Shiraso Brewery & Distillery’s “Strawberry” Offering: Tochiakane RED (とちあかねいちご酵母仕込みRED)

Rooster and Indian Strawberries, Sugakudo This week we feature yet another product on display at FOODEX JAPAN 2025. No, Shiraso is not handing out strawberries at their brewery, but they are located in Tochigi Prefecture, and they do have a nihon-shu with more then a tenuous connection to the fruit. As is usually the case … Continue reading Shiraso Brewery & Distillery’s “Strawberry” Offering: Tochiakane RED (とちあかねいちご酵母仕込みRED) →

Beyond Cider: 01 Haskap from Blank Cider Works

This is yet another interesting product featured at FOODEX Japan 2025. You can’t go wrong with a name like “Blank,” and we’re not being sarcastic here. Blank can imply that anything is possible, and innovation is welcome, which we believe is their intended meaning, if we interpreted their promotional literature correctly. Such is the case … Continue reading Beyond Cider: 01 Haskap from Blank Cider Works →

Showerings Triple Vintage Cider: An “Apple-Pie Order”

The following is about another one of our encounters at FOODEX 2025. Edward Calvert (British, Appledore, Devon 1799–1833 Hackney (London)) The Cyder Feast, 1828 British, Wood engraving on India paper, laid down; third state of three; Image: 2 15/16 in. × 5 in. (7.5 × 12.7 cm) Sheet: 3 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (8.9 … Continue reading Showerings Triple Vintage Cider: An “Apple-Pie Order” →

Returner, Japan’s Earl Grey Tea Liqueur

The following is about another one of our encounters at FOODEX 2025. There seems to be some kind of controversy, brouhaha, tempest in a teacup, what have you, as to how Earl Grey’s name became associated with Earl Grey tea, so we are not going to waste our readers’ valuable time on such trivia. Suffice … Continue reading Returner, Japan’s Earl Grey Tea Liqueur →

Kikunotsukasa Shuzo’s Shichifukujin Junmai Daiginjo

This is the second installment of our FOODEX 2025 series. We’ve always had a soft spot in our hearts for Iwate Prefecture, “Land of Kappa.” Tono City, Iwate, you see, is where those mischievous little reptiloids hold court. Take our word for it: you can search the back alleys of Kappabashi, but you probably won’t … Continue reading Kikunotsukasa Shuzo’s Shichifukujin Junmai Daiginjo →

FOODEX JAPAN 2025: Coffee Cherry Beer

Starting this week and extending over the next few months, we will occasionally be posting entries related to our coverage of FOODEX JAPAN 2025, the venue for which was Tokyo Big Sight (TBS). The picture above is that of the partially buried saw, a sculpture that appears outside TBS. We like to think of it … Continue reading FOODEX JAPAN 2025: Coffee Cherry Beer →

“I Tell You Beauty Bears an Ultra Fringe”: An Evening with Japan’s National Fungus

Simply Beautiful The title of this entry is taken from American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Still Will I Harvest Beauty Where It Grows.” The subtitle is a reference to our presence at a lecture by Dr. Hiroshi Konno, which was delivered at the Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center (JSS) in February of this … Continue reading “I Tell You Beauty Bears an Ultra Fringe”: An Evening with Japan’s National Fungus →