Onwards & Upwards

For a few weeks now, the cafe-goers of Kobe have battled with some unsettling news--after a seven-year run, their favorite street-side haunt is shutting down. December 29th will mark the last business day for "Upwards," a breezy, self-proclaimed "New York Style" coffee shop, situated steps away from Kitano-cho, my city's claim-to-fame neighborhood. Since the cafe's inception in 2000, I've made regular visits for their foamy lattes and the infamous "CLT" sandwich (attention, carnivores: that's generous amounts of cheddar, lettuce, and tomato, crammed between slices of black-sesame bread, baked in-house) a hospitable gesture for the surge of vegetarians that frequent Upwards. Most memorable, perhaps, is their warm and chirpy wait staff, touting pseudonym name-tags...to add to the "New York" ambiance, maybe? Let's get real. We all know her name's not Holly. But we love her all the same.

To placate their devastated customers, until Upwards reincarnates itself, there's Naileys, run by the same owners, about a 10-minute walk away. I'll admit, I've always regarded the place as Upwards' slightly stuck-up older sister--far less accommodating and not half as pleasant, atmosphere-wise. Though the Naileys' tag line, if you can call it that, is kind of intriguing : "Fine Food, Good Times, Drinks, Espresso and Reindeer!" The last bit is a grammatically questionable tribute to a cane sculpture that sits smack-dab in the middle of the cafe.

Upwards' sudden demise (can someone translate this announcement for me?) allows me to address a larger issue, something that's boggled my mind for a very long time. For years, my family and I have remained puzzled at the fact that in Japan, good things tend to come to an end--fast. Allow me to treat you to a mini list of other fabulous products and establishments that have met with an untimely death, ala Upwards. Ahem.

1 : Haagen Daaz's Chocolate Macadamia Nut Flavor
Did this even come out in the States? I can't remember. All I know was it was a heavenly combination of crunchy and smooth, rudely discontinued after a mere 12 months. Harrumph. Despite my poor father's many trips to a slew of far-flung Lawson's and Family Marts across the city, he eventually accepted that the flavor had vanished forever.

2: The USV Rental Store
Our sacred neighborhood video place, stocked with a respectable range of American movies, TV series' and even the sporadic indy flick. A tasteful oasis in a country where the main theaters offer an average of two haphazardly selected Hollywood choices a week--if you're lucky. USV's lifeline was at least seven years, but came to an abrupt halt when I was back from college during the summer of my sophomore year. Good-bye, Sex and the City marathons...hello, Shrek 3 at the tiny multiplex.

3: One Portion
Birthday dinner central, as I remember it. This super affordable Italian(ish) joint was a one-man-show, where the MacGyveresque chef whipped up an extensive list of items including a mean mushroom sauce pasta, a cheezy naan pizza and what I still consider the best corn soup in Kansai, all enjoyed against the backdrop of slushy 80's pop. Closed circa 2002--cause of death? Unknown.

The culturally sensitive side of me can't help but attribute the premature ends of these fine products and establishments to a philosophy that's guided and shaped much of Japanese society for centuries--mono no aware, which literally means "the pathos of things," a phrase coined by Motoori Norinaga, a 17th century literary scholar. To simplify a loaded set of three words, they hint at the transient nature of life, a concept that's particularly valued in Japan.

So perhaps it was fitting, then, that while my younger sister and I noisily whined and lamented at what just might have been our last couple of drinks at Upwards last night, the rest of the customers seemed perfectly at ease while sipping their coffees. Like us, they were well aware that four days later, Upwards would be no more. Unlike us, however, they've gracefully accepted change and embraced impermanence. It's high time we did the same.