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
The Enigmatically Titled Giant Squid Versus Sperm Whale* Though less exciting than some of the antics of Conor McGregor, both inside and outside the ring, the Shiraz v Syrah metaphorical slugfest provides wine lovers with more than a modicum of entertainment, especially in an age of seemingly endless remakes crawling out of the subbasements of … Continue reading Soleil Syrah 2019
Bonfire, Toyohara Kunichika In last week’s entry, we implied, and if you were paying attention, you inferred, that UNESCO would designate the “Traditional Knowledge and Skills of Sake-Making with Koji Mold in Japan” to be Intangible Cultural Heritage. Well, they have, at their recently held meeting in Asunción, Paraguay. Prior to the announcement, a number … Continue reading Celebrating Sake, Part 2
Three Servants of the Palace * This week and next week we will focus on a significant international development in the world of sake. “Intangible cultural heritage includes the practices, knowledge, and expressions that communities recognize as part of their cultural identity, along with associated objects and spaces.” The above citation is from UNESCO’s website. … Continue reading Celebrating Sake, Part 1
When asked to name a Japanese varietal, most knowledgeable wine drinkers outside of Japan are liable to say “Koshu.” This is not surprising, as the grape seems to get a lot of publicity from various quarters and because its cultivation is closely associated with Yamanashi Prefecture, which is readily accessible from Tokyo, making it an … Continue reading Yamanashi Koshu 2021
We have always been partial to practical education here at drinkingjapan.org. Why spend your precious time conjugating Latin verbs if you are not going to become emperor of Rome? And it’s a little too late for that, right? So, when we learn of a university project that engages students in an activity that is professional, … Continue reading Asia Beer 2024
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