Recently we found ourselves ensconced at a popular resort--Hoshino Resorts Risonare Yatsugatake--that featured a number of local wines encased in one of those coin-operated tasting contraptions. We dutifully fed our shekels into the machine’s many maws and received a few drops of wine in return, barely enough for a full analysis, but we persevered. Below … Continue reading Beverages in Sketches: NOT Sketchy Beverages
Oosakazuki Macho Yamada Nishiki 80 (大盃マッチョ 山田錦 80) from Makino Shuzo (牧野酒造) Nectar, n. A drink served at banquets of the Olympian deities. The secret of its preparation is lost, but the modern Kentuckians believe that they come pretty near to a knowledge of its chief ingredient. –The Devil’s Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce In the above definition … Continue reading Macho (マッチョ): A Good Name for a Good Drink
When you think olives, you might picture the Mediterranean - Italy, Greece or Spain. But lo and behold, there is also a part of Japan that is well known for olives - Kagawa Prefecture, which is located on Shikoku, Japan's fourth major island. Olive yeast was co-discovered by the Kagawa Prefectural Sake Brewer’s Association and … Continue reading Kinryo Sanuki Olive Yeast(金陵 オリーブ酵母 純米吟醸)
The cherry blossom season has come and gone. We have already enjoyed the perfect sake (at least visually) for the season, the one that uses a special red yeast or sekishokukobo (赤色酵母). Please see here for more details. There is another sake that is closely associated with cherry blossoms, i.e., sake made with sakura flower … Continue reading Sekizen Junmai Ginjo Sakura-no-hana-kobo (積善 純米吟醸 桜の花酵母)
In a previous post we discussed the two main types of shochu--korui shochu (甲類焼酎) and otsurui shochu (乙類焼酎). In addition to these varieties, there is also Okinawan Awamori (泡盛), which is a topic for another post. This week we would like to focus on a product from Tokushima Prefecture called Awa-no-Kaori Sudachi-chu (阿波の香り すだち酎. Like … Continue reading A refreshing summer beverage: Awa-no-Kaori Sudachi-chu (阿波の香り すだち酎）
During the Golden Week holiday, which is a week-long hiatus from the daily grind in Japan and runs from late April to early May, we went hiking on Mt. Mitake. Mt. Mitake is a medium-sized mountain with beautiful trails and is only two hours from central Tokyo. For our picnic at the top of the … Continue reading “The Other Day I Met a Bear”: 59 Takachiyo Mori-no-kumasan (たかちよ 森のくまさん）
Who is Noguchi Naohiko, and why is the brewery called a kenkyujyo (研究所), which means "laboratory" or "institute"? Noguchi Naohiko is a toji, or master sake brewer, from the noto (能登） school. Noto toji is a school of sake-making that originated on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, one of many schools of toji that … Continue reading Noguchi Naohiko Sake Institute Junmai Muroka Namagenshu 2020 Vintage (純米無濾過生原酒）
Drinking Japan 