In an exclusive interview with In Other News, Tokyo resident Masumu Yusehara has told of how he was able to witness a group of foreigners performing their ancient traditional `Beer Ceremony`.
“I was at The Hubgublers British Pub in Roppongi,” he recalled. “I`d just gone for a drink with some colleagues after work. I had no idea that this ritual was going to be taking place.”
According to research by cultural anthropologists at Tokyo Ushiunko University, this `Beer Ceremony` can take a number of forms. It appears that Yusehara witnessed what is known as a `round`.
“First, the group of foreigners nominated one of the group to approach the serving altar,” he recounted. “The serving master poured the beer in the same way as his ancestors did hundreds of years ago, and I could feel the centuries of tradition in the way he set the beer down reverently on the altar surface.
“After that, the nominated one made an offering to the master, then carried the beer back to the group, careful not to spill a single drop of the precious nectar. Finally, the group tapped their glasses together, then they all drank simultaneously, an action deeply symbolic of their foreign cultural oneness. I feel privileged to have been able to experience this ceremony in an authentic setting.”
Inspired by what he saw, Yusehara plans to travel to England to gain deeper understanding of the profound cultural symbolism of the ceremony. He hopes also to be able to witness the `Curry Ceremony`, the `Kebab Ceremony` and the `Fight Ceremony.`
