Tag - kura

 
 

KURA

Brooklyn Kura's Catskills, a "junmai daiginjō" (sake with rice polished down to at least 50%), is made with water from the New York region of the same name.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 28, 2025
New York's Brooklyn Kura becomes first U.S. sake exporter to Japan
The brewer’s initial exports are “relatively small,” but it hopes drinkers in Japan are "open to trying" American-made sake.
Sanwa Koutsu's Kuroko Taxi service has drivers dressed in traditional stagehand garb communicate with passengers only through gestures and written messages.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 9, 2024
The sound of silence: Japan's no-conversation services
“Constant social interaction can feel like torture for us introverts,” one customer says. "I think it’s a pretty smart business move."
At France's Kura Master competition, top honors went to "Shirayuki Daiginjo Itami Morohaku" (left) and "Araroka Matsufuji."
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 3, 2024
Award ceremony for Japanese alcohol held in Paris
1,223 sake products and 197 shōchū and awamori products were put up for the competition.
As Kura has grown, so has the hype, with diners sometimes enduring seven-hour waits to try its automated sushi-serving machines and dishes under plastic domes brought to the table on a revolving belt.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 13, 2024
Kura Sushi must live up to high hopes after wowing Wall Street
Kura shares have surged more than sixfold since their 2019 debut, climbing from an initial public offering price of $14 to $88.55.
With water drawn from sources in upstate New York, new sake brewing facilities in the Empire State back by Niigata Prefecture's Hakkaisan will be producing bottles by 2024.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 12, 2023
Hakkaisan and New York brewer to produce U.S.-based sake by 2024
The water for sake will come from upstate New York, while rice will come from California and Arkansas.
A young man (Yuki Kura, left) who isn’t well-versed in wooing attempts to strike up a relationship with a convenience store clerk (Haruka Imou) he has a crush on in “How to Find a Lover.”
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2023
‘How to Find a Lover’: Quirky rom-com is deeper than it seems
Koji Maeda keeps the film’s tone fun and offbeat while not shying away from the emotional wounds of its lead characters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / New Wine Frontier
May 28, 2023
Deep in the weeds: Why Nora-Kura's wines grow as wild as can be
The untrained eye may find Ken and Kazuko Sasaki's vineyard unkempt, but appearances can be deceiving at this Hakodate winery.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 13, 2023
Japan's sushi chains roll out defenses against 'sushi terrorism'
The new measures include cameras using artificial intelligence and changes to how food items are delivered to customers.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 9, 2023
Three arrested in Japan for 'sushi terrorism' pranks
Police accused the young trio of seeking to obstruct business at major restaurant chain Kura Sushi, which was bombarded with customer complaints after the video went viral.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 27, 2020
Sushi and canned coffee get unlikely boost from record-breaking ‘Demon Slayer’ movie
Promotional tie-ins with the hit film have boosted Kura Sushi and Dydo's sales.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 22, 2020
Kura Sushi opens flagship in Tokyo's Asakusa with tech to handle 104 languages
Conveyor belt sushi chain Kura Sushi Inc. opened a flagship restaurant Wednesday in Asakusa, a popular tourist spot in Tokyo.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 23, 2018
Kura's Kunihiko Tanaka: From peddling vinegar to running a sushi empire
Kunihiko Tanaka was peddling vinegar to sushi restaurants in western Japan when he spotted the opportunity that would change his life.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Cultivating Craft
Oct 6, 2018
Japan's craft beer scene: 25 years in the making
The secret is long since out: Japan's craft beer scene is a vibrant place, filled with innovative brewers creating new and interesting beers alongside masterful examples of traditional styles.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / HIT AND RUN
Sep 26, 2016
Japanese teams, fans bid fond farewell to retiring players
Japanese baseball is in the season of goodbyes.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’