Anticipating the Arrival of Boiling Water Though the two of us who run drinkingjapan.org hold doctorates, neither of them has anything remotely to do with medicine, so we do not offer medical-related advice or promote elixirs for assorted maladies. That is not to say that we do not have strong opinions along such lines. (How’s … Continue reading The Swiss Army Knife of Plants: Burdock, Part 2
We’re not so keen on multitasking here at drinkingjapan.org, but we do like things that can serve multiple purposes. This does not, however, include electrical appliances, mind you: the more complex the machine, the shorter the life span. So don’t even consider that electric popcorn maker cum juicer with the built in TV and fax … Continue reading The Swiss Army Knife of Plants: Burdock, Part 1
It seems as if the days are long gone when the negative connotations of the word green took pride of place in the Anglophone world; i.e., green as in inexperienced, green as in jealous (“green with envy”), green as in “I don’t want to eat green eggs and ham.” The Midoris of this world must … Continue reading Goldilocks Revisited: Takes on Tottori Prefecture
It has been forty-six years since Henry Winkler jumped the shark in an episode of the American sitcom Happy Days (1974-1984). Well, it was really the stuntman who actually did the jumping, but let’s not quibble. Decades on, it still resonates, not necessarily because Henry and the shark were especially histrionic or engaged in meaningful … Continue reading Fuku-no-hire-zake Shunbanro (ふくのひれ酒 春帆楼): A Curious Cup
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
We were attracted to this sake by its label art: like metal to magnet, the image of the beguiling bird depicted thereon prevented us from opening the bottle with our customary alacrity. We stared at it for quite some time contemplating it as art before our thoughts turned to the bird itself—the kingfisher—which led us … Continue reading A Sake Named Kawasemi (Kingfisher)
It is not often that one comes across a Japanese Cabernet Franc. This varietal is closely identified with the Middle Loire Valley, especially places like Chinon AOC, and Bordeaux, where it is often a blending partner with the more muscular Cabernet Sauvignon, but in this offering by Votano Wine one can see that in the … Continue reading Votano Wine’s Cabernet Franc 2020
Drinking Japan 