Life Oct 12, 2013
by Michael Hoffman
"A civilization stands or falls by the degree to which drink has entered the lives of its people, and from that point of view Japan must rank very high among the civilizations of the world."
National Oct 9, 2013
by Sumiyo Yoshikawa
Norimichi Kusumi, 66, can finally heave a sigh of relief having turned over the management of a 180-year-old sake brewery in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, to his son, Yoshitaka, 42, after struggling to protect the business from a series of natural disasters. The fourth son of ...
National Jun 22, 2013
A Japanese entrepreneur will open a sake school in Taipei next month to educate Taiwanese about rice wine. Soji Hiraide, founder of the bar and grill chain Kanpai Co., said he's always wanted to open a school. Nearly 15 years after opening his first Kanpai outlet ...
Food & Drink | SWEET INSPIRATIONS Jun 7, 2013
Japanese desserts with an alcohol kick
by Robbie Swinnerton
"There are two types of people," my dear old landlady used to say, handing me a bowl of frothing matcha tea: "Those who like alcohol, and those who like sweets." She was well aware which camp I belonged in. But as a tea-ceremony teacher of ...
Business / Corporate Apr 26, 2013
Brewers set out to take sake global
by Noriko Kawamura
Ambitious sake brewers have turned to foreign markets in an attempt to replicate wine's global success. Exports of sake, which is essentially a rice wine locally referred to as "nihonshu," have been growing in recent years, and trade fairs and competition events have become common. ...
National Mar 7, 2013
Displaced brewer rebuilds sake biz
by Mai Iida
Daisuke Suzuki, a sake brewer, is hoping his product will help the people of his Fukushima Prefecture hometown, now uninhabitable due to the nuclear crisis, stay connected. The March 11, 2011, megaquake and tsunami that led to the three meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s ...
Food & Drink | EVERYMAN EATS Jan 25, 2013
Snacking on squid guts and soybeans
by Steve Trautlein
Doritos and Budweiser, canapes and Champagne, jamon and Tempranillo — when it comes to happy hour, everyone has their favorite combination of booze and umami-infused treats.
National | DAVOS SPECIAL 2013 Jan 23, 2013
Looking to bring Japan's tastes to new markets through sake
by Melinda Joe
As people across the globe toasted the New Year this month, Japan's sake brewers had another reason to celebrate. The industry saw modest increases in sake sales, offering a glimmer of hope to producers who have watched consumption decline since the late 1970s. According ...
Food & Drink Sep 21, 2012
Sake tastings mark the arrival of fall
by Melinda Joe
Sake lovers eagerly await the coming of autumn, when spring's brash young brews begin to mellow and develop complexity. Unsurprisingly, this season is prime time for tastings, and October means sake events all over Japan. The wave of festivities kicks off on Oct. 1, or ...
Editorials Jun 20, 2012
Japanese traditional sake had a resurgence in 2011, with drinkers consuming more than in 2010. After hitting a peak in the mid-1970s, consumption gradually fell to a third. Last year, though, saw a return of enthusiasm for sake as a way of supporting Tohoku, ...
Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Feb 10, 2012
New to sake? Here's where to start
by Melinda Joe
"Is it always this crowded?" I ask a happi-coat-clad clerk at the Meishu Center sake shop in Hamamatsucho, as she pours me three glasses of sake from hefty, 1.5-liter isshōbin bottles. "Well, it depends on the day, but Friday nights are usually busy," she answers, ...
Food & Drink Sep 30, 2011
Sake circle raises a glass for Tohoku victims
by Melinda Joe
A buzzy atmosphere of excitement hung in the air as sake fans lined up for the Wa ni Naro Nihonshu charity sake tasting last Friday afternoon. As attendees streamed through the front doors of Tokyo Dome City's vast Prism Hall, gasps of astonishment mingled ...