Kaisen Uoriki @uoriki1930 is a seafood izakaya 🏮 at @tobu_ikebukuro department store. Seasonal seafood dishes including isaki sashimi, hamo eel, and sushi. Popular side dishes for pairing with #sake and #shochu like Satsuma age fish cakes, dashimaki tamago, and menchi katsu made from tuna. We booked a koshitsu private room so it would be easier…
Category: sake
Tanikoretani
My client put this hip izakaya on my radar and I am grateful. Shinji Mizutani was an architect in New York City and after designing restaurants for others decided to design his own place and changed careers to restaurateur at two restaurants. After about 25 years in New York City he returned to Japan and…
Daishichi The Gate
One of the highlights this week was a tasting of the release of a new sake called The Gate made in collaboration by top sommelier Xavier Thuizet and Daishichi sake brewery in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima. Xavier san presented the same sake at three temperatures and in three different Riedel wine glasses. Fascinating tasting three expressions of…
Sake Tasting
I’m often asked about where to learn about sake in Tokyo. We recently had a great class in Tokyo with Aaron of at @sakestudio.tokyo. We tried seven different sakes over four courses with themes. Small bites are paired with the nihonshu. It was fascinating to explore sake at different temperatures, sake from the same brewery made…
Izakaya Hiro
Hiro in Nakameguro is a fun evening with chef Satoshi. Just say omakase (it’s not only for sushi) and leave it up to Satoshi san to create a menu of small plates paired with sake. So much to love here. The relaxed environment, good music, and mix of dishes and sake. Spring represented in fresh…
Shichiken
Shichiken has been brewing sake using the famous water of Hakushu in the Southern Alps of Yamanashi prefecture. Shichiken is just down the street from Koma delicatessen (see previous post). It’s a big brewery with a sake tasting room, retail shop, and a cafe serving drinks and desserts using amazake and koji. Check out the…
Ebisu Shodai
The white curry udon is topped with potatoes and cream whipped up to a fluffy cloud. Underneath the creamy topping is a spicy (for Japanese) curry. Shodai is also a lovely spot for sipping #sake so there is a nice list of sake-friendly small bites including dashimaki tamago omelet and soba gaki buckwheat dumpling. I…
Izakaya 🏮 Mimasuya
Mimasuya izakaya in Kanda opened in 1905. The fourth-generation shop is one of Tokyo’s oldest izakaya pubs. Long on my radar and have only finally just made it there. On a quiet backstreet in Kanda. Popular shop. We went at 6 p.m. and got some of the last seats. The menu is filled with sake-friendly…
Sake Cocktail
Interesting saké cocktail concept. Mini carafe with sugar, dried #kabosu citrus peel, and cinnamon stick. Add saké and put in the refrigerator for at least four hours. It is sweet and a bit medicinal with the spice and hints of citrus. I enjoyed it on the rocks. Will be fun to do this at home…
Prime Sake
Delighted to finally meet @betsyandrews. We connected at Haneda Airport. No better place to chat than at the new @prime_sake #nihonshu bar at Terminal Three. Interesting concept, especially when you read the saké 🍶 menu. No mention of junmaishu or polishing terms like ginjō. Menu of saké-friendly small bites like smoked cheese and daikon pickles…
Mandegan
Mandegan is cool and casual sake/wine bar in Shibuya. It is by the brilliant Kotaro Hayashi san of the eponymous izakaya Kotaro, which just celebrated its 13th-anniversary. Mandegan opens at 4 p.m. and is a great spot to stop by for a few small bites and glasses of sake or wine. The menu includes some…
Mochitsuki
Mochitsuki, pounding sticky rice to make #mochi at #Masuizumi #sake brewery in #Iwase, #Toyama. Here with Boris Priesol who is one of the founders of the hip Kobo brewpub down the street. We stopped by to say hi and were lucky in our timing to get a taste of the mochi which included #kombu #kelp….
Saké Bar Kinjishi
Tachigui Sakaba Kinjishi is a cool spot near Tokyo Station for nihonshu by the glass and saké-friendly small bites. An excellent selection of saké including @jikon_sake, @matsunotsukasa_official, @izumibashi_official, and @niidahonke. We loved the karaagé, and tempura of simmered daikon and cream cheese (both good), nagaimo potatoes, and tuna sashimi. The saké was poured into glasses…
Ito Marugen
A fun dinner at Marugen Marutaka izakaya in downtown Ito. The drinking pub is very popular so there was a line in front of the small shop from more than 30 minutes before it opened. One of their signature dishes is uzuwa which is sodagatsuo a meaty fish that is chopped up raw and mixed…
Wagashi Kunpu
I am enamored with namagashi Japanese confectionaries often served with matcha tea. These handmade sweets change with the seasons, often reflecting nature – maple leaves in autumn or hydrangeas in early summer. Sachiko Tsuda of Wagashi Kunpu offers hands on classes out of her retail space in the historic Yanaka district of Tokyo. My friends…
Saseki Saké Tasting Room
Saseki is the tasting room for Masuda Shuzo sake brewery in Toyama. We were honored to have the 5th-generation Masuda introduce us to several sakes in his portfolio including aged sake, nigori cloudy sake, and nama unpasteurized sake. The sakes are well-balanced and food-friendly. The tasting room has sake-friendly small bites including dried hotaru ika…
Osaka Kushikatsu
Kushi katsu 串かつ is a popular local dish in Osaka. Vegetables, meat, and seafood are skewered, breaded, and deep-fried. Kushi means skewer and katsu comes from the word cutlets for anything breaded and deep-fried. Kushi katsu is traditionally served with a sauce that is sweet and salty. Rampuya is a charming kushikatsu shop near the…
Kaoriya Soba
Had a fantastic soba meal at Ebisu Kaoriya. Started with a flight of saké. Included a half-order of dashimaki tamago savory omelet, soba yaki miso, and tsukemono pickles. All very good. My favorite is always the miso with buckwheat groats. This one included julienned ginger. These three dishes are lovely with the nihonshu. The otameshi…
Niigata – Sake Tasting at Echigo Yuzawa Station
Echigo Yuzawa is a short shinkansen ride from Tokyo station, just over an hour. We left Tokyo on a sunny morning and when the train shoots out of the the Niigata mountain side of the tunnel, we were in a snowstorm. It was like a dream come true. Echigo Yuzawa station has a special sake…
Celebrating with Sparkling Sake
Small occasion to celebrate this evening. Not worthy of champagne, but deserving of more than a can of craft beer and calling for something with bubbles. Mio is a sweet sparkler from Takara Shuzo. It’s low in alcohol, only 5%, like a beer, and sweet so a nice aperitif to dinner. It paired perfectly with chunky…
Ginza Sakagura Kengyo
Drinking spots for saké in Japan can range from super casual to sleek bars. I tend to veer towards to easy places where I don’t have to dress up and where saké is at the heart of the shop. Sakagura Kengyo is a retail shop in Higashi-Ginza that is also offers saké and shōchū by-the-glass…
Grand Hyatt Tokyo – Shunbou
Shunbou is the Japanese restaurant at the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi. The Grand Hyatt has several Japanese restaurants including Roku Roku for sushi and Keyakizaka for teppanyaki. Shunbou features seasonal kaiseki dishes as well as comfort food like curry udon. It is kid-friendly and a great option in the Roppongi area. Entering the restaurant seasonal…
Nunohan Ryokan – Suwa, Nagano
When deciding where to stay while traveling in Japan there are many considerations for type of stay. When we can, we try to stay at local ryokan inns with onsen hot springs. Nunohan was put on my radar by a friend who lives in Suwa, Nagano. We loved it. The ryokan is kid-friendly, had lovely cuisine,…
Suwa, Nagano Sake Breweries
A short trip from Tokyo is Suwa in Nagano. The city of about 50,000 people sits on the shore of lake Suwa and has mountains nearby. We love coming here as it is one train from Tokyo, as the air is refreshing, and Nagano is known for good sake and food, particularly soba. We are…
Nagano Masumi Brewery
We love Nagano. It’s just north of Tokyo, easy to access by train, and here you’ll find delicious food and great sake. Suwa is a city that is accessible from Tokyo by train, about two hours from Tokyo on the express train, Azusa. Not the shinkansen, but it passes many stations along the way. Here…
Talking About Drinking on Television
Today Japan welcomed a new sumo champion, Goeido. It’s most interesting as in this tournament had he not done well he was going to be demoted. Well, he rose to the challenge and went 15 days undefeated. Bravo! The television cameras were on Goeido just before the awards ceremony and the announcers filled in with…
Culinary Journeys with Chef Namae Shinobu
I am very excited to share air time with Chef Namae Shinobu in this month’s Discover Japan special on CNN. His show is airing today at 5:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time. Be sure to tune in to travel with him as he goes to Kyoto and to Chiba as he explores the world of tea…
Gotta Get – Summer Fruit Saké
In the humid summers I seek relief in chilled fruit saké that are tart and mouthwatering. Here are two worth seeking out, lemon and natsumikan (imagine an orange pomelo). My favorite producer for these kajitsushu is Tsuru Ume from Wakayama. Their aromatic yuzushu is also one of the best made in Japan, in my opinion. On…
What to Eat in Tokyo Now
Tokyo summers are hot, humid, and in my opinion, horrible. I don’t know about you, but my appetite wanes and some days it can be hard to get motivated to eat. Here are some things that I look forward to eating this time of year. In this list I am including some dishes or…
Tokyo Station Ekiben
Getting a bento 弁当 and riding on one of the express trains from Tokyo station is a ritual that is comes with traveling in Japan. Even on a short ride, like the hour ride to Narita on the Narita Express, we take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a bento. Above are some bentos that…
Shibuya Kotaro 高太郎
** Note, reservations required. Kotaro is very popular and not many spots open up each month as regulars make their next reservations on their way out. Kotaro is named after the owner and chef who prepares all of the food in an open kitchen behind a large wooden counter. I was introduced to Kotaro by…
Steak and Saké – Sakura Masamune
Working for two years at Nihonbashi Takashimaya’s depachika was an education. I was in the saké department. In Japanese saké refers not only to nihonshu, but to all alcoholic beverages. While I was hired as a sommelier and my chief responsibility was wine, I also had to be able to sell saké, shōchū, beer, and spirits. I learned…
Ogikubo Takahashi Soba 高はし
Takahashi is a about a ten-minute walk from Ogikubo station on the Chuo line, but worth the journey through the residential area west of Tokyo. I was meeting a girlfriend for lunch on a Tuesday. For whatever reason, many soba shops are closed on Tuesdays. But my friend had been to Takahashi before and we…
Hirezake – Japan’s Weirdest Hot Saké Drink?
There is still a chill in the wind and one of the fun hot drinks to warm up with is hirezake. The fin of the fugu (blowfish or puffer fish) is grilled over a flame until charred and then put into a cup of hot saké to steep. More for fun than for flavor, but a nice…
Food Sake Tokyo 