The Mainichi web site has recently published an interview with Murakami Haruki in five parts, about his inspiration in American literature, his translation work, his upcoming new novel, and the situation in the world: one, two, three, four, five.
Test your poetic inspiration by participating in the 12th Mainichi Haiku Contest.
The Japan Times feautures an interview […]
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Posted in Japan, Sake on Jun 1st, 2008 2 Comments »
In comparison to the giant sake centers of Nada and Fushimi, the other areas in the Kansai are mere dwarfs. That does not mean you won’t find excellent sake there - especially Nara Prefecture boasts some excellent local makers.
There is one more mitigating factor in Nara: after all, sake originated here and the ancient Omiwa […]
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In previous posts about Japanese cuisine and sake-making I have talked about the obsession with ultimate quality in cooking (and in cutting, which is very important in Asian cuisine as the diners themselves do not have a knife!), as well as of sake brewing as a handicraft that in the end is practiced on a […]
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Posted in Food, Osaka, Sake on May 27th, 2008 No Comments »
Sake brewing in Osaka began in Japan’s Middle Ages with a famous monastery, Amanosan Kongoji. Standing in Kawachi-Nagano, this is still a great Esoteric Buddhist temple. The sake, Amano-shu, was provided to the Ashikaga shoguns and also Hideyoshi is on record as a fervent admirer. Technically, this sake was also advanced - it was brewed […]
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Posted in Food, Japan, Kobe, Museums, Sake on May 21st, 2008 4 Comments »
The largest sake producing area in the whole of Japan can be found in Hyogo Prefecture, at the seaside of Nishinomiya and in the eastern part of Kobe. This area is called “Nada” and as there are five sake producing districts, one speaks about the “Five Nada Districts” (Nada Gogo). From east to west these […]
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Posted in Food, Sake, Technology on May 19th, 2008 No Comments »
Sake is for 70% water, so water is by far the major ingredient. Water used in the sake brewing process is called “Shuzo Yosui” and can be divided into two types: “Jozo yosui,” or the water used for the fermentation process and “Binzume yosui” or the water used for bottling and other processes. The first […]
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Posted in Food, Sake, Technology on May 18th, 2008 No Comments »
Rice and water are the two main raw materials in sake, but for sake, not all rice is equal. The rice used for sake is called “sakamai,” “Sake rice;” about 5% of all rice grown in Japan is “Sake rice.”
One particular type of “Sake rice” is the so-called “Shuzo Kotekimai,” the “Rice ideally suitable for […]
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Posted in Food, Japan, Kyoto, Museums, Sake on Mar 23rd, 2008 1 Comment »
I am starting a new series where I will look into the regional varieties of Japanese sake. The first one is Kyoto!
[Fushimi sake district, Kyoto]
Kyoto Prefecture is in volume the second sake producing prefecture in Japan - after Hyogo’s Nada district. That is all thanks to the breweries in the southern part of the prefecture, […]
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In my search for food-related manga, I came across a very interesting specimen: Moyashimon, by Ishikawa Masayuki, which calls itself “Tales of Agriculture,” but rather is about a hero with the unique ability to see and talk with bacteria and other micro-organisms.
Now this is a nice proposition, because Japanese food culture is after all a […]
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Posted in Book, Review, Sake on Feb 23rd, 2008 No Comments »
One of the best books on sake in English I know is Philip Harper’s The Book of Sake: A Connoisseurs Guide. Beautifully edited by Kodansha, with lavish illustrations, this book contains all you have to know about sake and is a pleasure to read, also thanks to Harper’s lively style. And that all in less […]
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Posted in Japan, Sake, Web on Jan 15th, 2008 No Comments »
Interested as I am in various aspects of sake (nihonshu), from the production process to actual consumption, I also like to read about my favorite drink. Here are some of the best websites and blogs about sake I have found.
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In the first place we have the website “Sake World” of sake-guru John Gauntner, who has […]
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There are several legends about the origins of the popular Nishinomiya Ebisu Shrine in Nishinomiya. One tale goes back to ancient myth and starts with a sad story. The creator gods from Japanese mythology, Izanagi and his sister/spouse Izanami have received a jewelled spear from the other deities to begin their grand work of […]
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Posted in Sake on Jan 6th, 2008 No Comments »
Posted in History, Japan, Sake, Travel on Jan 6th, 2008 2 Comments »
Only a day trip away from the Kansai area you can find many interesting destinations, some famous, others completely unknown. One such hidden town is Katsuyama, a former castle town deep in the Chugoku mountains of northern Okayama prefecture, close to the border with Tottori. Despite its far away location, Katsuyama is surprisingly easy to […]
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Posted in Museums, Sake, Travel on Oct 23rd, 2007 No Comments »
Nishinomiya, the second town in Hyogo Prefecture when you come from Osaka, was originally the “temple town” of the Nishinomiya Ebisu Shrine (still existing, but in a modern concrete incarnation - affectionately called Ebessan, the main festival of this shrine dedicated to the god of luck and good fortune is on January 10). From the […]
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Posted in Museums, Sake, Travel on Sep 7th, 2007 1 Comment »
Although Kobe attracts the more than respectable number of 25 million visitors a year, it ranks not very high on the wishlist of visitors from Europe or America. The reasons are simple: we come here for (traditional) Japanese culture and competition in the Kansai with heavyweights as Kyoto and Nara is just too severe. Moreover, […]
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