Tokyofoodcast

Photo credit:panduh:CC by-nc-sa 2.0

“Fugu is not adventurous enough!” my former boss exclaimed when planning a surprise dinner for his guest from the US; he wanted to make it memorable and adventurous. “Have you had suppon?”, he challenged me. I replied that I’d had it once about ten years ago. So, there it was, we set [...]

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What do sake bloggers talk about when they finally meet in person? At the unofficial 2008 Sake Bloggers Summit, only two things filled our entire day for oh…. about 15 hours, non-stop. Sake, of course, and Shizuoka.
When the Sake Samurai, Tim, said he was coming back to Japan for this year’s Sake Samurai ceremony, Robert-Gilles [...]

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Once in a while, you may see a sake bottle with bright red letters warning “Kiken-na sake”.

At the last Ichibe monthly kikizake-kai featuring Chiyomusubi, we learned how dangerous sake can be tamed when the proper precautions are taken.

The restaurant did not do this for a show, they rested this sake for a few hours, opened [...]

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On November 1st, I was at the brewing ground where they prepare the next generation of agriculture, food, and brewing industry leaders in Japan. This was the first day of the annual school festival at the Tokyo University of Agriculture, or Tokyo Nodai, during their shukakusai or harvest festival. Being one of the top universities [...]

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One of the many things that will never change about sake brewing is its deep roots and close tie with traditions. When you visit a brewery, you will find a wooden altar where they have ofuda, a paper or wooden tablet blessed by a shinto priest next to some of their sake.
I read this blog [...]

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This is the question I have not had the right answer for yet.
I was taking a guest to Tsukiji the other morning to see the market. As we wandered around, she asked “Can we go for sushi?” It was 8:30 in the morning.
I replied, “Sushi? Well, I don’t think we can get in. But lets [...]

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Tsukji shows two faces to the world. First is jonai, the giant, enclosed wholesale fish and vegetable market area–this is what most people think of as Tsukiji. But, there is also jogai, this includes all of the shops and restaurants running down the streets adjoining the regular wholesale market. It is easy to focus on [...]

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Once a year in October, Tatsuriki has a very special sit-down dinner pairing their sake with very nice Japanese food. This Tokyo event is something I truly look forward to; it serves as one of my signals that autumn has begun, or it is sake season.
Tatsuriki is a very popular brew and is frequently featured [...]

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If you’ve ever been to Tsukiji, you’ve probably seen some seriously big knives. The fishmongers wield their long, sharp blades with such speed and aplomb that you might not get a really good look at them. Now you can. I discovered some excellent photos of tuna knives from a small shop in Tsukiji by [...]

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Since October 1st is Nihonshu no Hi or Sake Day, I stopped at the Sake Plaza in Shinbashi, run by the Japan Sake Brewers Association today to see if there’s anything happening tomorrow. Yes, the Sake Brewer’s Association will be hosting two free taru-zake tastings at noon and at 5:00 pm on October 1st.
Although [...]

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