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January 26, 2025
 

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Melinda Joe

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Melinda Joe
Melinda Joe is an American journalist in Tokyo. A certified wine and sake professional, she writes about Japanese drinks in her Kanpai Culture column for The Japan Times and blogs at tokyodrinkingglass.blogspot.com.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Feb 8, 2020
Rococo Tokyo White: Japan's fine dining finally has a luxury beer
Keith Martinez and Jerrel Brantley, co-founders of the boutique beer company Maison Rococo, fell in love with Japan during a trip to Tokyo in 2015. Enchanted by the country's culture of hospitality and cuisine, the two friends, who had met at the University of Chicago, sensed an opportunity.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 1, 2020
Japanese chefs reflect on the chaos of Gelinaz!
Three Japanese chefs reflect on their experiences participating in last December's The Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle: 2019 Stay In Tour event, a giant recipe swap spanning 38 countries and featuring 148 chefs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jan 11, 2020
Young brewers, new sake and classic flavors
Sake is enjoying a new wave of popularity, thanks to improvements in quality, an ever-expanding variety of styles and the spread of sake education programs. Now, younger brewers are being encouraged to enter the market.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Dec 7, 2019
Faro: High-end plant-based fare with alcohol pairings to match
Increasing numbers of high-end restaurants in Tokyo offer vegetarian and vegan tasting menus. But it's a surprising challenge to find drink pairings to accompany them.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 30, 2019
Gelinaz! Shuffle 2019: Creativity thrives when chefs stay at home
The Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle 2019: Stay In Tour critiques the relentless travel chefs have come to view as necessary, while still maximizing global culinary exchange and creativity.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Nov 9, 2019
Sanbun: The simple joy of sipping a midday sake
It's trickier than you might expect to find a good sake bar where you can order a glass or two before sundown. Luckily, there's standing bar Sanbun to fill that gap.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Oct 12, 2019
An unexpected synergy of sake and wagyu
Innovative sake company Nihonshu Oendan has teamed up with Yakiniku Yazawa to pair its junmai daiginju014d sake with wagyu beef.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 6, 2019
Cook Japan Project: Discovering Brazil and Japan with Alex Atala
Brazilian chef Alex Atala's six-day pop-up menu for the Cook Japan Project is an innovative example of Brazilian-Japanese culinary harmony.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 7, 2019
Cook Japan Project: World-class chefs flock to Japan for a year of pop-up dinners
Cook Japan Project is a 10-month rotating chef's residency program, hosting over 30 culinary stars from around the world to foster cultural exchange and expose Japanese diners to the wider culinary world.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 10, 2019
Chef Sergio Meza brings a taste of Mexico to Tokyo
For two months, chef Sergio Meza will be running Bar Art-Stand out of Artless Craft Tea & Coffee, serving an ever-evolving menu of small bites and cocktails.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jul 13, 2019
Yamagata sake shines on the international stage
On a recent balmy evening, representatives from nine sake breweries in Yamagata Prefecture, clad in understated kimono, bow modestly onstage amid the glow of pink and lavender lights. The bling-drenched ballroom also boasts gold-covered walls and a bold red carpet adorned with a dizzying pattern of colorful...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jun 8, 2019
Yummy Sake Collective: A new pairing of blind tasting and AI tech
Yummy Sake Collective has a solution for people who struggle to identify what sake they like: An AI-powered app, used in conjunction with a blind tasting, to help determine flavor preferences.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
May 11, 2019
Phoenix Sake Collection: A tribute to music 'n' sake
In collaboration with brewery Tatenokawa, Inc., rock band Phoenix has released the Phoenix Sake Collection to celebrate the group's 20th anniversary.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Apr 13, 2019
Sushi M: Shaking up the world of sushi through sake pairings
Ever since he was a young chef in his early 20s, Michimasa Nakamura has wanted to shake things up in the world of sushi.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 27, 2019
Tokyo-based pastry chef named Asia's best
Patissier Fabrizio Fiorani was named Asia's Best Pastry Chef at the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony in Macau on March 26.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Mar 9, 2019
Are native grape varieties the key to Japan's burgeoning wine industry?
Thanks to improved technology, greater winemaking know-how and an increased focus on native grape varieties, local wines have gone from sickly sweet to sophisticated and mature.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Feb 16, 2019
Cacao: Sensory infusions of chocolate and alcohol
Journey Company, the first international brand to carry Colombia's official mark of approval for their chocolates, collaborates with Japanese artisans to release limited-edition sweets infused with flavors like matcha green tea and umeshu (plum wine). To further the sensory experience, at their Chocolate Bank in Kamakura they offer after-hours chocolate and alcohol pairings at a tiny bar.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 9, 2019
Cacao Hunters knows where the best chocolate is: Colombia
Cacao Hunters Japan partners with indigenous communities in Colombia to source heirloom varieties of cacao — and provide farmers with stable, high incomes — for the Cacao Hunters line of premium chocolates.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jan 12, 2019
A new year taste for Tokyo's best speciality sake bars
With the start of a new year comes a new set of resolutions. An increasingly popular choice is Dry January, a campaign led by the British charity Alcohol Change UK, in which participants vow to abstain from drinking for 31 days. Millions of people around the world have been documenting their virtuous...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 1, 2018
At Ikoyi, Philosopher-chef Jeremy Chan gets to the core of deliciousness
The word 'intense' is frequently used by friends and colleagues to describe Jeremy Chan, the 31-year-old philosopher-chef behind restaurant Ikoyi, which serves global interpretations of West African cuisine in the center of London.
Japan and South Korea were stable U.S. allies. Not anymore.
Supporters of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol protest in Seoul on Tuesday. The previous leaders of the U.S. and Japan, along with Yoon, focused on strengthening alliances and regional stability through cooperation whereas newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy may prioritize transactional relationships.
Chinese tourist fatally struck by train in Hokkaido
Hokkaido Railway temporarily suspended train services after a 61-year-old Chinese tourist was fatally struck by a train in the city of Otaru, Hokkaido, on Thursday morning.
Trump fires 17 inspectors general in late-night purge
U.S. President Donald Trump throws pens to the crowd after signing executive orders during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena in Washington on Monday.
Trump spurs surprise world rally in first week on trade respite
U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a giant screen during his address by video conference at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday.
Chinese court gives death penalty to man who killed Japanese boy
A woman lays a bouquet of flowers outside Shenzhen Japanese School following the murder of a 10-year-old Japanese child who was on his way to the school, in Shenzhen in September.
What are the real issues behind the Fuji TV scandal?
Fuji Television's poor handling of sexual misconduct allegations against celebrity Masahiro Nakai has led to an exodus of sponsors from the broadcaster.
The cartoon chaos of ‘Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi’ was ahead of its time
Animated series “Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi” premiered on Cartoon Network on Nov. 29, 2004, and ran for three seasons. The show is based on real-life J-pop band Puffy.
How 'Twin Peaks' turned David Lynch into Japan's favorite weirdo
“The Elephant Man” and “Twin Peaks” director David Lynch became a favorite among Japanese moviegoers who flocked to new arthouse cinemas (known as “mini theaters”) popping up around the country in the 1980s and ’90s.
As parliament opens, ruling coalition enters uncharted territory
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a policy speech at the Lower House of the parliament in Tokyo last November.
Dodgers introduce Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki speaks during his introductory news conference with the team in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Ayumi Matsuki, a priestess at Yoshiwara Shrine, shows off some "o-mamori" charms. She says visitors to the shrine have increased since the NHK drama “Unbound” began airing this month.
Tracing Tsutaya Juzaburo, Edo’s media maverick
By Alex K.T. Martin

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