Ponytail Journal

Most people have their own personal rituals when it comes to tea and coffee, be it milk and two sugars, or black without cream. These almost mechanical exercises help shape our days, and for the late-risers, a cup of coffee might come from the cheerful beeping of a Nespresso machine, while for early birds might have the time and energy to carefully draw circles upon circles of steaming water on a V60 drip. There’s a psychological benefit too, especially on cold, dark winter mornings when you need that transitory experience to transport your mind far away from the comfort of warm sheets.

Tokyo: Along the Toei Oedo metro line sits a discreet little place called Bar Gen Yamamoto. Picture a small space carved out of a 500-year-old Mizunara tree, seating only eight at a time. There is no music or gaudy bar décor, merely an ikebana flower arrangement near the door. The menu itself is limited to either a tasting of 4 or 6 cocktails and their philosophy, seems quite simple: to make really really good cocktails.