Food & Drink | Cultivating Craft Jul 6, 2019
For Shonan Beer, quality and locality drive success
by Jeremy Wilgus
Investment in the local Kanazawa Prefecture market and a focus on the quality of the beer are the keys to success for Shonan Beer.
Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Jun 8, 2019
Yummy Sake Collective: A new pairing of blind tasting and AI tech
by Melinda Joe
Yummy Sake Collective has a solution for people who struggle to identify what sake they like: An AI-powered app, used in conjunction with a blind tasting, to help determine flavor preferences.
Food & Drink | TOKYO FOOD FILE Jun 1, 2019
Hinomoto Beer Parlor: Drink locally, eat independently
by Robbie Swinnerton
It wouldn't be wrong to call Hinomoto a pub. After all it's a craft beer specialist, with 10 taps all devoted to Japanese beers and a counter where you can sit and drink to your heart's content. But that doesn't tell the whole story ...
People | 20 QUESTIONS May 25, 2019
Rebekah Wilson-Lye: Raising a glass to the wonders of sake
by Robbie Swinnerton
One of Japan's emerging leaders in the sake world talks about the delight of discovering Japan's renowned beverage.
Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE May 11, 2019
Phoenix Sake Collection: A tribute to music 'n' sake
by Melinda Joe
In collaboration with brewery Tatenokawa, Inc., rock band Phoenix has released the Phoenix Sake Collection to celebrate the group's 20th anniversary.
Food & Drink May 4, 2019
American-based breweries are creating their own brand of sake
by Ko Hirano
With the growing demand for sake in the United States, American craft brewers are also getting in on the act — and giving Japan's "drink of the gods" their own twist.
Food & Drink | TOKYO FOOD FILE May 4, 2019
Hiyori: Oden crosses over to wine country
by Robbie Swinnerton
Few restaurants capture the Shinsen neighborhood feel better than Hiyori. Looking in from street level, you can tell that it's easygoing and convivial, the sort of place where you drop in for a quick drink, strike up conversation with your neighbors and end up ...
Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Apr 13, 2019
Sushi M: Shaking up the world of sushi through sake pairings
by Melinda Joe
Ever since he was a young chef in his early 20s, Michimasa Nakamura has wanted to shake things up in the world of sushi. Although he cherished its craftsmanship and traditions, he felt constrained by the field's conservative way of thinking, especially in Japan, where ...
Food & Drink Mar 17, 2019
Sake evangelists launch campaign to demystify nihonshu in U.K.
by Grace Campbell
Businesses in Britain are coming up with inventive ways to try to broaden the appeal of sake to suit European palates as Japan looks to increase sales in developed markets across the world. For many in Britain, sake is an acquired taste and is only ...
Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Feb 16, 2019
Cacao: Sensory infusions of chocolate and alcohol
by Melinda Joe
Journey Company, the first international brand to carry Colombia's official mark of approval for their chocolates, collaborates with Japanese artisans to release limited-edition sweets infused with flavors like matcha green tea and umeshu (plum wine). To further the sensory experience, at their Chocolate Bank ...
Food & Drink Feb 4, 2019
Husband-wife trading duo bets big on sake's future in U.S.
by Kate Krader
When Yumiko Munekyo was a vice president at Nomura Holdings Inc. in 2011, she would take clients to upscale sushi spots around Manhattan. They'd invariably order junmai daiginjō, the highest grade of sake and also usually the priciest, but not always the most interesting ...
National Jan 24, 2019
On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a sales pitch for sake produced in Fukushima Prefecture. At the Japan Night event in Davos, Abe advertised Yamato no Kokoro, produced in Fukushima's Aizuwakamatsu from rice that ...