Have you ever lifted a glass of nihon-shu to your nose, sniffed, and asked yourself why it smells like bananas? Has the brewer decided to jazz up his product and give it a bit of confectionary appeal by adding a little banana extract perhaps? Well, in the ungrammatical words of that hit song from way … Continue reading “Yes! We Have No Bananas.”
Just before the holidays last year we were given this bottle of sake from Toyama, which caused us to think about that prefecture and its production of nihon-shu, and to open the bottle, of course. The latter was a very pleasant experience, and, as is our custom, a sensory evaluation will be included later in … Continue reading A Taste of Toyama: Sanshoraku’s Junmai Ginjo
Grilling the Tongue Last week we reported on an extremely dense and delicious nigorizake from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. This week we will focus on a Sendai specialty, as well as something else we consumed there. It is hard to spend any significant amount of time in the city of Sendai without encountering a restaurant specializing … Continue reading Grilled Tongue and Raw Whale
Many years ago, there was an interesting commercial running on American television channels. It showed ketchup emerging ever so slowly from its bottle, while the Carly Simon song “Anticipation” played in the background. The unstated message was that this product is so thick and rich that it just has to be delicious, and, naturally, one … Continue reading Anticipation: Moritami Sou Honke’s Nigorizake
This is the fifth installment on the media event entitled “A Journey to Unravel Tokyo’s Diverse Food and Spirit,” organized by the Tokyo Food Promotion 2024 Executive Committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. This week I will look into my imaginary crystal ball to limn adumbrations of the city’s gastronomic future. The focus in this … Continue reading Tokyo Cuisine: The Future, Part 5
This is the fourth installment on the media event entitled “A Journey to Unravel Tokyo’s Diverse Food and Spirit,” organized by the Tokyo Food Promotion 2024 Executive Committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. This week I look at what Tokyo has to offer in the 21st century as presented by Chef Yahei Suzuki, whose restaurant, … Continue reading Tokyo Cuisine: The Present, Part 4
This is the third installment on the media event entitled “A Journey to Unravel Tokyo’s Diverse Food and Spirit,” organized by the Tokyo Food Promotion 2024 Executive Committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. This week I will report on what was cooking—and still is today—during the Edo Period. Chef Akihiko Murata, the owner of Suzunari, … Continue reading Tokyo Cuisine: The Past, Part 3
Drinking Japan 