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July 16, 2024
 

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KANPAI CULTURE

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jan 7, 2014
Fresh pressings from Norway's sake brewery
Nu00f8gne u00d8 Brewery in Norway is best known for its line of award-winning craft beers, but the company is quickly gaining a reputation for another brewed beverage: sake.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Dec 12, 2013
Umami: an ideal sake pairing
On a recent September morning in Napa Valley, a sake-pairing session at the Culinary Institute of America's annual Worlds of Flavor conference began with a lesson in organic chemistry. The theme of the seminar was "sake and umami," a topic tantalizing enough to fill the room with food and beverage professionals...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Nov 7, 2013
Unique sake from father-son team
Kumpai Shuzo stands along a quiet stretch of the Kyu-Tokaido Road, across the Abe River in an old part of Shizuoka City. Run by father-and-son team Seiji and Hidetoshi Ichikawa, the brewery has remained in the same location since the family's ancestors began making sake in the Edo Period.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Oct 10, 2013
Fall for the flavor of autumn sake
The seasons in Japan can turn on a dime. When I'd left Tokyo for Sweden, at the end of September, summer had shown no sign of abating: The city was still sweating in 32-degree heat and 60 percent humidity. When I returned five days later, the air was lighter and the evenings pleasantly crisp. Fall had...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Sep 12, 2013
Tasting Kirin's beer of many colors
Morbid curiosity had prompted me to order a Two-Tone beer cocktail at the branch of Kirin Ichiban Shibori Garden in Tokyo's Akasaka district. I had read, with no small measure of disbelief, that Tokyo's latest summer beer fad was lager mixed with fruit juice or sweet syrup, and I had to see it with my...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Aug 8, 2013
Supporting Tohoku one glass at a time
On a Saturday evening in late July, Wine Aid for East Japan began, appropriately, with a toast. Now in its third year, the event, organized by professionals in the wine industry to raise money for charities in the Tohoku region, featured over 100 premium wines and a buffet showcasing ingredients from...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jun 14, 2013
Hard-won battles produce great wine grapes
On an overcast morning high in the hills of the Priorat region in northern Spain, I found myself faced with a dilemma: I had to decide which shoots to prune from the gnarled arms of a 60-year-old Garnacha grape vine. It was mid-May, and several young grape clusters — tiny, green beads that fitted...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
May 10, 2013
You don't need to be a pro to enjoy tasting and pairing sake
For those new to sake, learning to distinguish the subtle nuances in the flavor of various brews can feel like a daunting task. When evaluating sake, professionals consider the balance of sweetness and acidity, the body and the finish, in addition to the drink's specific aromas and flavors. Having judged...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Apr 12, 2013
Cocktails with a fresh twist (literally)
Dressed in a crisp white jacket, white shirt and black tie, bartender Gen Yamamoto looks as though he has just emerged from a casino in a James Bond film.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Mar 8, 2013
Singapore's taste for Japanese drinks
On my recent trip to Singapore, Japanese drinks seemed to follow me everywhere. At Jigger & Pony, a stylish new cocktail bar in an old part of Chinatown, the first thing I noticed was the selection of around 20 Suntory and Nikka whiskies that lined the backlit shelves, along with Coedo beer. Perhaps...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Feb 8, 2013
Whisky distillery plays a winning hand
Inside the visitors' center at Chichibu Distillery, high in the hills of Saitama Prefecture, a hint of sawdust mingled with the aromas of vanilla, dried fruits and honey that filled the air.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jan 11, 2013
Japan's latest wine trend is only natural
It's official: Natural wines are entering mainstream consciousness in Japan. I know this not simply because sections devoted to organic, "bio" (biodynamic), or shizen-ha (natural) wines have become fixtures in many retail shops, or even because sales of natural wines have risen around the world. The...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Dec 14, 2012
Sake-making mission: the last step
The thermometer inside the brewing facility at Shimazaki Shuzo registered a chilly 8 degrees. Like everyone else who had signed up to take part in the final sake-making session of the Karasuyama Taiken (www.karasuyama-taiken.jp), I was dressed for work — in a thin white jacket that resembled a...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Nov 9, 2012
Japanese wine: not as bad as you think
On the morning of Nov. 3, the line leading to the entrance of Hibiya Park snaked along the sidewalk and coiled around the corner, several meters from the gate. I was there for the Yamanashi Nouveau wine festival but had assumed that the throngs had come for some other purpose. It was a moment of cognitive...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Oct 12, 2012
Sake-making mission, part two: the harvest
The instrument I was given to harvest sake rice was a small sickle, about 20 cm in length, with a thin, curved blade and a serrated edge. It was, essentially, the agricultural equivalent of a pair of children's scissors: If used improperly, you could nick yourself badly but were unlikely to do great...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Sep 14, 2012
Sake brewers turn their hand to beer
Taro Ishikawa, president of Ishikawa Shuzo in Fussa City, Tokyo, knows a thing or two about brewing beer. This comes as no surprise: In addition to producing Tamajiman sake, his company has been making Japanese jibīru (craft beer) for 14 years. The Ishikawa family's history of beer brewing, however,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Aug 10, 2012
Developing a taste for sake cocktails
Despite its funny-sounding name, the Sakenic is a compelling tipple. A fizzy mix of sake, soda and tonic water with an orange twist, it is light and refreshing, with a balance of sweetness and acidity that brings to mind a gin and tonic with less of a bite. The drink is one of the most popular items...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jul 13, 2012
Sake production, literally from the ground up
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jun 8, 2012
Wine Challenge brings sake contest to Japan
At 9 a.m. on the morning of May 28, the 40 judges who had been invited to arbitrate in the 2012 International Wine Challenge sake competition convened in the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association building in Tokyo's Shinbashi district. Conversations in English and Japanese floated around the room...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
May 11, 2012
How I learned to stop worrying and love the shochu
Nearly 10 years ago, shōchū was all the rage in Japan. In 2004, shipments reached an all-time high, and producers were struggling to keep up with the exploding market. Everyone was drinking it — everyone, it seems, but me.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.
How to tweak your diet when temperatures spike
Most people think of hydration as a strictly liquid-based concept, but eating foods with high water content is an essential part of making it through a Japanese summer unscathed.

Podcast

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Longform

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The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
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