Drinking sake for charity. Does that sound like a difficult challenge? If you’re a sake lover, perhaps the biggest issue may be pacing yourself. In fact, at the 10th Charity Tasting Session “Alcohol to Save the Future” being held at Yokohama’s attractive Osanbashi Hall on March 25th, that’s exactly what the organizers ask of enthusiasts…
You always need a bowl with something to nibble on when drinking sake at a table with friends and family. The right snack can also enhance umami and other flavor profiles of sake. This simple spiced nuts recipe should do the trick. Another plus: you can make a lot in advance and just keep it…
2017 marks the 350th anniversary of the Yoshidamachi area of Yokohama. We thought it would be a good time to introduce this neighborhood located right around the corner from our office. You may even run into our staff there on any given night of the week. Originally a field of rice paddies built on…
There are many roads to sake knowledge. At least that’s what my Sake Today cofounder and worldwide sake educator John Gauntner is fond of telling me, and he’s right. By that he means there are multiple educational opportunities out there for sake. He encourages people interested in learning more to pursue the methods that seem…
Daishichi’s increasingly global fame owes to its ability to accommodate opposites: new technology with traditional techniques, modern marketing with older industry practices, and contemporary flavor trends with ancient styles. The brewery’s success is also tied to its 10th generation owner, Ohta Hideharu, a man who brings to social interactions all the refined formalities you’d expect…
My connection to Japan started in the late 1980s, before I ever dreamed of travelling there. One of my first encounters involved three electronic music instruments that started regurgitating all the synthetic sounds I had come to love on my favourite electronic “Detroit Techno” records of that time: the Roland TR909 drum machine, the TB303…
Yoram Ofer is something of the lone wolf with a reputation. People who know of his Kyoto-based bar Yoramu (the Japanese phonetic spelling of his name) sometimes whisper that he is… different. Some in the sake industry consider him a heretic. On hearing rumors of his eccentricity, people might be a little intimidated about going.…
When you visit Japan and look for some good sake to bring back to your home country (or to drink in your hotel room–we surely won’t dissuade you), choosing a single place to buy premium sake from the ridiculous number of quality options can be a daunting task. For this issue we wanted to give…
Nikkô, whose shrines and temples earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 1999, has greater name recognition than the prefecture of Tochigi which it calls home. It’s similar to how more people around the world are more familiar with, say, Chicago than Illinois, or Sydney than New South Wales. Such is the nature of iconic locales.…
Angkor pepper seeds from Cambodia. This interesting pairing combination was discovered by Villapon, a small bar in Yokohama, Japan.