Happy (Fukuroi hostess bar)

The owner says she opened the bar with her husband more than 40 years ago. I was surprised and said, "You opened it the year that I was born." She said, "That's right. So you still have a ways to go." It is not easy to be recognized by the mama (female owner). Her husband passed away when he was 48. She has been running this bar for more than 20 years since then. She says to me "I still remember what my husband said. 'The regulars feel different each time they open the door. They are not same all the time. They sometimes feel good and sometimes feel bad. People's faces tell us what they are. You can't hide it. You all have it. You too have your own true sincerity." I feel honored. "Don't make your mother sad. You need to look happy." Because I have just lost my dear mother last spring, I nearly teared up. A regular sings classic songs one after another. The deep night is passing with tears and laughter. In a night of Fukuroi, there is the big mama behind the blue neon sign.

The mama says, "This place used to be a bar, so we don't have shochu, a traditional Japanese distilled spirit."I see. Everyone comes here to see her.