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 [...]
Sake Bloggers Summit in Shizuoka
November 22nd, 2008 · 6 Comments
Dangerous sake?
November 13th, 2008 · 3 Comments
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 [...]
Tags: Sake · Uncategorized
Tokyo Nodai Harvest Festival
November 10th, 2008 · 2 Comments
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 [...]
Tags: Food · Sake · Uncategorized
Glimpse of a sake tradition
November 1st, 2008 · No Comments
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 [...]
Tags: Sake
Tsukiji jogai events
October 23rd, 2008 · 5 Comments
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 [...]
Tags: Food · Sake · Travel · Uncategorized
Fall Food and Sake Tasting Menu with Tatsuriki
October 15th, 2008 · 1 Comment
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 [...]
Nihonshu no Hi Resolution
September 30th, 2008 · No Comments
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 [...]
Tags: Sake
New events for sake and Et-chan
September 18th, 2008 · 4 Comments
After returning from our trip to Indonesia this summer, I put all my new energy and focus into a new business project, kicked-off the web site, and started a simple, new Japan photo blog for all my travels. That kept me busy at the keyboard, but away from Tokyofoodcast. If you were thinking that maybe [...]
Quest for Uni
July 20th, 2008 · 1 Comment
Despite the unbearable heat, summer in Japan is the season for a lot of good stuff–including food. One thing I had wanted to do for sometime was to go to a small coastal city during the uni or sea urchin season and indulge myself. So, before going to Ichinoseki, I took a wide detour and [...]
Tags: Food · Restaurant reviews · Sake · Travel
Light a candle for the Sake God!
June 26th, 2008 · 3 Comments
One rainy afternoon in June, I was catching the Enoden near Fujisawa on the way back from a meeting. Looking at the beautiful posters saturated with colors all around the station promoting the ajisai or hydrangea season, I thought to stop by Kamakura rather than going straight back to Fujisawa. From Gokurakuji, I took a [...]
Tags: Sake · Travel · Uncategorized