Wagyu and seafood: At Imari Roaji, Saga sends its finest to Ginza
The further you travel in Japan, the more you discover that each corner of the country has its own character and food traditions. Every region produces its own distinctive strains of rice, seafood products, miso, pickles and sake. And those differences are important: They're ...
U.S. may ease bottle rules for Japanese alcohol as part of trade negotiations
Tokyo and Washington are in the final stage of talks over an easing of the United States' regulations on bottles for alcoholic beverages imported from Japan, under an envisioned trade pact between the two countries, it was learned Tuesday. The U.S. currently sets seven sizes, ...
StandingBar Sanpachi: Squeeze in tight for a pizza and craft shōchū night
With so many contenders, it's impossible to anoint any single bar as the smallest in Tokyo, but StandingBar Sanpachi must surely be in the running.
Event held in India to promote sake and other Japanese alcoholic drinks
An event to introduce Japanese alcoholic beverages such as sake rice wine and shōchū distilled spirits to Indian distributors and hotel officials was held Wednesday at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi. Nine Japanese breweries participated in the annual event, the third of its kind, ...
Taiwan to cut tariffs on sake and Japan farm and fishery products as it looks to join TPP
Taiwan is set to lower its tariffs on sake from Japan to 20 percent, from the current 40 percent, as early as August. Taiwan will also cut its tariffs on such Japanese farm and fishery products as frozen shishamo smelt, scallop and yams, and processed ...
Public and private sectors push to revive Okinawa's struggling awamori industry
With young people apparently finding Okinawa's awamori liquor less appealing, the industry has been hit with a decline in shipments for 13 consecutive years. To rev up the struggling business, people from the public and private sectors have joined hands to pitch the distilled spirit ...
Students develop fertilizer from shōchū distillation remnants
Students in Kumamoto Prefecture have developed a low-cost method to cultivate photosynthetic bacteria for use as fertilizer using the distillation remnants of shōchū, a traditional Japanese liquor. The student researchers, led by Aoi Koga, 24, from Sojo University's Graduate School of Engineering in the city ...
OnJapan Cafe&: Reimagining the fermenting tradition
Shibuya's Kamiyamacho district continues to bubble up with worthy new dining venues. One of the most intriguing new arrivals on its increasingly popular shopping street — the long, straight artery connecting Tokyu Department Store with Yoyogi-Koen — is OnJapan Cafe&. The mission statement at this ...
Kyushu distillers seek to build overseas fan base for shōchū
Spirits makers in Kyushu are working to attract overseas customers for their flagship product of distilled liquor called shōchū. Shōchū, typically distilled from barley, sweet potatoes, rice, buckwheat or sugar cane, is very popular in Japan but not nearly as well-known abroad as sake, which ...
Former Oita Gov. Morihiko Hiramatsu of 'one village, one product' fame dead at 92
Former Oita Gov. Morihiko Hiramatsu, known for his "one village, one product" regional development campaign, died Sunday, sources said Tuesday. He was 92. Hiramatsu was governor of Oita Prefecture for 24 years until 2003. His "one village, one product" movement was initiated for Oita but ...
Distilling the mysteries of shōchū
From my seat on the second floor of Shochu Zanmai, a bar specializing in Japan's indigenous distilled liquor, I can see directly into the building across the street. The bar is located down a narrow alley a 10-minute walk from Tokyo's Ikebukuro Station, and ...
Japan to boost protection of names of liquor-producing regions
The government said Wednesday it will expand the scope of the system to protect producing-area names of liquors as intellectual properties to enhance their brand power amid growing global demand for Japanese sake and shochu distilled spirits, sources said. Japanese beer and liqueur, including umeshu, ...
