Daiginjo — the peak of the brewing season
Look at the labels of pricier sake and you will almost certainly find the word ginjo. Meaning "brewed with particular care," it is one of the most recognizable sake terms, and not just for nihonshu (sake) geeks. Even Japanese with no interest in the ...
Yoshiume: Simmering over a nabe hot pot
The sleet was lashing down, the wind whipping off Tokyo Bay as we trudged the streets of Ningyocho, eastern Nihonbashi, in search of dinner. Appalling conditions, certainly, but worth braving for the down-home charms of an evening at Yoshiume. Just arriving there was enough to ...
Sake Bistro W: New Year's cheers
A toast is called for, to greet this brave new murine Year of the Rat as it scuttles out of the wainscoting and into the dining room. Nihonshu, Trappist ales, Prosecco, whatever — we're not fussy, as long as the setting is right and ...
Britain is finally waking up to the unmistakable smell of sake
I recently returned from Britain, where I took part in some events sponsored by the Japan Central Brewers' Association and the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation. I was impressed by the quality and the sheer variety of sake offered by Japanese brewers and enthusiastic local distributors ...
Raising a glass to Sake Day in Kobe — with mom
Where better to loosen the jowls in preparation for Nihonshu No Hi (Sake Day) on Oct. 1 than Hyogo, the prefecture that is home to more sake breweries than any other? Hyogo's capital is Kobe, and there are few drinking dens in the city ...
Ikuta: slow-burning class that's a cut above
Alongside geisha and poisonous blowfish, gourmet Kobe beef fits nicely into the stereotype of refined Japan. And like astronomically priced department-store melons, this pricey breed of cattle does much to reinforce the image of a land of big-spenders. Yet, it seems, the opportunity to savor ...
The wine and sake department at Tokyu Toyoko's main department store in Shibuya offers about two dozen umeshu. The individual brands have been helpfully labeled, so you can easily distinguish what each is based on, be it nihonshu, shochu or brandy. However, do check ...
Oushuku Nigori Umeshu from Tokushima The first thing that will strike you about this brew is the pumpkin orange color. As you pour it into the glass the thick texture sticks to the sides of the glass. The meat of the apricots have been mashed ...
Depending on the "base" used for umeshu, you will find a wide variety of flavor profiles. For the novice, it may be good to start with a sweeter version, based on shochu. If you are a sake fan, obviously nihonshu-based umeshu will appeal. Shochu: The ...
Dear Alice, I recently noticed a large ball hanging from the eaves outside my favorite sake shop. It seems to be made of carefully clipped evergreen branches. I quizzed the shop owner about it, but we didn't understand each other. I asked a Japanese friend, ...
Rural revelations and a sake to go
This story is part of a package on university museums. To read the introduction, please click here. The green leaves of the zelkova trees alongside the small road rustled gently in the breeze. The distant laughter of small children floated in the air. And an ...
Shinya Tasaki: Sommelier supreme
Shinya Tasaki was a teenager when he made his first solo trip to France in 1977. Even back then, he was so eager to learn about French food and wine that he visited as many wineries as he could -- only to be turned ...
