In our interview for this issue, Mark Zheng-Garratt of Gekkeikan USA casually mentioned, “The sake industry has gotten good value from the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Programme.” It seems clear that the sake industry and, on a much larger level, Japan will benefit even more deeply in the next few years from a…
We’ve noticed a subtle but intriguing shift in perceptions of sake over the ten years we’ve been publishing Sake Today. It’s a shift among non-Japanese primarily living overseas and a harbinger for further appreciation of sake worldwide. It portends promise for the growing number of sake breweries outside of Japan as well as Japanese producers…
The Craft Brewers Conference, held recently in Nashville, Tennessee, was an unexpected venue to be reflecting on the world of sake. It’s a yearly event designed primarily for the craft beer industry. It draws over ten thousand professionals from around the world and is held in conjunction with the World Beer Cup, a kind of…
I was in a hotel in Ichinoseki, Iwate when the 7.1 earthquake hit not far to the southeast off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture. It was an aftershock of the 9.1 earthquake that had struck a few weeks earlier on March 11th, 2011. Water in the bathtub which was filling at the time sloshed around…
The Japanese government, with little fanfare from its side, recently reopened the doors to tourism without the onerous restrictions we mentioned in our introduction last issue. Perhaps they simply wanted as little attention as possible drawn to the decision domestically. It’s still a controversial topic. Many want to revive inbound tourism and return to, or…
Waking up in an unfamiliar place is a rush to the senses. In the right context, that stimulation to the brain can even manifest as a sensation, like a warm tingle of pleasure washing across your body. This description certainly doesn’t refer to the disorienting experience of unexpectedly waking up somewhere unfamiliar–like in a hospital…
My neighbor emerged from her house recently dressed stylishly in bright spring colors. She was wearing her usual artistic jewelry and it was clear she was on her way somewhere. “Going to the beauty parlor?”, I asked. “I doubt there’s anything they can do for me,” she replied. It was funny because her reply was…
Uncertainty is difficult to live with. Think about these last two years if you need any reminders. The pandemic has created a feeling of pervasive uncertainty. When COVID first emerged, we had so many questions. How does it spread? How contagious is it? How deadly is it? Uncertainty causes fear, which causes poor decision making…
Sake is an industry focused on consistency to a considerable degree. By comparison, craft beer is increasingly characterized by one-offs, iterations, and seasonals. Flagship brands struggle for sustained attention. It’s not that craft beer brewers don’t want consistency; they simply have other prerogatives and variables at play. Part of the intrigue of wine, meanwhile, is…
Sake, shochu, and awamori are Japan’s three traditional alcoholic beverages. In Japanese, they are collectively called kokushu, which literally translates to “national alcoholic beverages”. They have common roots but are quite distinct from one another. Each offers unique flavors and intriguing possibilities for enjoyment, especially when it comes to pairing. All three are also attracting…