In recent years convenience stores have been popping up all over Japan like dandelions in spring. Some neighborhoods appear to be approaching or actually at the saturation point. Perhaps for this reason, some chains appear to be specializing, developing a reputation for certain products or services that will enable them to attract customers away from … Continue reading Yoru Beer from Asahi
We have written about the wonderful world that is Kusatsu, a town containing one of Japan’s most famous hot springs. Visitors to this place will soon notice the scent of sulfur that permeates the air and is a major component of the silky salubrious waters bubbling up from the bowels of the earth. The name … Continue reading Kusatsu PLUS Project #006: The Importance of Tasting in a Pristine Environment
As even most casual visitors to Japan will have noticed, highballs are hot here, figuratively speaking that is. Some may be curious as to how this highball craze might be maintained. Well, Suntory seems to have come up with a variation on a theme that could not only sustain the lifespan of its popularity but … Continue reading Suntory’s Beer Ball (サントリー•ビアボール): A Variation on a Theme
Here is a sake that strikes three harmonious notes: sweetness, acidity, and alcohol, ending with a medium (+) finish. Ipponjime is a junmaishu produced by Niigata-based Takachiyo Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. The body is medium (+), which gives it a certain degree of heft, and the abv is 16%. In addition to the pleasant song … Continue reading Takachiyo Sake Brewing Company’s 59 Takachiyo Ipponjime (59 Takachiyo 一本〆) : Harmonious Notes and Good English, Too
Well, perhaps the subtitle here is a bit of a stretch, but there is at least a tenuous connection between this interesting output of Amabuki Shuzo and the silver-wigged artist with the soup-can obsession on the one hand and the grape that makes all those November Beaujolais nouveau parties possible on the other. Regarding the … Continue reading Amabuki Koi Suru Banana (天吹 恋するバナナ): Warhol and Gamay at Work in Saga Prefecture
We recently read an interesting story entitled “Sugar and Spice and Everything Lice”1 by a guy named Jack Napes, which inspired us to try this spicy brew from Nagano Prefecture. “Sugar and Spice” is political and social satire that relates the experiences of a time-traveling group of characters who move from 21st-century Ireland to 18th-century … Continue reading Shichimi Tokarashi Beer (七味唐からしビール): A Potable Potpourri
After last week’s festivities, we have decided to keep this entry short. Drinking Green As we mentioned last week, Euglena is a green powder that contains a number of healthful ingredients. In addition to Euglena gracilis, the powder includes organic barley grass, a plant in the parsley family called ashitaba (Angelica keiskei), and chlorella, which … Continue reading The Drinking of the Green: Euglena Review, Part 2
Drinking Japan 