The End of an Era - Sake Dojo Is No More...

The spring semester has finished for us in the Asian Studies Program - it was an especially challenging semester to say the least. The earthquake/tsunami/nuclear crisis caused us to lose many students. Our program Dean, who had served the university for over 40 years, retired in April and we are in a state of transition as others take on his responsibilities. Lots of big news this last semester.

But another shocking surprise was the demise of another institution of over 40 years in the area - Sake Dojo. Sake Dojo, a local watering hole and izakaya, was discovered and rediscovered by faculty, staff, students and others in the community alike. Sake Dojo was a landmark and certainly a part of the Kansai Gaidai experience. It seems most have some special Sake Dojo memories that helped them explore and understand Japanese culture a little better. Apparently with his health fading the master decided to call it quits. To say it will be missed is an understatement. But the place is survived by a Facebook page. Yes, Sake Dojo is on Facebook!

Link to Sake Dojo Facebook page: http://ja-jp.facebook.com/pages/%E7%89%A7%E9%87%8E%E9%85%92%E9%81%93%E5%A0%B4-Makino-Sake-Dojo-Hirakata/134738819922559

And here's a link to a slideshow of the food that was served at Sake Dojo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqavR7jDTEc

It is strange and eerie to walk by Sake Dojo now that it is closed - it is like a ghost town. At least that is how I felt when I was taking photos of the physical building after its closure: the same sense of its style remains after the doors have closed...

Culture is always changing. This was a lesson I learned from one of my earliest anthropology courses at Michigan State University. But that doesn't make it any easier when a favorite izakaya goes out of business. We will never forget...