By Ryuji TakahashiKanemasu Brewery (Shibata city, Niigata prefecture), producer of Junmai Daiginjo “Hatsuhana” and “Kinmasu,” celebrated 200 years sin...

By Ryuji TakahashiThis report is a continuation of the previous report on my trip to Niigata prefecture. Ten minutes driving distance from Nagaoka Station, the main destination of this trip, I headed to a long-established yakiniku (Japanese-style Korean BBQ) restaurant, “Sutamina-En.” This yakiniku ...

By Ryuji TakahashiLast year, many could not travel to their hometown due to the impact from the coronavirus, thus celebrated the year-end/New Year at home. For this reason, Japanese sake sold in high volumes compared to the end of the previous year. High-end sake over 10,000 JPY also sold in high qu...

By Yuji MatsumotoMany people have never tried Japanese sake, and even if they have, the most they’ve tried is hot sake. Hardly any will remember the brand name., say “This is a great, try it” and offer a sample with a smile. And once a customer appears interested, take the opportunity to simply expl...

by Ryuji TakahashiJust when I was longing for a break, feeling fatigued by daily updates on the coronavirus coming in from both the government and the city of Tokyo impacted by the virus, an end was announced to the stay-at-home orders prohibiting inter-prefecture travel. A chef at one of my client ...