There is a mountainous area of Tokyo, where the population density is low. It is located on its western fringe. Here the natural factor seems to dominate the human. The Tama River—sometimes referred to as the “Tamazon” further downstream—begins its journey in this place, and the shy serow occasionally makes an appearance. The place is … Continue reading Vertere: A Craft Brewery in Tokyo’s “Wild West”
Tokyo Hop Planting @ Sekimae, Musashino!
April 11, 2021 Hiramaki-san, brewer at 26K brewery in Musashisakai, Tokyo, invited us to a unique event - hop growing in Sekimae, Tokyo. We were out there with green thumbs, it is to be hoped, planting the rhizome (rootstock), not seeds, that are expected to bear the hops that will be used in the local … Continue reading Tokyo Hop Planting @ Sekimae, Musashino!
Will It Blend?: Sakuho Terroir Le Liquore de Pomme (佐久穂テロワール リキュール デ ポム)
Ingredients are: apple juice, prune juice and junmai shu (sake), all from Nagano Prefecture. The French have a wonderful word—assemblage. Actually, the French have a number of wonderful words; it’s just too bad that we at drinkingjapan.org do not know how to pronounce them correctly. What is assemblage? Well, it is, to use the more … Continue reading Will It Blend?: Sakuho Terroir Le Liquore de Pomme (佐久穂テロワール リキュール デ ポム)
Izumi Brewery at Komae, Tokyo
Some Like It Sour: Sour Saison Sour Saison We all know the story of the fox who failed: unable to reach what initially appeared to him to be delicious grapes, he reasoned that they were in fact not desirable after all because they were most likely sour. That fox would be dismayed to learn that … Continue reading Izumi Brewery at Komae, Tokyo
Oku-Izumo Vineyard’s Pinotage 2020 (奥出雲葡萄園 ピノタージュ2020): It’s Real, and It’s Real Good
The Real Deal A few days ago the following Bloomberg headline appeared in The Japan Times: “This Digital Art Collage Sold for a Record $69 Million.” Readers are encouraged to pause for a few minutes to let this sink in. The key word here is “digital.” You see, the work of art in question does … Continue reading Oku-Izumo Vineyard’s Pinotage 2020 (奥出雲葡萄園 ピノタージュ2020): It’s Real, and It’s Real Good
Pinotage, Arguably South Africa’s Greatest Creation
The primary focus of this blog has been and will continue to be Japanese beverages; however, starting from this month we will occasionally upload an entry on a foreign beverage that is available in Japan. In many cases this will be a means of introducing a subsequent entry that will be Japan-specific. Such is the … Continue reading Pinotage, Arguably South Africa’s Greatest Creation
At the Hop in Kichijoji: Kissyou 2020 (吉祥2020)
Way back in the dinosaur days of rock ’n’ roll (i.e., 1957), Danny & the Juniors released “At the Hop,” which zoomed—that’s with a lower-case “z,” of course—to the top of the charts and stayed there for a little while. The song describes the goings-on at an American hop—dance—of the era. Well, you can rock … Continue reading At the Hop in Kichijoji: Kissyou 2020 (吉祥2020)
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