was opened at the owner’s request.
At first, I didn’t really understand the differences between Champagnes, but once I started studying, the grape varieties and areas of production were simple and easy to remember. Before I knew it, I was completely hooked.
In 2017, Mr. Kunimoto became independent and opened “Champagne and Natural Wine hapo” in Tanimachi 6-chome, a restaurant of champagne and natural wine that can be enjoyed not only on special occasions but also on a daily basis. We asked him about the charm of natural wine.
“You can tell the variety and region from the label, but that’s not what’s important. Natural wine is made from wild yeast and is, so to speak, a farmer’s crop. If you want to make good wine, you need good grapes, and to make good grapes, you need good soil, good soil has lots of microorganisms, and to avoid using pesticides and insect repellents, there are birds that eat insects, and to prevent birds from eating too many grapes, there are animals such as birds of prey. We also need bats that eat pests, and bats need a place like a forest with trees at high and low elevations because they sense ultrasonic waves and fly away. Everything is connected to making good wine. All of its makers are passionate people who think about their way of life, the global environment, and their future children. Natural wine is a drink that has power, with the fermentation energy of wild yeast, the mineral energy of the strata, the passion of the growers, and everything else,” he said.
Mr. Kunimoto says that his view of life and even his values have changed after drinking wines that have an appeal that cannot be seen on the label and that touch his heart. He even feels it is his mission to tell the stories of the natural wines that have reached his hands to connect various feelings to his customers.
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A short walk from Exit 6 of Osaka Metro Tanimachi Rokuchome Station. Go to the back of the building and you will find [Champagne and Natural Wine hapo]. -
Wine by the glass from 1,000 yen (charms 500 yen extra). -
［Wine Shop SAPO is a one-minute walk from Champagne and Natural Wine hapo, where you can buy wine and side dishes. -
The name of the restaurant is casually painted at the entrance, as if it were an image of the earth.
Mr. Kunimoto, who has a deep love for the community and aims for his restaurant to be “a place where neighbors stop by for a change of pace after work,” has been leading an annual event called “Doza Morning” as a place for community interaction with Koichi Itogawa of Rakuradasaka Natto Kobo and Yoshitaka Ishibuchi of Sushi Sanshin since 2018. The event is held once a year as a place for the community to interact with each other.
“I wanted to make a restaurant that would be loved by the local people, but some of the restaurants were not open to families with children or served alcoholic beverages, making it difficult for families to go together. But I think it would be better to let people in the community know what kind of people are running the stores. Holding an event would be a good way to introduce the stores to the public. We started the event because we wanted to create a ‘cheap, delicious, and fun time,’ even though it was different from our usual style. We started the event early in the morning so that the whole family could enjoy it, and we held it during the school summer break in the beginning, and now we hold it during spring break,” he said.
The number of participants in the event, in which 20 neighborhood businesses sell food and conduct workshops for the day only, has been increasing every year, and the four-hour event from 6:30 a.m. to around 10 p.m. now attracts hundreds of people.
“One customer said to me, “It has become a third place in the community where local people can interact with each other and have a happy time, where everyone can gather, not just at home or at work. I think this kind of event is only possible in this area,” said Mr. Kunimoto.
Mr. Kunimoto says this event is only possible in a town with so many store owners, each with his or her own personality and passion for the community. Now in its fifth year, “Doza Morning” has become an event that brings people together face to face and has become a spiritual center for local residents.
Naniwanomiya & I
I hope that it would be nice to have more horizontal connections in the community.
“I walk my dog through Naniwanomiya every day. Naniwanomiya, which is like an oasis in the community in the middle of the city, is a big garden for the neighbors. I have made friends with my neighbors there, and some of them have come to the restaurant after becoming good friends with me. We want Nanonowa, like Naniwanomiya, to be a place where people can spend a good time freely, lounging in the garden, reading a book on a sheet, and so on. It would also be nice to hold a morning event at the same time. I would like Wine Shop SAPO, which is within walking distance from Naniwanomiya, to evolve into a “wine cellar for everyone” that transcends the boundaries of stores. There are several restaurants in the neighborhood that I wish had wine. People who use these restaurants can drink the wine they buy at ours if they pay a fee for bringing their own wine. That’s something we can do because of the horizontal connections we have in this town, and I’d like to try it,” said Mr. Kunimoto.
Champagne and natural wine hapo
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AddressKyoei Building 1F, 1-5-2 Andoji-machi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
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TEL080-5364-2916
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Wine Shop SAPO
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AddressTani-match b.l.d 1F, 8-19 Ryuzoji-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka
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TEL070-8490-0619
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