PHILOSOPHYPHILOSOPHY

Concept StoryWrighter Ban Obara

Afternoon

Waking up in the afternoon is something I haven't done in a while. Lately, my life was all about working or playing until total exhaustion—falling asleep before dawn and waking up when morning came. Waking up all alone in my room on such a peaceful afternoon makes me wonder why I was trying so hard. Opening the curtains, I see a sea of clouds stretching far into the distance.

It's been a long time since I stopped expecting to become a "new and improved" version of myself. Instead, it naturally shifted to a feeling of: *Well, who I am right now is good enough—though maybe a little extra wouldn't hurt.* Late last night, I exchanged messages with a friend I hadn't seen in a while, talking about things like that. We used to hate everything about our faces, bodies, and hair, but now we're at a point where we're fine with however we are.

And I actually like this version of myself.

I leave the bedroom and light some incense. A cooling sensation fills my chest as the smoke softly drifts through the room. Lying down on the sofa, I rest my head against the armrest and inhale deeply through my nose—a soothing scent. I extend both legs toward the ceiling and flutter them back and forth. My freshly awakened legs feel light and look nice, though my face, on the other hand, is hopelessly bloated. Exhaling a soft breath, my stomach rumbles. With all the eating out lately, the fridge holds nothing more than a tube of ginger paste. I wonder what I want to eat right now, but I have no idea.

I heave myself up and wash my face at the sink, then apply a lotion that smells like a cool breeze. Water sinks deeply into skin that almost feels like someone else's. It feels refreshing and good, and my eyes finally open wide.

Wearing my loungewear under a throw-on jacket, I head to the nearby supermarket in sandals on bare feet. *Oh, a sparrow,* I think—only to realize it's a tiny bird whose name I don't know. A dog walks by, looking up at its owner with a happy expression. Deep inside a fruit and vegetable shop, a man who looks like the owner sits reading a spread-out newspaper. Realizing I've never bought anything here before, I stop in my tracks. Beautifully stacked fruit catches my eye. Reaching out for the glossy, richly colored, plump fruit, I hear myself say, "I'll take one of these... actually, make it two." The man gets up, the corners of his mouth relaxing slightly into a smile. We exchange a few words, and I receive the fruit wrapped in thin, translucent plastic. It makes me happy that I can still find beauty in the way it catches the light. It carries a faint, easygoing scent, as if it has soaked up plenty of sunlight.

Standing in the kitchen, I pull out a small knife and peel the skin—carefully, slowly, with the same delicate touch as peeling off a stubborn sticker. Juice drips down my fingers like a tiny overflow. Squinting, I look at it intently. I bring a bite-sized piece to my mouth and take a bite. As the aroma exhales through my nose, the tension leaves my body, and I realize: *this is what I was craving all along.

Director’s Message

What, ultimately, is Japanese "authenticity" in the modern era?

Tea ceremony, flower arrangement, Zen, or Sukiya-style architecture—these are undoubtedly magnificent legacies. Yet, I cannot help but feel that simply offering a nostalgic homage to past forms does not constitute the essential aesthetic of contemporary Japan.

Japan's inherent aesthetic sense and philosophy have evolved over a long history, blending and undergoing chemical reactions with cultures from abroad. Even now, they continue to transform alongside changes in our environment and science. Perhaps universal value resides precisely within this "fluctuation"—where the unyielding and the ever-changing meet, and where stillness and activity merge like a marbled pattern.

A former sake brewery with a history spanning over a century. The story of sake making, which evolved from a sacred ritual into a catalyst for connecting human hearts. Extending from that lineage, we open a modern space of "fermentation."

The beauty brewed by an ancient structure, the blessings fermented by invisible microorganisms, and the art by which each individual brings out their own unique charm. A chaotic yet comfortable space where contemporary passion and impulse intertwine within tradition. The time that has flowed through this place, and the time that is yet to flow. At this intersection, we now wish to mark our "will" as OSAJI like a single point.

As seekers perpetually pursuing a question that has no single correct answer.

Director Masakazu Shigeta

About

Renovated from a traditional Kyoto townhouse built in the Edo period as a sake brewery, "OSAJI Kyoto" serves as OSAJI's very first global concept store. centered on the theme of "kamosu" (fermenting/brewing), it offers experiences grounded in OSAJI’s philosophy of beauty.

Featuring a salon to experience OSAJI products, a bar to enjoy OSAJI’s dietary culture including amazake, a lab for incense blending workshops, and the brand’s first-ever gallery—"OSAJI Kyoto" is inspired by the memories of a sake-brewing cellar and the culture of holistic wellbeing. It is a space where you can receive "prescriptions for living" to maintain healthy and beautiful skin.

Furthermore, as a brand originating in Japan, we continuously engage with authentic Japanese aesthetic sensibilities and philosophy. True to our theme of "kamosu," we aim to provide a flexible and fluid space that evolves, matures, and brews together with the land, the people, and the passage of time.