Sake of the Week #042: Tamagawa Daiginjo Shizuku Muroka Nama Genshu

In the next few month, I will be in Kyoto a few more times. I am sure I will add more good sake bars on the list, but Inaseya is definitely the place to go back for to check out what other funky crazy new muroka nama genshu they have in stock!

Nagomi

… Finally, I think it is the people that makes this tagine ryori and nihonshu place so comfortable. Shimada-san and Ichikawa-san behind the counter are perfect professionals, but their passion for nihonshu kind of rubs off. It’s just fun to sit at the counter and watch them and chat about sake when they have a moment. They do not have an English menu, but don’t worry. If you have nihongo-phobia, Shimada-san and Ichikawa-san can guide you through their menu and drinks in English.

Sake of the week #036: Ippaku Suisei Junmai Ginjo Muroka Nama Genshu Nigori

Ippaku Suisei is brewed by Fukurokuju Shuzo from Akita. I always enjoy their sake, but this just-brewed bottle was especially good; with a full, heavy feel in the middle, then finishing very clean.

San’in Trip: Day Three-Fished out! And Monsters Too!

After the crabfest at Gyosantei, we started our third day at a hotel which also serves as a dormitory for sailors by the port of Sakaiminato. Although not a soul besides us seemed to be wandering the harbor or the streets on that sunny spring morning, the clear sky at this working port town was filled with the “clang, clang, clang” from the shipyard echoing through an otherwise very peaceful neighborhood.

San’in Trip: Day Two–Follow the crab

“You are lucky, it’s the last day of the crab season…. Where did you come from?” the owner asked as we were leaving. Then the natural flow of question lead to why. “To visit Chiyomusubi Shuzo”, we responded. “Haaa, Chiyomusubi-san????”

Sake of the week #023: Azuma Rikishi Daiginjo Dokutsu Jukusei-shu

As we were sitting at the counter at a cozy bar, Ishii, sipping sake and munching on deep-fried satsuma age the owner made that day, our eyes were set on the series of beautiful pictures of Azuma Rikishi cave on the big screen. After seeing how the bottles are aging in the huge cave where sake and tiny bats co-exit very happily, how can you resist the temptation to try an Azuma Rikishi tasting set?

Tokyofoodcast’s fastfood lunch picks under ¥400

The other day, I was sitting at CoCo Ichi for a quick lunch and realized that ¥400 could can get me a relatively decent lunch around Tokyo. So, I decided to pull together a post with my fast food lunch picks under ¥400. Just because I’m being cheap, doesn’t mean I don’t have some standards…

Ultimate summer food and sake pairing: Part 2

I loved everything that night, but I have such a soft spot for Kochi from my trip to Kami-no-kae. My favorite pairing for the night was a bit of lightly-warmed Tsukasa Continued from my previous post: Ultimate summer food and sake paring – Part 1…

Botan Hacchu Funasaku with katsuo-no-tataki. I was lucky to be sitting next to my sake otaku friend who always has his low-tech portable kan gadget to warm up the brew. Grilled hoya with Urakasumi Junmai Nama was a tie. What’s your favorite?

Ultimate summer food and sake pairing: Part 1

What do the brewers pick for food to match with their sake?
The other day, I was at an event at Takara, Yurakucho, where ten breweries from all around Japan brought their sake and their local food that’s in season. They plan to have similar events every throughout the year in Tokyo.

Dine on shojin ryori in temples near Tokyo

If you are not ready to take the plunge and spend a day or more at a monastery, there are a couple places you can go to more casually enjoy this special meal in a temple environment. I think the whole experience becomes more than just the meal, such as you might get at a restaurant.