Hotel Gajoen On June 27, 2023, a major wine-related event was held at one of Tokyo’s most attractive hotels—Hotel Gajoen, which is located in Meguro. The Portuguese Wine Grand Tasting, which was organized by Wines of Portugal, supported by the Embassy of Portugal, and facilitated by the indefatigable Yumi Tanabe, President, “Sakura” Japan Women’s Wine … Continue reading The Portuguese Wine Grand Tasting at Gajoen
Hey, Manet, where's the shochu? We do not know whether Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond series of novels, was revealing any skeletons in British intelligence’s closet with his protagonist’s aversion to stirring (“Shaken not stirred.”), but we have always appreciated the utility of both of these manual maneuvers. We witnessed some of … Continue reading Shaken and Stirred
Kappa Carrying a Fish Trap of Octopus This is the fourth installment in our JFEX 2023 series. This week the focus is on a couple of beverages produced by a brewery in Tono City. If there is a kappa capital of the world, Tono City, Iwate Prefecture, is it! For those unfamiliar with this mischievous … Continue reading Two Products from Kamihei Shuzo
A: Who's on first? B: Belgian Owl This is the third installment in our JFEX 2023 series. Before exiting the exhibition, I made a final stop, at a booth run by Belgian Owl Distillery. I was fortunate to have done so. Lambic, yes. Chocolate, of course. Mussels in wine, no doubt. Waffles, indubitably. French fries...well,...controversial. … Continue reading Belgian Owl Single Malt Whisky
The Cherry Seller, Sara Ploos van Amstel This is the second installment in our series on JFEX 2023, which was held at Tokyo Big Sight in June. This week we turn our attention to Yamagata Prefecture. On the afternoon of June 23, 2023, I had the great pleasure of meeting Mr. Katsutoshi Suzuki of the … Continue reading Cherries, Cherry Wine, and Gastronomic Tourism in Yamagata Prefecture
Tokyo Big Sight The 3rd Japan International Food & Beverage Expo (JFEX) was held at Tokyo Big Sight from June 21 to June 23, 2023. One of us attended, and from what he observed it was a resounding success. The number of interesting, innovative, and otherwise noteworthy products far exceeds what our weekly blog can … Continue reading Amazake and Serendipity at Tokyo Big Sight
This is the fifth installment of our multi-part series on trees. This week we look at the genesis of a problem firmly rooted in the best-intentions terrain and discuss two solutions. We are indebted to Dr. Toshihiro Osada, who kindly took the time to answer our questions. Readers who might like more information on this … Continue reading Drinking Trees, Part 5: Can’t See the Forest for the Pollen
Drinking Japan 