After six months of COVID-19 restrictions banning alcohol sales at bars and restaurants in many parts of the country, Japan has lifted the nationwide state of emergency. On Oct. 1, bars and restaurants in the capital that elected to remain shut during the state of emergency threw back open their doors for the first time since April, and Tokyoites toasted the return of wine with dinner.
Having endured a slew of unsatisfying tea- and mocktail-pairing experiences this year, the news has put me in a celebratory mood. Naturally, such an occasion calls for Champagne. There’s something about the effervescence of its bubbles — the way the golden liquid shimmers in the light — that is inherently mood-lifting.
In the beverage world, Champagne’s festive, convivial aura is unparalleled. Its grandeur is heightened when the drink makes an entrance on a classic Champagne cart stocked with several varieties chilling in an iced bucket surrounded by crystal flutes. It’s a rare sight these days — even in Tokyo — but one I’m delighted to find at Sezanne, which debuted inside the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi earlier this summer.