Gotterdammerung* This is the first installment in our “Days of Wine and Music” series. Over the next few weeks, we are going to delve into areas that at first may seem a little atypical when compared with our usual output, but it will eventually become clear where we are taking this. We like opera here … Continue reading Days of Wine and Music: An Introduction
In recent years, we have seen sake, or nihonshu, used in castella pound cakes, chocolate bonbons and other desserts. However, it was not until 2020 when Sake Ice opened in Asakusa did I hear of sake being used in ice cream, let alone a shop specializing in this sake-infused chilled creamy concoction. Soon after the … Continue reading I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Sake Ice (Cream)
In August 2023 Len Chandler, a classically trained musician and topical songwriter famous during the folk music boom of the 1960s, passed away. Mr. Chandler was a man of many talents, but he is best remembered for his childlike, but ever-so-serious song, “Beans in My Ears.” The little ditty was somewhat controversial and banned by … Continue reading Beans, Some Have Them in Their Ears, Permanently; Others in Their Mouths
Nara-zuke, Traditional Foods in Japan, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries This is the third entry in our multi-part series on marketing Japan to affluent foreign tourists. To some in the Anglophone world, pickles might be all about a guy named Peter pecking at pickers packaging pipers. Well, that didn’t come out very well, did … Continue reading Food: Nara-zuke
A Nuuttipukki, Toivo Kaukoranta, Finnish Heritage Agency We continue with our upcycling theme this week by considering the nearly extinct nuuttipukki, essentially an ambulatory carpet-cum-mendicant in search of beer and leftover grub--like in food: this is not an eat-the-bugs reference--in Finland. We recently learned of this creature from The Public Domain Review, an excellent publication … Continue reading Trick or Treating with the Nuuttipukki
There is an interesting debate taking place in Japan at the moment centered around the issue of “overtourism.” Distilled down to its very essence—and we like distillation here at drinkingjapan.org—it is simply a matter of locating the Goldilocks Zone, determining the ideal number of inbound tourists. This number, should it exist, will prove neither too … Continue reading In Search of the Goldilocks Zone
fooduniversity.org Go This Way This is the final entry in our series on eel. We hope that our readers have found the information interesting and, if they have not already done so, are now motivated to explore the pleasures that this dish has to offer. In Japan, the most obvious place to conduct this gastronomic … Continue reading Eel: The Editorial
Drinking Japan 