Finally, Putting Pen to Paper

I’d always been told — in my prior finance career, at least — that it was my writing skills that shone. And I loved to write, it being a sort of fiendish, open-ended conundrum of how to truly distill a message right down to its core. Not so much could be said for the quantitative skills that my Mathematics degree promised — I was happy to leave those to rust away. The flashbacks I’m having as I write this now, back to four years of (always rushed, often late) problem sheets are not entirely positive.

It was right, then, that I escaped from the comfortable, if Excel-based, prison of investment analysis. And so I turned my focus to Japanese culture, and in particular Japanese beverage culture. After an intense period of study, I jumped professionally in to the world of Japanese drinks — first of all, Japanese sake. ‘Jumped’ is the operative word here: I wasn’t thinking too hard about the direction of where my work would take me, not because I was totally thoughtless, but because of the new found freedom I could enjoy in this ever-changing, broad, stimulating sphere of work. I was always spurred on by the words of my very wise former boss, quoting someone wiser1 — “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid”.

So bold I’ve tried to be! Over the past five years, I’ve been lucky to try my hand at all sorts, and indeed I intend to continue enjoying such a varied diet of work: from translating brewery websites and marketing materials; stepping in (nervously) last minute as a live interpreter; running events — big and small, centre stage and behind the scenes; undertaking the ever educational (occasionally masochistic!) discipline of judging beverages; and, most recently, teaching. Moreover, not only was the world of Japanese sake opening up to me, but also the world of shochu, awamori, beer, gin, whiskey, and other liquid delights from that other island nation I’ve been able to call my home, if briefly.

But — and it is a big but — I never really made room for writing. I have tried to develop a habit for it on Instagram, but the character limit often proves a source of frustration, even if it happily forces brevity! So here I am, writing — or scribbling, to borrow my new publication’s predictably alliterative name. But, also scribbling, because I don’t want whatever I end up writing to be too serious, unless the occasion really requires it. The world of Japanese sake, in all of its forms, is filled with so much joy, so reading about it should be too.

I suppose that part of said fun is that — right now — I’ll be writing on anything that comes to mind. Maybe a particularly successful food and sake pairing I’ve enjoyed or thoughts on a new restaurant list; commenting on the results of some (usually ill-advised) home mixology; the inspiring people I meet; the evolving trends I see; a glimpse into my increasingly alarming ceramics habit. I may even share some attempts at sake-related doodles from time to time.2 I’ll aim for around two to four posts per month, depending on what else is going on in my life.

In any case, this blog with represent really a longer form of what Instagram represents to me: a personal diary, of sorts. No, not quite the whole uncensored truth, but a record that, I hope, is close to it.

I’d love it if you’d subscribe, if you were so inclined. If not, I'll hope to persuade you later on. I’ll be happily scribbling away regardless.

Henry