Yamagata, meaning “shape of mountains,” is an appropriately named prefecture with distinctive rural character and a noticeably slower pace of life. It is one of Japan’s least populous prefectures and also home to one of its oldest average populations, despite the ruggedness of the terrain and climate. Even its larger cities seem sparsely populated…
The Japanese archipelago, stretching far from north to south, east to west, has several distinct climates depending on the region. The people that live in those respective regions also lead different lifestyles, accounting for differences in food culture in particular. The unique character of those food cultures persists today and in similar fashion the flavors…
The Shimbashi area of Tokyo has no shortage of drinking establishments and great sake bars. It has long been a haven for businessmen looking to unwind after work with coworkers over a few, or substantially more than a few, glasses of sake. Anyone looking to learn more about sake would be well-served by paying the…
Export numbers for Japanese sake in 2016 extend a trend from the last few years, namely robust growth in demand for premium brands overseas. According to data released in late January from Japan’s Ministry of Finance, exports of Japanese sake reached 15.5 billion yen, the 7th year in a row of record numbers. Experts believe…
According to a recent survey by IDA Ryogokudo Co., Ltd., a company that produces cosmetics and beauty products, a significant number of Japanese (at least those that took the survey) didn’t know that October 1st is Sake Day. Which raises several questions, including: why in the world is a cosmetics company doing a sake survey?…
What kind of restaurant do eight sake breweries and a shoyu (soy sauce) maker, all with more than 300 years of history, create together? A unique shabu-shabu establishment with great sake, as recently reported by Nikkei Style, the digital version of Japan’s Nikkei Shimbun (Japan Economic Newspaper). Called Yûkyunokura, the restaurant launched in Ginza, Tokyo…
There’s an app for everything these days. Too bad most of them aren’t very useful and many of us just delete them from our phones. Luckily for sake fans, there’s a new app that shows a lot of promise. If this one keeps improving, we’re certain it will have a permanent place on your phone.…
by Matsuzaki Haruo | photography by Brian Kowalczyk Shukoku Tosa– “Tosa, the land of sake.” This is the marketing soundbite used by the sake industry in Kochi Prefecture, which utilizes the old name for the region, Tosa. There are many people who associate the Kochi way of life with lots of drinking, and not incorrectly.…
The drive from central Iwate Prefecture to the coast is quite pleasant. Most of the roads snake through idyllic towns and beautiful snow covered mountains, imparting a peaceful serenity that is quintessential Tohoku. As the coastline approaches, a darker reality sets in. In Kesennuma, the first major town when you reach the Pacific, there is…
Osaka-based market research firm Cross Marketing recently conducted a survey of 1000 residents aged twenty to sixty-nine in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama), to determine their drinking habits. The results revealed that beer was the beverage of choice for both men and women. Sake was third for men, after beer…