By Keiko Tatsuta. Kyodo News.
Japan Times, July 30, 2001.
Catching a whiff of cigar smoke in a Japanese bar used to be as rare as
finding an honest politician, but the number of Japanese liable to pull on a
panatela has posted a recent surge.
This is in sharp contrast to the cigarette industry, with cigarette sales
having reportedly stalled amid mounting public awareness regarding health
issues. Japan nevertheless still has the highest ratio of adult smokers among
major industrialized countries and the most smoker-friendly culture.
"Since one or two years ago, young (cigar) customers in their 20s,
particularly females, have been on the rise, and sales have increased by 10 to
20 percent on a year-to-year basis," said Hitoshi Ochiai, managing director
of Connaisseur Co. and chief bartender at its le Connaisseur shop and bar.
Connaisseur, established in August 1997, is an in-house venture business of
Japan Tobacco Inc. It opened a cigar shop and bar in Tokyo's Ginza shopping
district on Nov. 11 the same year and now has two more -- one in Roppongi and
the other in Shibuya.
Around 120 varieties of cigar are sold at the Ginza outlet. Most most of
these are imported from Cuba and are priced between 900 yen and 5,500 yen
apiece. Customers are encouraged to sample the products at an adjoining bar,
together with drinks and specially selected side dishes.
The best-selling cigars are those priced between 1,500 yen and 2,000 yen,
according to Ochiai, who added that these take between 30 and 60 minutes to
smoke. Although the assortment includes about a dozen varieties of of JT's
machine-made dry cigars or short cigars, the shop's main sales center around
imported handmade cigars, said Ochiai.
"The venture is not aimed at selling JT products, but at providing
customers with time to relax and space to escape from the busy world -- for
around 5,000 yen."
When the shop opened four years ago, there were no female customers and
dilettantes were common, he said. Nowadays, however, men and women of all ages
-- including couples in their 20s and salarymen in their 30s, 40s and 50s --
visit the cigar bar.
"We are making it easier for the young generation interested in cigars
to come . . . We recommend different types of cigars and well-matched drinks for
beginners in accordance with their physical condition and mood," remarked
Ochiai.
In consideration of companions who may feel uneasy about cigar smoke, the
bar is equipped with a special ventilation system which sucks up the smoke and
does not allow it to linger.
Cigar Club Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Intercontinental Trading
Corp., runs similar cigar shops and bars. Intercontinental Trading Corp., which
has also invested in Connaisseur, imports and wholesales cigars and American
timber homes, among other products.
The company opened the Cigar Club in Tokyo's Minato Ward on Oct. 12, 1992.
This date marked the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's discovery of
the West Indies, where the explorer learned how to smoke cigars.
Cigar Club's main business revolves around wholesaling and retailing
exclusively imported cigars, according to Louis Vigden, president of both Cigar
Club and Intercontinental Trading. It deals in some 200 varieties, including 160
from Havana, Vigden said.
The company now has two other Cigar Club outlets -- one in the Westin Hotel
in Tokyo's Meguro Ward and the other in Osaka's Kita Ward.
"Around 65 percent of our customers were foreigners at the time of
opening, but now the ratio is reversed, with Japanese accounting for 65 percent
and, of course, the total number of customers has grown," explained Vigden.
In 2000, Japan imported 79.8 tons of cigars, up 31.9 percent from 1999 and a
2.5-fold increase on 1995, according to statistics obtained from the Finance
Ministry. Vigden said Cigar Club's concept is to promote cigar-smoking among
Japanese by linking it to their food culture and lifestyle.
One enthusiast is Hisashi Yajima, a 38-year-old chef at a French restaurant
in Shinjuku called Boeuf a la mode. Yajima started frequenting the Cigar Club
after one of his acquaintances recommended cigars to him seven or eight years
ago.
"I didn't even smoke cigarettes at that time, but have since become
fond of cigars. Cigars have become part of my life. I visit (Cigar Club) two or
three times a week," he said.
Yajima, who is also general manager of Perruche Co., which runs the
restaurant, said he sometimes enjoys cigars when he is alone, but also finds it
enjoyable to talk with other regulars at the bar. "I can spend one or two
hours without thinking," he said. "Cigars give me energy for the next
day."
Vigden said smoking a cigar is a quite different experience from smoking a
cigarette, the latter often being a recourse to which people turn when they feel
stress or irritation.
"You should spare time for cigars, to top off an excellent meal or a
supremely rewarding experience," he suggested. "Cigars are enjoyed not
to make you relax but when you already feel relaxed."
@The Japan Times | 
