Interview with Yuko Ota, owner of Bar Kanzashi
We interviewed Yuko Ota, owner of Bar Kanzashi, about what inspired her to start the bar and the thoughts behind it.
Before opening Bar Kanzashi
Could you tell us how you came to open the bar?
Ota (honorific omitted)
Influenced by my father, who ran his own business, I had a vague desire to “do something on my own” from my high school days. After entering the workforce, I moved through more than 20 jobs, but at 23 I thought, “I can’t go on like this,” and chose to become a bartender, a job connected to the alcohol I loved.
The bar where I started with no experience to train was run by a company with multiple locations, and I was able to gain a wide range of experience.
At 25, I declared, “I’ll be independent at 30.”
I learned a great deal as a bartender. At the time, female bartenders were rare, and I sometimes received harsh comments, but I was able to keep going with the support of senior colleagues and customers.
Then, just before turning 31, I opened Bar Kanzashi.
What inspired the name “Kanzashi”?
Ota
I named it after a bird called the “magnificent bird-of-paradise.”
When this bird courts a mate, it carefully cleans its territory. I was drawn to that behavior, and the name reflects my wish to welcome customers with warmth and create a comfortable space.
Creating a menu while picturing customers
What do you focus on when creating the menu?
Ota
Cocktails made with seasonal fruits are something I hope you’ll try.
Some of our regular offerings are popular, but I always make sure to create new ones, too.
When I come up with a new cocktail, I make it while picturing someone, including our regular customers. Sometimes I want to recreate the seasonal fruit on a cake, or get an idea from an ice cream flavor. Memories from the past can also give me inspiration.
For the food menu, I also keep in mind avoiding waste. I come up with ways to use ingredients without waste, such as pasta sauce made by crushing tomatoes to order and the white sauce for pizza.
Learning psychological counseling to better support customers
What led you to start sandplay therapy?
Ota
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, bars were considered “places people shouldn’t go,” and there was a period when I couldn’t operate as I wanted. That gave me time to think about how I wanted to work in the future and what I could do.
Customers had often shared their worries with me at the bar, so I wanted to develop the skills to properly support them and decided to study psychological counseling.
As I deepened my studies in psychological counseling, my son began playing with the sandplay tools I had put in a corner of our home. Watching him arrange the sandplay scene, I asked, “Has anything unpleasant happened lately?” My son doesn’t usually talk much on his own, but that time he told me a lot.
As we talked more, my son gradually changed. Seeing that, I felt that “this might be able to help other people, too,” and it led to what I do now.
In therapy, rather than offering answers, I value the moment when, through sandplay, people “touch something that has not yet become words.”
What matters at Bar Kanzashi
What do you consider important in running the bar?
Ota
What matters most to me is that people come to the bar and don’t leave feeling lonely.
I don’t want to create an atmosphere where only regulars are having fun and newcomers are treated coldly, making them feel that “this place is only for regulars,” so I make a point of saying a few words to first-time customers, too.
When I was 23, I lost a relative in an accident.
I saw them the day before the accident, but I was busy with something and didn’t speak to them.
That was the last time I saw them, and I deeply regretted not speaking to them.
That experience made me want to make a point of speaking to customers who visit.
Thankfully, regulars naturally make new customers feel welcome in the bar. I want this to be a place where people can relax, even just a little, before they leave.
“I want customers to enjoy themselves”: The future of Bar Kanzashi
What are your goals for the future?
Ota
Going forward, I’d like to expand the food menu further.
We used to have more options, but we scaled it back once because of food waste. From now on, I’m aiming to create a “bar where you can enjoy a meal, too” by balancing regular and seasonal menu items.
In the future, I’d also like to run a restaurant.
I once ran a bento and set-meal shop for just one year at a different location from Bar Kanzashi, and I really enjoyed it. I’d like to create a place again where people can say, “If you come here, you can get a delicious meal.”
As for therapy, I hope to devote myself to it in earnest when I turn 60. That’s why I see this as a time to plant seeds, and want to connect with many people through sandplay therapy.
I want to keep running the bar, open a restaurant, and work on therapy.
For now, they are separate points, but I’m doing my best each day, hoping that one day they will connect into a line.
From the Writer
From Ota’s story, we could sense how she has built her journey by cherishing the time she spends with each person in front of her.
Delicious cocktails and Ota’s warm, supportive presence.
Perhaps drawn by the comfortable atmosphere, many customers have been coming for more than 10 years.
When you want to take a breather or enjoy a good drink, why not visit Bar Kanzashi?
Bar Kanzashi details
| Name | Bar Kanzashi |
|---|---|
| Address | 3F Yokomizo Building, 2-11-23 Achi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | Phone: 086-422-3960 |
| Parking | None |
| Hours | ■ Monday–Friday 7:00 p.m.–midnight ■ Saturday and the day before a public holiday 7:00 p.m.–2:00 a.m. the following day Sandplay therapy sessions are held outside the bar’s business hours. Please check the website for details about sandplay therapy. |
| Closed | Wednesday, Sunday |
| Payment methods |
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| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 17 seats Counter seats: 8; tables: 2 |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Bar Kanzashi |
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