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…
Awamori, a distilled beverage native to Okinawa, is in the dawn of a possible renaissance. This past year, we took an extensive tour of many distilleries located on Japan’s southern islands and the experience was enlightening. As fans of indigenous beverages around the world seek out new things to imbibe, we think awamori may catch…
Japan is a paradise of artisanal products and that of course includes beverages. One of its most overlooked outside of Japan, despite production and popularity nationwide, is shochu. It’s a distilled cousin of sake and–its fans would argue–just as versatile and enjoyable. First, shochu is only made in Japan. In this age of global beverages,…
Sake is Japan’s most famous indigenous alcoholic beverage and its popularity is growing around the world, as evidenced by booming exports and also the appearance of dozens of overseas breweries in North America, Europe, and even New Zealand. Geography, however, introduces an important point before we take you into the basics of sake. Another word…