Of Being a Big Fish in a Small Pond: Small Is Advantageous  

This is the eighth entry in our Days of Wine and Music series. For the next few weeks, we will turn our attention to a country that, owing to its size, is nearly invisible on world maps and encounter a winemaker-musician who is producing some fine wines from local grapes, as well as from international … Continue reading Of Being a Big Fish in a Small Pond: Small Is Advantageous  

Confluence: Hirosaki, Music, Apples, and Gastronomic Tourism

This is the second editorial published by drinkingjapan.org. Last year we uploaded a multi-part series on eel (unagi), which culminated with an editorial exhorting Hamamatsu to use its reputation for eel to attract high-end tourists. The piece begins as follows: “The Japanese tourism industry was thriving until the crisis of 2020. Even during those boom … Continue reading Confluence: Hirosaki, Music, Apples, and Gastronomic Tourism

Marketing Sake: The Visual Element

In last week’s entry we discussed the marketing of sake. We continue with that theme this week, focusing on the importance of the visual. “The consumption of craft products is currently flourishing….This study deals with consumers’ preferences in a context where...globalization is threatening traditional handicrafts. To analyze the attribute preferences of consumers [we examined]...three highly … Continue reading Marketing Sake: The Visual Element

“No!” Is Yes This Year

No park—no ring—no afternoon gentility—        No company—no nobility—No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,   No comfortable feel in any member—No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,        November!1 The excerpt above is from “No!,” a poem by the regrettably oft-overlooked English poet Thomas Hood (1799-1845). In this short work the poet … Continue reading “No!” Is Yes This Year