But what to have? What are my symptoms, and how can they be alleviated? I have to rely on bartender Hanamura, who suggests an easy starter drink: shiso leaf (also known as perilla), said to help with anxiety and stress. It’s the ideal holiday detox.

She pops the jar open and strains a couple of ladlesful into a glass over ice. A gentle note of shiso rises up. Light, fragrant and aromatic, it’s far from the bitter brews I’m used to in Asian medicine. Three of these, and the stress of finding the place would be a distant memory.

Hanamura explains that all of her 40-some kinds of yakushu are made in-house. ‘The base is mostly shochu, and some whisky, too. Sometimes I make liqueurs with rum or tequila – we can make yakushu with any spirit,’ she says. While in the past you might have knocked back a shot of the stuff, these days the drinks are for sipping. For the stronger medicinal brews, a touch of ginger ale alleviates the bitterness. For the more floral ones, some tonic provides contrast.

Alongside the jars full of goji berry (for the liver), ginger (for perspiration and digestion) and seaweed (good for the immune system and lowering cholesterol), is a jar of pungent shochu where a snake lies coiled at the bottom. It’s purported to have an invigorating effect on – what else? – the male libido. ‘Flowers and leaves need about three days to steep, but roots and seeds – especially dry and hard seeds – are better to leave for about a month,’ explains Hanamura. ‘Snakes you should leave for a year.’ That probably explains the smell.