Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Apr 10, 2021
Go on a ‘sake voyage’ right in Tokyo’s backyard
The Yottemikke Sake Tourism Association entices travelers to explore Utsunomiya’s gastronomic delights.
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 Mar 20, 2021
Sipping spring spirits with all of Tokyo at your feet
Bar Virtu’s spring-inspired cocktail lineup is the excuse you need to glam up and escape the humdrum of daily life.
Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Feb 13, 2021
SG Low: A street culture-inspired izakaya gets the speakeasy treatment
SG Group’s newest cocktail bar has a pared-down atmosphere, but the food and drinks have a high-class global twist.
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.