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.

For Melinda Joe's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Jan 10, 2021

When it comes to sake, a little heat can go a long way

Gone are the days when hot sake implied poor quality, and kanzake is finally taking pride of place at the socially distanced dinner table.

Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Dec 19, 2020

Sake brewing in 2020: ‘Hard times are going to be with us for a while’

After years of incremental gains due to growing popularity abroad, Japan’s sake producers struggled with substantial losses this year.

Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Nov 7, 2020

You, too, can learn from master sake brewers with Taste with the Toji

Looking to support the sake industry during the pandemic, sake educator Simone Maynard created a weekly online event to connect brewery and consumer.

Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Oct 17, 2020

Tokyo’s newest drinks trend? Upscale alcohol-free cocktails.

The low- and zero-proof alcohol trend has hit Japan, and for those who want to abstain without sacrificing flavor, there’s no shortage of options.

Food & Drink Oct 10, 2020

Spice Lab Tokyo: Defying expectations of Indian-Japanese fusion cuisine

How does executive chef Tejas Sovani balance the maximalist complexity of Indian recipes with Japanese cuisine’s understated grace?

Food & Drink | Food Sustainability in Japan Sep 26, 2020

Japan’s chefs build on the growing market for sustainable seafood

For advocacy group Chefs for the Blue, the long-term goal is to help fish populations return to levels of stability.

Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Sep 12, 2020

It’s time to resurrect the tradition of boozy breakfasts with friends in Tokyo

We all deserve a morning meal cooked to order paired with a craft cocktail. “Kanpai Culture” has you covered with three new cafe-bar hybrids.

Food & Drink Aug 29, 2020

At Est, chef Guillaume Bracaval attempts to answer the question, ‘What is luxury?’

The chef’s new French fine-dining restaurant venture opens inside the swanky Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi on Sept. 1.

DEEP DIVE Aug 19, 2020

Episode 61: Tough times for Tokyo, the world's dining capital

With more Michelin stars than any other city in the world, Tokyo is something of a dining mecca. But in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic has turned Tokyo's restaurant and hospitality industry on its head.