Tokyo's neighborhoods always offer one or two little bars (or sunakku) where down-home drinkers can shake off the workday blues. The greater Jiyugaoka area offers more options than most, and its most recent and welcome addition is Fukukaze.

Roughly translated, Fukukaze means "serendipity on the wind." Kudo-san, the master, has worked in restaurants since he was 19. In addition to having certified skills as a Japanese chef, including a license to prepare fugu, he is also a qualified French and Chinese chef. One night he was lamenting his work conditions to a friend. "I always end up working under a boss and being responsible for those under me. I feel trapped in the middle."

His patient, understanding friend asked, "Why don't you open your own place?" And so he did. But the way it has all come together amazes even Kudo-san. "I started looking for a space and soon stumbled upon this building." It wasn't connected to the city's gas mains and was therefore empty. So, with no key money down and the first few months rent-free, he started transforming the ground floor into a bar.