"Vu-san, do you know what OB is? "
"Old . . . boy, right?"
"Yes, I want to have an event and invite everyone who worked at Suisha Gardens before me, with Mr. Teshima. I think this would work well with your documentary. I need someone to be the photographer. Would you like to do it?"
Considering the audience, I was worried that my lack of Japanese would be a hindrance and asked whether that would be an issue. No, it would not be an issue. I told him I would like to think about it.
As I drove back home, the conversation played endlessly in my head. That counter-proposal took me by surprise. I didn't have much of anything in my portfolio, let alone something that would suggest that I could do this type of work. In my eyes, Arai-san was definitely taking a gamble.
But this was a situation of being the person (not necessarily the right one), in the right place, at the right time. Could I honestly say no?
I took a day to collect my thoughts and after receiving some more assurances regarding photographic goals and style, I formally accepted the job on March 3.
Arai-san already had a date in mind; September 14, 2022. And with 6 months left, he was inundated with event planning with major tasks including but not limited to organizing the guest list, booking accommodations for everyone, collaborating with Yamaguchi-san on the menu and creating the program. Over the next few months, I met with Arai-san to discuss the event but more importantly, to obtain a general understanding of his needs and overall objectives.
With C'est Japon à Suisha closing down, this was Arai-san's way of honouring its memory and the staff that had worked here and at other Suisha locations when it was originally owned by Teshima-san (hence, the Old Boy and Old Girl designation).
Teshima-san was turning 86 earlier that year and Arai-san wanted to secretly celebrate his birthday at the event.
Teshima-san's wife had died in January 2021 and Arai-san wanted to honour her memory in a small fashion.
And above everything else, Arai-san wanted a group photo.
The group photo took more planning than I anticipated. If it was a sunny day, Arai-san wanted the group photo in front of the restaurant. And to facilitate this, Arai-san had obtained a street permit to close a lane of Slater Street for 30 minutes, which would allow me to step into the street to take the shot.
Fully recognizing how important this photo was to him, I went back to the restaurant with a tape measure after Arai-san confirmed a total of 50 people, including his staff. And while I had some initial doubts, a group photo was possible after some mental arithmetic and measurements.
After confirming the group photo measurements, Arai-san made sure that I had the agenda while profusely apologizing for not providing an English translation.
A rough translation courtesy of Google Translate:
2:30PM - 3:30PM - Reception starts
3:30PM - Take a seat. If raining, take commemorative photo
3:45PM - Opening remarks and greetings from Arai-san, with cheers from Hoshi-san
4:00PM - Greetings from Yamaguchi-san / Start of dinner with music from Masaki-san
5:00PM - Game. Which year and which branch?
6:00PM - If good weather, commemorative photo outside. City permit from City of Ottawa for 30 minutes
6:30PM - Kagamibiraki with Kanemoto-san
7:30PM - Slideshow, with last slide being young Teshima-san
8PM: Greetings from Teshima-san
8:40PM: Distribution of souvenirs, breakfast bentos and tea
9PM: Introduction of all involved. Song with Masaki-san
Thank you for all of your hard work!
Second party - Karaoke
September 14, 2022 - 1PM
On September 13, Arai-san had put up a small notice on the front door apologizing for a two day closure of the restaurant for a private event. As I walked through the doors at 1PM, I had expected a flurry of activity but the restaurant was silent. Many of the preparations had already been completed.
The tables in the main dining room, while normally a mixture of 4 - 6 tops, were re-arranged into a series of long communal tables.
Arai-san had called in former servers to assist with the day. Between the four of them, they had a massive amount of experience. Above, Arai-san was with the servers on the first floor discussing the day's schedule and flow.
What was left was the food and the chefs were busy putting the finishing touches on the dishes for the day. With the two day closure, they had the ability to make dishes that weren't normally served in the restaurant.
The restaurant has been using wooden boats to plate large orders of sushi for as long as I can remember. Above, Hiroha-san was prepping the boats, lining them with shredded daikon before placing the sushi.
Plates of food sat in the small passage outside of the basement kitchen, ready for transport upstairs.
Yamaguchi-san (right), former head chef at Suisha Gardens, has had a long history at Suisha Gardens and C'est Japon a Suisha. When Arai-san first came to Ottawa, he stayed at Yamaguchi-san's apartment for a month while getting set up. Yamaguchi-san was transferred to the Niagara Falls branch and would spend a few years there, before moving back to Ottawa to work at Icho in the Byward Market, briefly owning and selling a Japanese restaurant in Ottawa and then coming back to C'est Japon à Suisha under Arai-san from 2005 - 2013.
I had met Yamaguchi-san earlier in the summer, having been asked to do a group portrait. My initial impression was that he was a serious no non-sense person.
Yamaguchi-san and Liem (left) were putting the final touches on food that had taken two days to complete.
Shirai-san was manning her usual deep fry station in the kitchen. Shirai-san is a key staff member, having been with the restaurant and Kadeya in various capacities since 1999.
With everyone in the final push preparing for the event, my feet led me away from the kitchens in an attempt to stay out of everyone's way . . .
The blue glow of the karaoke screen illuminated the basement, contrasting with the dark orange and brown tones of the basement.
An application form to attend "The Art of Japanese Cooking" taught by Yamaguchi-san in 1984 at the Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology.
A sake barrel brought by Arai-san for the kagamibiraki.
Arai-san had dug deep into the archives and found older Suisha materials from all of the branches, which he had placed at the sushi bar.
A small framed photo of Teshima-san's wife, Ayako-san, who had died in January 2021, was placed at the bar but was soon moved to a separate table.
Oda-san, one of the chefs, bringing up dishes from the basement kitchen. Oda-san had his own Japanese restaurant in Ottawa, before selling it and working at C'est Japon à Suisha for 9 years.
2:30PM: Reception
At 2:30PM, the melancholic yet uplifting strings of Joe Hisaishi's Summer were heard throughout the restaurant. Given the timing of the event, Arai-san thought this was a fitting (and recognizable) send-off to the season.
Hachitori Toshi (right) was the first guest and worked together with Arai-san (left) in 1983, having come from the Halifax branch to Ottawa to be the head chef. And for some unknown reason, his name tag read "Jack" leading to a measure of bemusement from Arai-san.
The restaurant quickly filled up with former staff, many who travelled from all over the continent and who hadn't seen each other in many years . . .
Yamaguchi-san (left), having finished prepping dishes in the basement kitchen, took off his chef's uniform and mingled with the crowd. My initial impressions were decidedly off the mark. He was a small bundle of energy. Everywhere I turned, he was already there, animatedly chatting and joking with someone in a gregarious and exuberant manner.
In stark contrast was Teshima-san, who conducted himself with a quiet and refined dignity, almost a stoicness. But as he moved throughout the room greeting old employees, a small smile would appear on his face. Among all of the excitement and festivities, Arai-san took both myself and Teshima-san aside to a quiet corner so I could take his picture. A brief but decisive nod was given with nary a wasted movement nor words. A click of the shutter and he was gone.
Later, Arai-san would tell me that Teshima-san was a very strong and emotional person, someone who cared deeply about people and always gave his full attention to the person in front of him.
I would have loved to spend more time with Teshima-san to talk about his time with Suisha Gardens and his past. Alas, my request was declined.
3:45PM - Opening remarks and greetings
Arai-san took the microphone to welcome everyone and starting off the party.
Henry Hoshi, the first manager of Suisha Gardens' Ottawa branch and former vice-president of the Suisha Gardens corporation, took the microphone as well to give his introductory remarks.
4PM - Dinner
The spread of food was wonderful, consisting of traditional Japanese dishes that weren't part of the regular menu. And while I tried not to eat too much, Yamaguchi-san dropped by my table often with plates of sushi, insisting that I partake.
With dinner underway, staff started to unwind a bit. Even Hiroha-san, usually serious and unflappable behind the sushi bar, was smiling while sharing a beer with Oda-san.
Mina-san (left) was one of the former servers that Arai-san had asked to help out for the event. Shirai-san (right) and Mina-san (left) caught unaware, by the camera.
With most of the cooking completed, Oda-san came upstairs to help Hiroha-san behind the sushi bar.
With food in the belly, a long series of speeches followed. While I couldn't understand the large majority of what was said, the passion and admiration for the restaurant were evident.
6PM - Group Photo
With only 30 minutes to organize a group photo, something that I had never done before and not to mention in a language that I couldn't speak, I was keenly aware of the time.
As soon as I heard that the city of Ottawa had started to block off a lane of Slater, I headed straight outside, with Masaki-san in tow who thankfully was assigned to be my translator.
I needn't have worried.
6:30PM - Kagamibiraki
According to the Gekkeikan Sake website, kagamibiraki is a ceremony performed at celebratory events in which the lid of a sake barrel is broken open with a wooden mallet and the sake is served to everyone present. "Kagami" refers to the lid of the sake barrel and biraki means “to open” so kagamibiraki literally means “opening the lid.” Kagamibiraki are a means of beseeching the gods to grant good health and fortune at critical junctures in time, such as the New Year or milestones in life or business. Sharing the sake afterwards is a way to sharing the good fortune with all present.
Yamaguchi-san and Kanako-san (right) pouring sake to share with everyone. Someone gleefully described Yamaguchi-san as a happy sake-distributing Santa Claus.
Kanpai!
7:30PM - Slideshow
Each individual branch was in charge of creating their own advertisements. During his time at Suisha Gardens, this responsibility would go to Arai-san. This was a natural fit for him; he liked using photography to preserve memories and as a result, he had taken most of the Ottawa branch's pictures.
The slide projector had to be placed behind the column, making for an awkward viewing experience for guests seated in the front half of the restaurant. But that didn't matter. Guests squished themselves onto the sushi bar, pointing at the screen and laughing uproariously, as they took a trip down 50 years' worth of memories.
The slideshow ended on a picture of a young Teshima-san.
And then, the microphone was proffered to Teshima-san. Standing tall but with a degree of unease, he spoke. His voice sometimes faltered, slowing down and searching for the right words. Tears slowly drew down the creases of his face. He spoke for over 30 minutes.
Arai-san tried to politely intervene more than a few times and eventually, pulled out his trump card: Yamaguchi-san walking out like a rock star with cake in hand.
9PM : Closing time
Arai-san gathered his entire staff (and me, he had asked permission before) and introduced us to all of his guests. Before the evening finished, Masaki-san grabbed his guitar and would lead everyone in a rendition of Furusato.
Yamaguchi-san had suggested Furusato, saying it was a song that embodied the spirit of people who had lived away from their homeland for a long time, thinking about their country, their hometown and their families.
And of course, it was Yamaguchi-san who was given the microphone to be the lead vocalist.
The microphone was returned to Masaki-san and with that, the official event slowly came to an end. Breakfast bentos and souvenirs were distributed to all of the guests and before I left, Arai-san insisted that I take home one of each. I packed up and headed out the door into the cool night, leaving behind the excited chatter and bursts of laughter.
Arai-san would tell me later that the karaoke machine was not used. And ultimately that it wasn't needed. The company of two generations of staff (and a lot of planning) was all that was required for an enjoyable evening.
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