tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-244848512024-03-06T03:04:45.344-05:00ItadakimasuExploring the World In and Outside Our KitchenHiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-91702812802031491742012-02-25T10:19:00.000-05:002012-02-25T10:19:21.052-05:00Morioka Ja Ja Men<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Morioka city is famous for three type of noodles -- <a href="http://www.japan-iwate.info/noodle/wanko.html">Wanko Soba</a>, <a href="http://letseatmeal.blogspot.com/2010/03/cold-noodle-morioka-reimen.html">Morioka Reimen</a>, and Morioka Ja Ja Men. The Ja Ja Men was originally invented by Kansho Takashina after he came back to Morioka from Manchuria. He started his business selling dumplings at a stand, but he missed his favorite noodles that he had eaten in Manchuria, and so around 1953, he perfected his noodle dish which became known as Morioka Ja Ja Men. <br />
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Food is always on our mind, and we are continuously thinking about where and what to eat for lunch and dinner. On this leg of our trip, we were thinking about having lunch on the Shinkansen or in Tokyo when we left the Tsurunoyu Onsen at 8am to head back to Tokyo. When we got to the Tazawako Station in Akita that morning, we were told that the 10am train was not running due to snow near Akita City. Since we had to wait for a Shinkansen, our thoughts naturally turned to food. <br />
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By the time we were able to board the Shinkansen, it was around 11:30am. Crossing from west of the Ouu
Mountain Range (奥羽山脈)to the east, going to Morioka City, all of the snow that had been the most dominant part of the landscape seemed to melt away.
Cold air masses from the Asian continent dumps lots of snow on the western
part of Tohoku and drys up when it reaches to eastern part. When we arrived in Morioka, it was a little strange to see so little snow.<br />
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Now that we were in Morioka with time between trains, how could we miss the opportunity to sample one of great noodle dishes of Morioka? With two hours til the next train, we bolted to the original Ja Ja Men shop, Pairon (白龍 ) near the Morioka Castle Ruins Park and City Hall. It was during a lunch time when we arrived, and the shop was filled with salarymen working nearby. It was a narrow, hole-in-the-wall, with tables and counter sporting only the necessary chopsticks and condiments. Salarymen were reading manga while they were waiting for their noodles.<br />
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We wasted no time ordering. Delivered just as quickly, our bowls of Ja Ja Men were filled with white udon-like noodles topped with cucumbers and a mountain of ground pork and a special local miso on top,
accompanied by grated ginger and pickles. Noticing our cluelessness on how to eat it,
the lady of the house came to the rescue and gave us a quick tutorial. Reaching for the condiments, she added vinegar, grated garlic, and
sesame oil, and quickly mixed the noodles with the miso, cucumbers, and ginger.<br />
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It was amazing! Nothing seemingly special, yet so tasty, we still salivate when thinking about this unique dish. The miso with ground pork was in perfect harmony with the udon-like noodle, vinegar and oil. Many other salarymen came and went while we slowly savored each bite.<br />
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It wasn't over once we finished eating the noodles. The lady then came to our table, picked up a raw egg on the table, cracked it open, added it to the dish, and brought the dish over to a man at the counter who was cooking the noodle. He poured some hot water from noodle cooking pot into our bowls. Our Ja Ja Men became an egg soup that blended perfectly with the mix of noodle, miso, and pork remaining in the bottom of the bowl. We finished drinking the soup and were left with nothing but a squeaky clean, a self cleaned dish! <br />
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Pairon<br />
<span dir="ltr"><span class="street-address">5-15 Uchimaru</span>, <span class="locality">Morioka, Iwate Prefecture</span></span><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span class="locality">Japan</span></span><br />
Phone:019-624-2247<br />
<br />Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-75820151213343240102011-11-21T16:15:00.000-05:002011-11-21T16:44:12.052-05:00Tsurunoyu OnsenWhen one envisions the quintessential winter scene in the snow-covered mountains of Japan, it might also likely involve soaking in an <i>onsen</i> (hot spring) watching the snow falling quietly around you. We had dreamed of enjoying this very experience and so we sought the picture-perfect onsen for our trip to Akita in late January/early February.<br />
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While researching the subject using an onsen guide (convenient!), Hiroko was taken with the milky white water of the well-known <a href="http://www.tsurunoyu.com/english.html">Tsurunoyu Onsen</a>. The resort's <i>ryokan</i> (inn) had several rooms with a cooking hearth where your meal is cooked over glowing coals. Tsurunoyu is one of the country's most famous onsen and therefore a very difficult reservation to secure. Hiroko actually called the onsen to make our reservation in the Spring of 2010! Since we were going all the way to Akita, we wanted to stay in one of the more rustic rooms to enjoy the whole cooking-in-your-room experience. Fortunately for us, Hiroko was able to reserve one of these rooms.<br />
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When we arrived at the ryokan, it was so dark that we couldn't really see much of our surroundings. All we knew was that it was very cold and that we were in a place where there was more snow than we'd ever seen. <br />
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The ryokan was old and rustic and known to be originally opened to the public during the Genroku period (1688-1704). The roof of the main building is still made from straw and is replaced every 6 years! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIQh0y-YtbiR2VRWp3FyUTDZcyzXz1NvlIPPKDVoFZ8We-oRT8estatYpOu0-YQCbDHxu51iTz-2yUYmpIBnur1HuCWPLK5gRbVWIEw9phe8E6GeP2IwwpIjIr-L2pgWcUzxcuw/s1600/IMG_4373_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIQh0y-YtbiR2VRWp3FyUTDZcyzXz1NvlIPPKDVoFZ8We-oRT8estatYpOu0-YQCbDHxu51iTz-2yUYmpIBnur1HuCWPLK5gRbVWIEw9phe8E6GeP2IwwpIjIr-L2pgWcUzxcuw/s200/IMG_4373_1.JPG" width="200" /></a>The main attraction of the resort is milky water onsen. After dinner in the room by the sunken hearth, we headed to a konyoku (coed) outdoor bath. After you take off your clothes, you can wash and clean yourself in an adjacent indoor bath, then go outside to walk the path to the main bath. When we were in onsen, it was snowing and cold. The water was rather lukewarm, and we were getting too cold to be in the water. We were joined by a number of other bathers but it was dark and with the rising steam we couldn't see much of them. The water was very milky and soft, and it was a perfect setting to relax.<br />
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Next morning before the breakfast, we decided to soak more in onsen. This time there was no one else there...so quiet...with crisp air, and no snow, it was a relaxing morning bath. <br />
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We explored the grounds of the ryokan after the breakfast since we hadn't been able to see much of anything the previous evening when we arrived. The snow created an "authentic snow country vista" that was both beautiful and serene. <br />
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<br />Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-52624361352707943962011-11-17T17:31:00.000-05:002011-11-18T15:05:39.720-05:00Visiting Akita Breweries<span class="fullpost"></span><br />
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Throughout our time in Akita we were told by locals that there had
been more snow this winter than any since 1973! All of prefectures on
the Sea of Japan side of Tohoku were being bombarded with continuous
heavy snow. The winter had been so severe that during our time there,
even the usually steady JR trains had stopped running due to the wind
and snow. The best and most reliable means of transportation was by bus
or automobile.<br />
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We were lucky to have brewers generously offer to drive us to their breweries. It was an Akita brewery relay of sorts. Saiya Shuzo's Saito-san picked us at our hotel in Akita city. He drove us from there along a coastal road from which we were able to view the beautiful and dramatic Sea of Japan in its turbulent winter fury, to Yuri Honjo, where we visited his brewery.<br />
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He then dropped us off at Asamai Shuzo, makers of Ama No To brand sake. There, after showing us his brewery, the famous toji treated us to his signature sake kasu dishes, and then we were off to Hinomaru Shuzo to see their kura and visit with the president, Sato-san. All of this while the snow kept falling the entire day with no sign of letting up. <br />
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We left the following day via local train to Akita Konno, one of few koji makers in Japan. From there we were picked up by Ito-san from
Akita Seishu Brewery. We visited his brewery, and his parents historic home most of which was buried under the immense blanket of snow. Ito-san then drove us the two hours from his brewery to our final destination
Tsurunoyu Onsen.<br />
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It was snowing heavily and getting dark, but like so
many of the brewers who had driven us from kura to kura, Ito-san forged
on effortlessly, zigzagging up the mountains, through blinding snow, on
deep snow-covered roads with only a car-length of visibility in his
headlights. But, finally we made it to Tsurunoyu Onsen, the finish line of our Akita relay! <br />
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<br />Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-84111171687656614192011-09-30T15:22:00.000-04:002011-11-21T16:41:47.396-05:00JR is Not Running?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwylEtSIQvzGWdWm8ejQ8vIYnTFLUYHUXU1PTta_jM2XW8FBV5J71-vR-5QKo5VM-7_xURiRV1e-dfoO-BCYLBjGlPQvjAth155K6fvPztgNGU7Chl86fxYvCjR8jc80VtS1jbw/s1600/IMG_4278_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwylEtSIQvzGWdWm8ejQ8vIYnTFLUYHUXU1PTta_jM2XW8FBV5J71-vR-5QKo5VM-7_xURiRV1e-dfoO-BCYLBjGlPQvjAth155K6fvPztgNGU7Chl86fxYvCjR8jc80VtS1jbw/s400/IMG_4278_1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="fullpost">After some spirited drinking the night before with Aisawa-san, president of <a href="http://letseatmeal.blogspot.com/2011/09/where-is-aisawa-san-from-take-no-tsuyu.html" target="_blank">Take No Tsuyu Brewery</a> in Tsuruoka (Yamagata prefecture), we set out the next morning for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akita_City">Akita</a>. We were scheduled to visit <a href="http://www.eat-japan.com/sake/84-taiheizan-1.html">Kodama Brewery</a> outside of Akita city in the afternoon. At least that was our plan. Although everything was covered with snow, it was not snowing in the morning when we left our hotel and despite dragging a bit from our hangover, we arrived at Tsuruoka station before 9am. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">"Due to snow, the train service from Tsuruoka to Akita is suspended."</span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">"Wait? What do you mean? We need to get to Akita city now!" Hiroko begged. A station master said, "I am sorry, but the train service is suspended." Hiroko asked what she should do, and the station master told us not to go to Akita. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">But, we needed to get to Akita. We had an appointment with Kodama-san, and we were determined to keep it. Trying not to be panicked, rude New Yorkers, we just sat and listened to what other people would do. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">Then, as if our prayers had been heard, the JR announced that they would have a shuttle bus going from Tsuruoka to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakata,_Yamagata">Sakata</a> city, the next town. Without knowing what would happen when we got to Sakata, we boarded the bus around 9:30am. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">Going slowly and stopping at every local station, we arrived Sakata station around 11:30am. Our hopes were again dashed when we learned that there was no train service from there to Akita. By that time, we gave up on visiting Kodama Brewery. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">"How do I get to Akita city?," Hiroko asked. A young station man said, "you can't go to Akita." Hiroko asked again, "I know the train is not running. My question is HOW do I get to Akita." He said, "you can't go. Don't go to Akita." </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">That was not the answer that we were looking for. Why was it that, for them, a "how" question became "yes or no" question? We didn't want to go back to Tsuruoka again if possible, and we didn't just want to wait at the station for a shuttle bus that might or might not run. Since circumstances had landed us in <a href="http://www.yamagatakanko.com/english/sightseeing/sakata.html">Sakata</a> city where we had not planned to be, it was a perfect opportunity to explore a new city. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">Hiroko said to the station attendant, "Can you keep our luggage?" Ours are too big to fit in a coin locker." , "What are you going to do? Where are you going?" he replied. Hiroko answered that we were hungry and would love to tour the city since we had nothing else to do. With a puzzled look the attendant asked, "Are you coming back?" We couldn't figure out why he thought that we might we abandon our luggage. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">We stopped at the station's Tourist Information window to ask for a map of the city and recommendation of a place to go for ramen. Sakata is famous for its ramen, especially wonton ramen. He told us where to find the best place to try, so off we went. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">It was a very chilly, but beautiful day, and we still couldn't quite believe that JR trains were somehow suspended. With 3-foot deep snow covering the sidewalks, we wound our way through Sakata, carefully navigated our way across a bridge, and found the ramen shop Mangetsu. Mangetsu is known for specializing in wonton ramen, and its popularity was apparent when we got there. Cars parked outside, people were going in and out, we arrived just in time to snap up the last table. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYfLnjDVhxp2ZoPOAkYjVL0kvzzaz8k35BAaK9s9HPVsuhmrimcOnF67XS5O6UUEEQUavxYCY-iSeZlxtBz-1edNF-e28NItTXfsjTZ0s06WT2jbg-J4jDQkRglnOxJmJ_Bbiuw/s1600/IMG_4281_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYfLnjDVhxp2ZoPOAkYjVL0kvzzaz8k35BAaK9s9HPVsuhmrimcOnF67XS5O6UUEEQUavxYCY-iSeZlxtBz-1edNF-e28NItTXfsjTZ0s06WT2jbg-J4jDQkRglnOxJmJ_Bbiuw/s320/IMG_4281_1.JPG" width="240" /></a><span class="fullpost">We ordered wonton ramen and spicy ramen. Since we were tired and hungry from our extended trip, we started slurping our noodles as soon as the steaming bowls were put in front of us. With the wonderfully delicate wonton skin and the ramen noodles done to the perfect degree of chewiness, the famous Sakata dish exceeded all expectations. Who could complain about inconvenience with a delicious, supremely satisfying bowl of ramen in front of you?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG688AvP3nnyucH6vr5_ftTkIH5SWAPAedRKBvpS__O6VSJ606tk0tZOOgBfUvPDRqbhpujjzEYFPBU7vYMHc_Hw4PwMIZWm5di7gDzs600MLJipjdmt36eTed3hLh_8DTTIE_tw/s1600/IMG_4289_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG688AvP3nnyucH6vr5_ftTkIH5SWAPAedRKBvpS__O6VSJ606tk0tZOOgBfUvPDRqbhpujjzEYFPBU7vYMHc_Hw4PwMIZWm5di7gDzs600MLJipjdmt36eTed3hLh_8DTTIE_tw/s320/IMG_4289_1.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcbdhPOUhtmZwF88SxOd8IFnl8s_nQX1pRCKgsP46qctt7jVDed3wwynUfjvW6vbEMa-MFcFnCaOPoN7xjnEUGESc67fSwCeVgjpQ_4-OXIhBe-JFcZLRU8_8Sw5w6_b-JbmXSg/s1600/IMG_4284_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcbdhPOUhtmZwF88SxOd8IFnl8s_nQX1pRCKgsP46qctt7jVDed3wwynUfjvW6vbEMa-MFcFnCaOPoN7xjnEUGESc67fSwCeVgjpQ_4-OXIhBe-JFcZLRU8_8Sw5w6_b-JbmXSg/s320/IMG_4284_1.JPG" width="240" /></a><span class="fullpost">After our lunch, we visited the historic <a href="http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/yamagata/sankyosoko-sakata_city.html">Sankyo Storehouses</a> where rice was stored. It was a picturesque scene, with the blue sky, white snow, and dark buildings contrasting and emphasizing each others' colors. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">When we went back to Sakata station before 3pm, the station man came running towards us. "There will be a shuttle bus scheduled to depart for Akita city at 3:30pm!" While we waited to board the bus, Hiroko updated Kodama-san, and we decided to meet him at the restaurant where he had made a reservation for dinner instead of at the brewery.</span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">We boarded the bus and enjoyed the dramatic scenery driving along the Sea of Japan coastline. It was white everywhere, but it was not snowing. We were wondering why the JR had suspended service when we saw so many cars on the road. (Later we learned that since a train accident seven years ago that they would stop service for strong winds.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWY2ly3VB0k0RXfMyWoJoDSWksHGGYLcWtzinPrbM51YesbGoCYidgD4j-XXE_L6GppWIbVy7_7AhWQCancBs1YosnlymDnC8FNpnjN4nbyaygeWY3cF8F2v9cbQW4uWcUtBQQVA/s1600/IMG_4296_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWY2ly3VB0k0RXfMyWoJoDSWksHGGYLcWtzinPrbM51YesbGoCYidgD4j-XXE_L6GppWIbVy7_7AhWQCancBs1YosnlymDnC8FNpnjN4nbyaygeWY3cF8F2v9cbQW4uWcUtBQQVA/s200/IMG_4296_1.JPG" width="150" /></a><span class="fullpost">Finally, at 6pm we arrived at Akita station! Our journey which had begun before 9am when we left the Tsuruoka hotel became a 9-hour adventure in getting to Akita city. When we finally saw Kodama-san, we were just happy to be in Akita with him enjoying his great sake together. </span><br />
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</span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-75406265458647891822011-09-29T15:45:00.001-04:002011-11-21T16:23:21.320-05:00Where is Aisawa san from Take no Tsuyu Brewery?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHShsZU6pvTHn3-flX2KuUpr-PlTsjgiFaIVqOMs80cmnuNqv8Byr6eSI-UU-rDcRPlPpVCwcu4lGqB2uZxEQ7hg521nLP80wjR1jhxZi9PhWnt_MD_WID3Ze6wmemumEuaKLBw/s1600/IMG_4250_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHShsZU6pvTHn3-flX2KuUpr-PlTsjgiFaIVqOMs80cmnuNqv8Byr6eSI-UU-rDcRPlPpVCwcu4lGqB2uZxEQ7hg521nLP80wjR1jhxZi9PhWnt_MD_WID3Ze6wmemumEuaKLBw/s320/IMG_4250_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="fullpost">We left <a href="http://letseatmeal.blogspot.com/2011/04/sendai-city.html" target="_blank">Sendai city</a> early in the morning to take a bus to across a mountain range to visit <a href="http://www.takenotsuyu.com/index2.html" target="_blank">Take no Tsuyu Brewery</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuruoka,_Yamagata">Tsuruoka</a> city, Yamagata. Sendai didn't have any accumulation of snow, but the scene began to change as we climbed higher in elevation. As the snow fell harder and harder, the scenery became whiter and whiter, and the limited visibility made us more than a little nervous about being in a bus on a winding mountain road in a blinding snow storm. We saw a snow plow ahead of us trying to clear the highway. Despite the threatening conditions, our driver maintained a deliberate, steady pace, without skidding which bolstered our confidence and made us realize that he'd done this many times before. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUvFHxarnL-YPHWneRQ3j0j3N6XeS40rrjbMirY90ZkxdSOUEATwu6zYQERzffzIIPP5kPQGpQP8FeMOfNaJFavqFxiQU7mBjjPX8lIoEH6Yowfpnfa32bnql7g8qgmoeOyl7Cg/s1600/IMG_4249_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUvFHxarnL-YPHWneRQ3j0j3N6XeS40rrjbMirY90ZkxdSOUEATwu6zYQERzffzIIPP5kPQGpQP8FeMOfNaJFavqFxiQU7mBjjPX8lIoEH6Yowfpnfa32bnql7g8qgmoeOyl7Cg/s200/IMG_4249_1.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXZtm8byg6pQTcjLkl4T1v6F3IIRKJDUbh1MRU3fAuacSnAGfnyfCeVCZYDTFkQkpn_zjY4XwsXEoGz6HJbUKzSN6v90xoM-gnUHKD9u6msTPuRta_QePb-jzAJgT_ciKK0OO6Q/s1600/IMG_4257_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXZtm8byg6pQTcjLkl4T1v6F3IIRKJDUbh1MRU3fAuacSnAGfnyfCeVCZYDTFkQkpn_zjY4XwsXEoGz6HJbUKzSN6v90xoM-gnUHKD9u6msTPuRta_QePb-jzAJgT_ciKK0OO6Q/s320/IMG_4257_1.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="fullpost">Aisawa-san from Take no Tsuyu Brewery had told us in advance where to get off the bus. When our stop was announced, we looked out the window expecting to see the bus stop, but the only structure that we could see was what appeared to be only a small hut that certainly didn't look like a bus stop to us. Despite our doubts, we got off anyway. Was this really a bus stop? Were we supposed to meet Aisawa-san here? How could he come to pick us up in all this snow? We no saw no sign of other cars or for that matter, anyone at all. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">Finally after 20 minutes or so, Aisawa san showed up in his 4-wheel drive SUV. We couldn't believe how much snow there was and that he was driving as if it was no big deal. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEy0pj2TBbBsJdCtJ_yfXEcInJWNeOM09RnFgzTDyiY_wtoPMlIuTRKft05Tp71GNbszjBSCWOIi38vJnL_DogVSBuXqP4YISyh5nM4N1nZqOE3cJEwq_FtkfzohNAO_7BhnK7Q/s1600/IMG_4261_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEy0pj2TBbBsJdCtJ_yfXEcInJWNeOM09RnFgzTDyiY_wtoPMlIuTRKft05Tp71GNbszjBSCWOIi38vJnL_DogVSBuXqP4YISyh5nM4N1nZqOE3cJEwq_FtkfzohNAO_7BhnK7Q/s320/IMG_4261_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4-nvhD7UWepKsZYAhNXQg-PxjiFMyucBUE_Tru8WsyLUBdVpwSXy8K8fj3yMPkSZS4zQVzvDdfzqTlGw3G5UsgKucrunzYw6n6hwelFJ8fs42AxVM_FABwm1-dd0ICcta5EUdg/s1600/IMG_4277_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4-nvhD7UWepKsZYAhNXQg-PxjiFMyucBUE_Tru8WsyLUBdVpwSXy8K8fj3yMPkSZS4zQVzvDdfzqTlGw3G5UsgKucrunzYw6n6hwelFJ8fs42AxVM_FABwm1-dd0ICcta5EUdg/s200/IMG_4277_1.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="fullpost">Barely visible in the tundra-like setting, Take no Tsuyu Brewery sat in a grove of trees situated in the middle of a field. The brewery is a relatively old building, and when we arrived, the kurabito were taking a break after steaming the rice for a tank of Junmai Ginjo. As we were helping with the next steps of the brewing for the day, we were interviewed by three newspaper reporters from a variety of local media. Aisawa-san showed us the proper method for stirring the mix of water, yeast, koji, and rice using a wooden paddle while newspaper men took pictures of us performing various tasks at the brewery. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-yhyb2I6-EFmSWTrxKtqyyJT2M29VMIluLFVeYoks9HH1A7uzfxst-s6o7sOYGJdUId9NdTfR_cojYfkAZ0LsUHI6JDjqTPNz7M4inxOqB3UlfxN2su-CEKbh1BOJsESYJJO0Q/s1600/IMG_4276_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-yhyb2I6-EFmSWTrxKtqyyJT2M29VMIluLFVeYoks9HH1A7uzfxst-s6o7sOYGJdUId9NdTfR_cojYfkAZ0LsUHI6JDjqTPNz7M4inxOqB3UlfxN2su-CEKbh1BOJsESYJJO0Q/s320/IMG_4276_1.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGB0XK01QcbISwQYb8FY8GmaxwpyJckHm7knAyaoinomrQzaKx6xjmmPVCTM9lKIV82sfYOxd_MGMm5w4WargCberVgNG3M5is0SPhI1dsdmcTCuxifK9nwDlqbBSjN6iWbd9srA/s1600/IMG_4269_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGB0XK01QcbISwQYb8FY8GmaxwpyJckHm7knAyaoinomrQzaKx6xjmmPVCTM9lKIV82sfYOxd_MGMm5w4WargCberVgNG3M5is0SPhI1dsdmcTCuxifK9nwDlqbBSjN6iWbd9srA/s200/IMG_4269_1.JPG" width="150" /></a><span class="fullpost">After lunch, we visited Kamenoi Brewery known for its <a href="http://www.sakayanyc.com/shop_all.php?prod_id=131" target="_blank">Kudoki Jozu</a> brand of sake which is also in Tsuruoka. Imai-san, son of the president (and former NYC student/resident) greeted us and showed us around the brewery. Kamenoi Brewery has a newly renovated kura with new thermal tanks and all the latest equipment and technology. Imai-san offered us a variety of freshly brewed sake to taste including some of the still fermenting moromi directly from the tank. It had a very distinctive banana aroma and creamy alcohol taste. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">We will always fondly remember our time in snowy Tsuruoka, where we had a wonderful snow country experience! </span><br />
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</span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-25697085571787837302011-05-26T19:19:00.000-04:002011-05-26T19:19:28.925-04:00Wasabi Farm in Nagano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnA4_2TUEWLE5T_hQWhAsQKoEgqHnN-uPk1esrhaZMZV5tr9TgtG_30WhUv2onohpVo2qJ-HHh9FuAaewOQw32M8dQjBsxs6j-3ydXu7HcNCGEYj95I_EM1_fSZdkZ2mj77iiYIQ/s1600/IMG_4158_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnA4_2TUEWLE5T_hQWhAsQKoEgqHnN-uPk1esrhaZMZV5tr9TgtG_30WhUv2onohpVo2qJ-HHh9FuAaewOQw32M8dQjBsxs6j-3ydXu7HcNCGEYj95I_EM1_fSZdkZ2mj77iiYIQ/s320/IMG_4158_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When Hiroko visited Miyasaka Brewery in Nagano, she made a side trip to <a href="http://www.daiowasabi.co.jp/">Daio Wasabi Farm</a> in Azumino, Nagano. Wasabi is grown in the very clean water of mountain streams and many of us in the US have not seen real wasabi. Most of us only know the wasabi that comes in a green tube that you buy from a grocery store (which is in fact, not real wasabi).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-cqP7UeZGJrCoabZ6GM697bH0IR7Pa8Q2gL8iQM_YJEtierLQu-FkrGja_JmopxZv5WAWyNtv5kdDMlVu9CGxNWSBiFmDtlyIgvOg8VDk0Zfbx1YJFWrLBK6tNWWT4KVHDD8Tg/s1600/IMG_4159_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-cqP7UeZGJrCoabZ6GM697bH0IR7Pa8Q2gL8iQM_YJEtierLQu-FkrGja_JmopxZv5WAWyNtv5kdDMlVu9CGxNWSBiFmDtlyIgvOg8VDk0Zfbx1YJFWrLBK6tNWWT4KVHDD8Tg/s200/IMG_4159_1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_5sLnvd1r1kBlOKO93UGu50CLHOMxwB5kAFrR558_y8MhJumojzHr7upEFj4y2E5IAlPqza_UTfRGczGnOudI6fvZukc9u2ZYHrilo0MoeppDMzoiY_GfW4LLiWycXtmCM1jtg/s1600/IMG_4156_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_5sLnvd1r1kBlOKO93UGu50CLHOMxwB5kAFrR558_y8MhJumojzHr7upEFj4y2E5IAlPqza_UTfRGczGnOudI6fvZukc9u2ZYHrilo0MoeppDMzoiY_GfW4LLiWycXtmCM1jtg/s200/IMG_4156_1.JPG" width="200" /></a>Daio Wasabi Farm is a family-oriented working farm, where you can watch the processing of wasabi, walk around to enjoy the beautiful scenic views, and eat soba or wasabi themed food including ice cream. Opened in 1917, the farm is one of the largest wasabi farms in Japan. The farm is fed by constantly running underground water throughout that is kept at a temperature of 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit (12-14 degrees Celsius). The wasabi is planted in sand and pebble trenches which act like soil. After allowing the plant two years of initial growth, it is ready for harvesting (removing one of the roots of the plant) year around.<br />
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It's hard to resist trying their wasabi ice cream. As Hiroko watched, a man at the service stand grated fresh wasabi and sprinkled it on wasabi soft serve ice cream. The ice cream has a hint of wasabi flavor, and with the fresh wasabi it was a perfect combination of spicy and sweet! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxmpB0iqNV2gvOxLFpiW-vErUAMN0CHe5e8XuGjzv9_gZp17X9QfOqVsMgyRgQBrv_WH8u9JcajhhJ0OGxlDwSO0dxj7KA1mj3vLs74jAWWM20TtSz0FuBzWi6A1ZNKdNnkdTvQ/s1600/IMG_4161_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxmpB0iqNV2gvOxLFpiW-vErUAMN0CHe5e8XuGjzv9_gZp17X9QfOqVsMgyRgQBrv_WH8u9JcajhhJ0OGxlDwSO0dxj7KA1mj3vLs74jAWWM20TtSz0FuBzWi6A1ZNKdNnkdTvQ/s200/IMG_4161_1.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsB84hxYVqAYqo0joNbevo8OXOJKESeFgoLNRrfPdM_2KlwCByg3txLq6z9sPZX0uYdxmpNuuwxlAdzB8u043y5PEcyqgOLISzmjaMfDK1Sd3RRscG68ggfmseGBRY-CcD3-p0A/s1600/IMG_4162_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsB84hxYVqAYqo0joNbevo8OXOJKESeFgoLNRrfPdM_2KlwCByg3txLq6z9sPZX0uYdxmpNuuwxlAdzB8u043y5PEcyqgOLISzmjaMfDK1Sd3RRscG68ggfmseGBRY-CcD3-p0A/s320/IMG_4162_1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-14589588043290401612011-05-24T17:58:00.000-04:002011-05-27T14:31:46.719-04:00Koshu Wine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyn1o5Tw7FMUlHEjbWx68NVNF6OvaRVRkqQZzrqI4hcUCHl6_l63eki525GSGARV-MudBcYXKSQJNZQ1GfYTT-yi4BoDnT6Z04z-Cqxugj36RTQSA1E42Ok5SKwifPrngQMPLuQ/s1600/IMG_4051_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwyn1o5Tw7FMUlHEjbWx68NVNF6OvaRVRkqQZzrqI4hcUCHl6_l63eki525GSGARV-MudBcYXKSQJNZQ1GfYTT-yi4BoDnT6Z04z-Cqxugj36RTQSA1E42Ok5SKwifPrngQMPLuQ/s320/IMG_4051_1.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Recent media exposure for Japanese wine made Hiroko curious about the taste of <i>koshu</i> wine. The only Japanese wine she had tasted previously was sweet and mediocre at best. Since she wanted to try <i>koshu</i> wine which had recently received some good reviews in the U.S., she took advantage of the opportunity when she was in Japan in late January to visit the <a href="http://www.grace-wine.co.jp/english/englishnew.html">Grace Wine</a> winery which is located on the way to the sake brewery, <a href="http://www.masumi.co.jp/english/">Miyasaka Shuzo</a> in Suwa, Nagano. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LlkkpPSVMqQqfeDXSxqRqprEEUHb5W27H3BopwhT4EgylW4B7GxN5b98z87J8aH6YBM8JBk2WBd0kJVUeRFxMUddqGxUpH7x6OQt4LNMYhc2_TQouWr2FT4XGf5jbcq_zVnaZQ/s1600/IMG_4057_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LlkkpPSVMqQqfeDXSxqRqprEEUHb5W27H3BopwhT4EgylW4B7GxN5b98z87J8aH6YBM8JBk2WBd0kJVUeRFxMUddqGxUpH7x6OQt4LNMYhc2_TQouWr2FT4XGf5jbcq_zVnaZQ/s200/IMG_4057_1.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.misawa-winery.jp/index.html">Misawa Winery</a> is located in a hilltop of Akeno with a beautiful view of the nearby mountain range visible on a clear winter afternoon. Winemaker Masaichi Sodeyama met us at their shop/tasting room and gave us a tour of winery. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bcoFIlUlLx7qUsPEh5z9Vc6xVuPdRW12F6f8zkxuejCQTX1Zn3dQLtcYNyZ_BYV9YBekZtjO4p8DqzS_UncGu8tbG-1IG5ul9hN3YpRXywZ5hWYWGyaTCKhZwtggStFV2hoUEw/s1600/IMG_4053_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bcoFIlUlLx7qUsPEh5z9Vc6xVuPdRW12F6f8zkxuejCQTX1Zn3dQLtcYNyZ_BYV9YBekZtjO4p8DqzS_UncGu8tbG-1IG5ul9hN3YpRXywZ5hWYWGyaTCKhZwtggStFV2hoUEw/s200/IMG_4053_1.JPG" width="180" /></a>The vineyard was started in 2002 by Shigekazu Misawa, the managing director of Grace Wine, to expand and create a world class quality wine. He has planted French varietals including Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, along with the indigenous Koshu. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivco9D7yOULc5L2mtTlO4k4UZt4rdswNS0LkEe-Gzcgna7GLYCV9v4-0LTyWjcjiCXtmPbWiGxZcH3FlwHLAcllTndH5W5i5IYUd66BFgOg8U166rZp9YUA-hA3UdIkWB6kGRlTA/s1600/IMG_4060_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivco9D7yOULc5L2mtTlO4k4UZt4rdswNS0LkEe-Gzcgna7GLYCV9v4-0LTyWjcjiCXtmPbWiGxZcH3FlwHLAcllTndH5W5i5IYUd66BFgOg8U166rZp9YUA-hA3UdIkWB6kGRlTA/s200/IMG_4060_1.JPG" width="130" /></a>The Koshu grape, which came from Central Asia via China, was first cultivated in Japan about 1,300 years ago. We tasted Koshu wine from Triibira vineyard. It had a light and crisp taste with a lingering tartness and a very refreshing quality that Hiroko was surprised to discover. Mr. Sodeyama told us that their wine pairs well with lighter style Japanese food, and it seemed that sashimi and vegetable dishes might be a good match. We tasted a variety of white and red wine, and were surprised to find that they were very good. However, when considering the price, it may be a little too expensive for the simple wine that it is. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8EdW7ADd13_IFGHQXFxe3ni1NgGFeNjkgmh0xWfR3qCYZJlVy9BtNNDfc46Z8Wv7O-KkZ4ygdjj2I12-KQr2c6_7cUrWohKjuyciRtrFXTqIEWIMLQ14Afyj0U5ZfSDTysj8ZA/s1600/IMG_4061_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8EdW7ADd13_IFGHQXFxe3ni1NgGFeNjkgmh0xWfR3qCYZJlVy9BtNNDfc46Z8Wv7O-KkZ4ygdjj2I12-KQr2c6_7cUrWohKjuyciRtrFXTqIEWIMLQ14Afyj0U5ZfSDTysj8ZA/s320/IMG_4061_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span class="fullpost"></span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-78804674614636582042011-04-12T18:44:00.003-04:002011-04-13T14:54:53.678-04:00Sendai City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifq8_KftIM9_KDtqszP5x7xcIMTuo2g5SA6_botC1mHkv_8JCAjmVMXCK3rIYmNNU9jdaYCEJzaj0D_eDhU2Drklu9gvHEiLiqwr5iw7koUZgdLCBoOvVyFK4lpioCvE_ohPvZw/s1600/IMG_4235_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifq8_KftIM9_KDtqszP5x7xcIMTuo2g5SA6_botC1mHkv_8JCAjmVMXCK3rIYmNNU9jdaYCEJzaj0D_eDhU2Drklu9gvHEiLiqwr5iw7koUZgdLCBoOvVyFK4lpioCvE_ohPvZw/s320/IMG_4235_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="fullpost">We loved <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sendai,_Miyagi" target="_blank">Sendai</a>! It is the capital of Miyagi prefecture and the largest capital in Tohoku region. Sendai is very cosmopolitan, but not huge like Tokyo. It is famous for <i>gyutan</i> (beef tongue) and lots of drinking establishments. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">We were shocked and saddened to hear that the city and surrounding area had suffered major damage from the earthquake on March 11, 2011. What happened to Isshin? What happened to Genji? What happened to Aguraya? We had wonderful sake and meals at these izakaya in Sendai, and we hope that the people we met there are safe. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzj_O-ZZsa6mMCM2zgpft66o84TfozU0RzimNraTYSdq_aTsCfyrSJlzKpYrLZeZDpJOf9f1lla4g_QhH44VfbChyeMzm4rIpY8tCtLPdk-_CpFar8AmR_9mQQTT9zA7owdRlcw/s1600/IMG_4188_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzj_O-ZZsa6mMCM2zgpft66o84TfozU0RzimNraTYSdq_aTsCfyrSJlzKpYrLZeZDpJOf9f1lla4g_QhH44VfbChyeMzm4rIpY8tCtLPdk-_CpFar8AmR_9mQQTT9zA7owdRlcw/s320/IMG_4188_1.JPG" width="240" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Isshin Kagenkan, specialized in Miyagi sake and atsukan (warm) sake. A do-it-yourself sake warming device is found on each table. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6SqjUtzjx1wtDtVpWCd2_AibK272xjc6kNscEE-3_znPAX_I0Y7rAq9ClfGFWnFcwnGefLB758lvgU1nsd1HuvqVc4RkZi_eoVRnRFbMIuXTxrx6ufrpUf1Py2hTQ_M965Yw6g/s1600/IMG_4183_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6SqjUtzjx1wtDtVpWCd2_AibK272xjc6kNscEE-3_znPAX_I0Y7rAq9ClfGFWnFcwnGefLB758lvgU1nsd1HuvqVc4RkZi_eoVRnRFbMIuXTxrx6ufrpUf1Py2hTQ_M965Yw6g/s320/IMG_4183_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Sendai's famous gyutan (grilled beef tongue) at Isshin Kagenkan. Isshin was not a gyutan speciality restaurant, but their thick-sliced gyutan was delicious. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgFrXVKddD3-E6ZJhPqrBFDUKHuyT-_YU99nbYBxMKKELTnTRcZA8qS8xkrih22uVry6ucxuFO73lUWaXsJvntn2fHz2SN2fCbKB4jya23F6zqtZGpRmXgfbcz-cNauoQNup-oA/s1600/IMG_4192_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgFrXVKddD3-E6ZJhPqrBFDUKHuyT-_YU99nbYBxMKKELTnTRcZA8qS8xkrih22uVry6ucxuFO73lUWaXsJvntn2fHz2SN2fCbKB4jya23F6zqtZGpRmXgfbcz-cNauoQNup-oA/s320/IMG_4192_1.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cute and knowledgeable wait staff Tomomi-san at Isshin Kagenkan.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25M3Ys6osypbusvIqGKGJPk9ouJFwGJMBhQMLOKwhydSBpdB2cxz4ZSRkCmBsemFS__7hbJVTXPNP8I04XlekfANagv4tuYNUlUzTmbqusbRzIls_weG1ZJTqrV4HIy1d8V7ivg/s1600/IMG_4234_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25M3Ys6osypbusvIqGKGJPk9ouJFwGJMBhQMLOKwhydSBpdB2cxz4ZSRkCmBsemFS__7hbJVTXPNP8I04XlekfANagv4tuYNUlUzTmbqusbRzIls_weG1ZJTqrV4HIy1d8V7ivg/s320/IMG_4234_1.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmvk9Lp9q-Xo46N1qPzuMG6ZOFEFWfSZ0czPS18IoHPYLujC-zvVZAApKNCUEYVtkQerRFhHC95E9DCGkJz-1KBj4feMsAsInk3Tiki9DoCrOLsWSU5HBOg8aJFUdPr_G1sAoNA/s1600/IMG_4229_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vcbApXZvdgIOJkvVxeBZKe-zdyYRSgH_ZHAqNCx4wHlL24YDzfEbBhbUGDvhmqebLtU_D1HeJUBaEIlXZEY0uSHxntXqyFxGNUT0T43n9D-5fa0v_klENa3PPtWNEcjv7fF7Xg/s320/IMG_4230_1.JPG" width="240" /></a> </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Genji, which opened in 1950 is a Showa era retro izakaya at Bunka-Yokocho. After World War II, the area revived and thrived. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmvk9Lp9q-Xo46N1qPzuMG6ZOFEFWfSZ0czPS18IoHPYLujC-zvVZAApKNCUEYVtkQerRFhHC95E9DCGkJz-1KBj4feMsAsInk3Tiki9DoCrOLsWSU5HBOg8aJFUdPr_G1sAoNA/s1600/IMG_4229_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmvk9Lp9q-Xo46N1qPzuMG6ZOFEFWfSZ0czPS18IoHPYLujC-zvVZAApKNCUEYVtkQerRFhHC95E9DCGkJz-1KBj4feMsAsInk3Tiki9DoCrOLsWSU5HBOg8aJFUdPr_G1sAoNA/s320/IMG_4229_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Okami-san at Genji. Tsukedashi (small dish) comes with one drink order. There is a maximum of 4 drinks (sometime more). We first ordered a beer which came with a small plate of Tororo (mountain yam) with raw egg. This first round cost 1000 yen. The raw egg was so fresh and sweet that it tasted like vanilla custard when mixed with the tororo. Second round was Aramasa Namazake paired with fresh homemade tofu. Cost was1000 yen. The tofu was so fresh and had great soy bean flavors. The beauty of this place was the drinks always come with food.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBKNWWhkcHOBfAEO8iqiyBAONrcb_mjGS-BDBKcsWN0n8_NI-HwKEIPn-XcrqXQCJo9akpJ3D4AO1sEdcxc2yUHUbWqN9i4YGrFmlPU4wtRh-ElWBZNm2sNv20YV79f4Tf7rUAg/s1600/IMG_4241_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBKNWWhkcHOBfAEO8iqiyBAONrcb_mjGS-BDBKcsWN0n8_NI-HwKEIPn-XcrqXQCJo9akpJ3D4AO1sEdcxc2yUHUbWqN9i4YGrFmlPU4wtRh-ElWBZNm2sNv20YV79f4Tf7rUAg/s320/IMG_4241_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Owner chef Sato-san at Ajitsukushi Aguraya, in Kokubucho-Dori. The izakaya was recommended by Mr. Aoki of Kanetake Aoki sake shop which is just outside of Sendai city. The Kokubucho-Dori is a famous entertainment street where you can find izakaya and bars to night clubs. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNNjUQbkuNuB9GkLx-a7UoD9oLtoaYaMFi5b_A3CsF9sPM5oZHfSxTNu1E7eA-WBHKz3jqsIXCZgHmmsesW6vbVlYpT4b7NgsG_nRl5ZGkdZiSn9TKSevz83-DN-cEJA_JF3LFg/s1600/IMG_4240_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNNjUQbkuNuB9GkLx-a7UoD9oLtoaYaMFi5b_A3CsF9sPM5oZHfSxTNu1E7eA-WBHKz3jqsIXCZgHmmsesW6vbVlYpT4b7NgsG_nRl5ZGkdZiSn9TKSevz83-DN-cEJA_JF3LFg/s320/IMG_4240_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Food, sake, and shochu menu are posted at the ceiling of Aguraya. They offer a wide range of sake and shochu.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RgTZ9eYnt-P5SSloANUPjoD90fpWVLrrV5tegvrKuNv1O9nAyi_yRtixqdzKkEk94mtAwhd_SGm11RDSq9SRwn__Gz_9412jGgBMuZxddiyJV4loZgbxeaRv2Rw7Pkek5ivRwg/s1600/IMG_4243_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RgTZ9eYnt-P5SSloANUPjoD90fpWVLrrV5tegvrKuNv1O9nAyi_yRtixqdzKkEk94mtAwhd_SGm11RDSq9SRwn__Gz_9412jGgBMuZxddiyJV4loZgbxeaRv2Rw7Pkek5ivRwg/s320/IMG_4243_1.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Drinking Onumaya Tokubetsu Junmai, local Miyagi sake. Once pasteurized sake.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIC7we9xkcfgvnd3BiGsiJCSHgeimKQ-_J32cXpFH7UUfHNE82WbJk-_9TYZS9hNCVctzvhoDJ0cA6eO3x3B-NhhPbfByxER-CaZbBR3l64vqleY4dJ_r4_e3rCqLoaK4u7CgMyg/s1600/IMG_4248_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIC7we9xkcfgvnd3BiGsiJCSHgeimKQ-_J32cXpFH7UUfHNE82WbJk-_9TYZS9hNCVctzvhoDJ0cA6eO3x3B-NhhPbfByxER-CaZbBR3l64vqleY4dJ_r4_e3rCqLoaK4u7CgMyg/s320/IMG_4248_1.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">The entrance to Aguraya on the 3rd Floor of Abe Fort Building. </div><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span class="fullpost">Isshin Kagenkan</span></b></span><br />
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<span class="fullpost" style="font-size: x-small;">2-1-10 Kokubu-cho, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-0803</span><br />
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</span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-55226249947953532522011-04-11T17:09:00.026-04:002011-04-11T17:40:29.173-04:00Visiting Urakasumi Brewery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogqH2E5I-h8BcvsPH3_EAW5wxR1aKLaTuIqs3Hr4vIjpV9GRod1u1kMMqZizi1yf5aV-igcli-WefaycSYoQMeoOehJBNE2A2AGGyxR4FcQlix955qTBDD2iCk4nWRgcLCLdXMg/s1600/IMG_4224_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogqH2E5I-h8BcvsPH3_EAW5wxR1aKLaTuIqs3Hr4vIjpV9GRod1u1kMMqZizi1yf5aV-igcli-WefaycSYoQMeoOehJBNE2A2AGGyxR4FcQlix955qTBDD2iCk4nWRgcLCLdXMg/s320/IMG_4224_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When we heard about the earthquake on 3/11/11, our thoughts immediately went to <a href="http://www.urakasumi.com/" target="_blank">Urakasumi Brewery</a>. We had just visited them in late January at their location in the Miyagi prefecture town of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiogama,_Miyagi" target="_blank">Shiogama</a> near the coast of Sendai Bay. Shiogama is famous for having the largest number of sushi shops per square kilometer in Japan (not Tokyo!), and as the largest tuna port in the world is quite proud of its fresh fish.<br />
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We were relieved to learn after the earthquake and tsunami that that the president Mr.Saura, his family, and his kurabito (brewery workers)were all safe. It was initially difficult for anyone to get in touch with them since there was no electricity and phone service was severely limited. More recently we've heard that they have fully resumed operation and shipping sake...hooray! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzO5bIhq_h6ZgMklBfTwu3jD6macFLphyphenhyphene_DPre2uvnrqtuBDUQpJM9HUtmYw25MDfiR6dn7x_OxfM4duKD-G0-eiCGZAvfUk41oIUD191Pym2GlyxjPZUrcwcXYzoWBPsRjUcA/s1600/IMG_4216_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzO5bIhq_h6ZgMklBfTwu3jD6macFLphyphenhyphene_DPre2uvnrqtuBDUQpJM9HUtmYw25MDfiR6dn7x_OxfM4duKD-G0-eiCGZAvfUk41oIUD191Pym2GlyxjPZUrcwcXYzoWBPsRjUcA/s200/IMG_4216_1.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFXjOhZ9bAQdPMExQH8Uz5o3BlzonOWRQXTFqYAoMzIE8tRljnHfXS-iBRRm8ukZY_KNkUcN2LtSkOCM1-OK2ImIgh8vy-VuziBgzAclqv5g1uZlDqYlLzwh9WE-SYBVTabSRmA/s1600/IMG_4215_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFXjOhZ9bAQdPMExQH8Uz5o3BlzonOWRQXTFqYAoMzIE8tRljnHfXS-iBRRm8ukZY_KNkUcN2LtSkOCM1-OK2ImIgh8vy-VuziBgzAclqv5g1uZlDqYlLzwh9WE-SYBVTabSRmA/s200/IMG_4215_1.JPG" width="200" /></a>On the day that we visited Matsushima, we stopped by the sushi restaurant Shirahata which was right around the corner from Urakasumi Brewery to have a quick sushi lunch. It was early one afternoon on a weekday, and we were seated in front of sushi chef Shirahata. The master was cheerful and talkative, and we were so impressed by both his entertaining and sushi making skills. He loved to talk and laugh while his hand swiftly moved to slice and make sushi. Before you know it, he finished making a couple of omakase plates. We were short on time due to our appointment at the brewery, so we quickly enjoyed the sushi and his homemade pickles. Lunch was perfect! We sincerely hope that Mr. Shirahata and his staff are all safe. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kC8ffYwtub_TmxRzMOQCllc20DIFAWFIGsSJO16CYAQDumQNW6rFWVaQ9iN6mbsN9H7omoFXmpJJ9vyhF_czs9QzVbsQTrdlYU_kYaIMhtpQcfBVpo-Vn_bO47eJUr1Fri4MSw/s1600/IMG_4221_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kC8ffYwtub_TmxRzMOQCllc20DIFAWFIGsSJO16CYAQDumQNW6rFWVaQ9iN6mbsN9H7omoFXmpJJ9vyhF_czs9QzVbsQTrdlYU_kYaIMhtpQcfBVpo-Vn_bO47eJUr1Fri4MSw/s200/IMG_4221_1.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHGozzuaBNqE3dP-kRE0eJHMYYAL60-9Hvd6ATBg5w9rqMrqcTDYnQLGXIzw9HtQa-MkxOgKvqyi9mKzBmCw8yY01ewSgGhHj2Bi7YZ8mTy1O66d4kB5_avOjF9p9g2RJ5NaHjA/s1600/IMG_4222_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHGozzuaBNqE3dP-kRE0eJHMYYAL60-9Hvd6ATBg5w9rqMrqcTDYnQLGXIzw9HtQa-MkxOgKvqyi9mKzBmCw8yY01ewSgGhHj2Bi7YZ8mTy1O66d4kB5_avOjF9p9g2RJ5NaHjA/s200/IMG_4222_1.JPG" width="200" /></a>We then headed up the street to the Urakasumi Brewery. The brewery was founded in 1724, and is still responsible for making sake for the Shiragama Shrine. It occupies a beautiful, well-preserved building where we met with brewmaster Mr. Suzuki.. (Unfortunately Mr. Saura was not at the brewery at that time. He came to visit our store in NYC a few weeks later.) He showed us around the brewery and explained their unique approach to sake making.<br />
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They still use old fashioned bamboo baskets to wash rice and strain the water. Workers were counting "one, two, three," swinging the basket right and left like pendulum to strain off the water from rice.<br />
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After the tour, we sampled several of their unpasteurized sake and then thanked Mr. Suzuki as we said farewell before returning to Sendai City.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNni7CdTrXsMJu6A6ykhmjfZjioeUHHCehLrjAX1jeVrIhN2qOhoeNVfSy7Vn2Z93DNAw72LBLu5BAB_WO_HKCkILOLifhpP0aPSugCNzhty8Mo_NNYLu6pSM51BVU3v0LcOH_kg/s1600/IMG_4223_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNni7CdTrXsMJu6A6ykhmjfZjioeUHHCehLrjAX1jeVrIhN2qOhoeNVfSy7Vn2Z93DNAw72LBLu5BAB_WO_HKCkILOLifhpP0aPSugCNzhty8Mo_NNYLu6pSM51BVU3v0LcOH_kg/s320/IMG_4223_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-55286465124424173452011-03-21T15:12:00.000-04:002011-03-21T16:20:53.818-04:00View of MatsushimaWhen we were awakened on the morning of March 11, 2011, we couldn't believe the news that we were hearing on the radio. There was a deadly earthquake on off the coast of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyagi_Prefecture" target="_blank">Miyagi</a>, and a tsunami devastated the coastal area. Hiroko is not from Tohoku, but we have a strong feeling for Sendai since we had just visited the area in late January. We were in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sendai,_Miyagi" target="_blank">Sendai</a>! We spent half a day in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsushima" target="_blank">Matsushima</a>! We were there in Shiogama! We were there! We were horrified to see the disastrous images of Tohoku region that we had recently come to love so much on TV. <br />
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Since we learned on "<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7360240n&tag=topnews" target="_blank">60 Minutes</a>" on Sunday, March 20 that this picturesque resort town was wiped out by the tsuami, we wanted to post some beautiful images of Matsushima that we remember. Matsushima was known for being one of "the three greatest views in Japan."<br />
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After traveling the short distance from Sendai City that morning, we were greeted by the scent of the ocean as left the train at JR Matsushima Kaigan station. Matsushima was a small tourist town with lots of omiyage shops, oyster restaurants, and cruise marina. We walked around Oshima, visited Godaido, worship hall, and walked crossed a long red bridge to Fuku Urajima covered by 300 kinds of trees and wild grasses. It was a quiet beautiful day with blue sky with little wind. It was chilly, but the sunshine was warm.<br />
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Here are images of beautiful Matsushima. We pray that most of people there are safe. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMzEaaRcRsuEUrx6Rm9SLau-BYzAQwCNMGhA0Xn69_AGrbibX-IuDGbf3HJnMdVvMKx5VKQKDq0m1YGu1d3znIVvVDXsBl_Fbf2gyXPULEY5c3vGzdiqiqBveSHFegqXb1qOKVw/s1600/IMG_4214_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMzEaaRcRsuEUrx6Rm9SLau-BYzAQwCNMGhA0Xn69_AGrbibX-IuDGbf3HJnMdVvMKx5VKQKDq0m1YGu1d3znIVvVDXsBl_Fbf2gyXPULEY5c3vGzdiqiqBveSHFegqXb1qOKVw/s320/IMG_4214_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-38673028657197180372010-11-17T16:11:00.001-05:002011-03-15T14:53:00.190-04:00Homemade PizzaAfter discovering pizza dough at Whole Foods this year, we had made number of pizzas last summer using heirloom tomatoes.<br />
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Our pizza is nothing fancy. We usually make two kinds of pizza. One is basic fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, tomato, and sliced red onion. The other one is a "creative" pizza, for which the toppings are fashioned from whatever ingredients are available in the refrigerator.<br />
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Pizza are quick and fun to make, and goes great with white wine, red wine, and sake. Here are some of our efforts...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnEviJbBXQjQZZXMFx5ICNgsxjYl2fu2fFr7RscsoetfbHqnhADX6CbpbClk2Al6oX_Ur-R_JkcdPRvmuCurk0uzw2JqCRDu92jYuo7CgnGS9S7dygdFrrl6yXl6TGOis4APXdg/s1600/2009_10_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnEviJbBXQjQZZXMFx5ICNgsxjYl2fu2fFr7RscsoetfbHqnhADX6CbpbClk2Al6oX_Ur-R_JkcdPRvmuCurk0uzw2JqCRDu92jYuo7CgnGS9S7dygdFrrl6yXl6TGOis4APXdg/s320/2009_10_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Meat sauce and tomato and mozzarella varieties</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Mushroom, broccoli, and caramelized onion; tomato and mozzarella</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Roasted fingering potatoes, portabello mushroom, red onion, and green beans; tomato and mozzarella</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Steamed broccoli, mushroom, and caramelized onion; tomato and mozzarella</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Sauteed eggplant, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, caramelized red onion; tomato and mozzarella</div>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-56857423738958510012010-10-22T16:20:00.001-04:002010-10-22T16:20:20.985-04:00Beer-Can Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUpOcfXM1N9HNBbpMDDvNXOKZ_U0LyAXdYZdtsz0CTNTmwHMzfdP-5A5AI4l4u8H2_syS-0_XHYqY2nFuNYW9WW7xsbsSo-dHM5R-c7aO5QkYfDAsKbRqLqaSlK9rg4mpCN2i1Q/s1600/IMG_3764_1edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUpOcfXM1N9HNBbpMDDvNXOKZ_U0LyAXdYZdtsz0CTNTmwHMzfdP-5A5AI4l4u8H2_syS-0_XHYqY2nFuNYW9WW7xsbsSo-dHM5R-c7aO5QkYfDAsKbRqLqaSlK9rg4mpCN2i1Q/s320/IMG_3764_1edit.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><br />
<span class="fullpost">When we saw the recipe for<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/dining/21apperex.html?ref=dining" target="_blank"> Grilled Spice-Rubbed Beer-Can Chicken</a> by Melissa Clark (NYT, 7/21/10), we had to try it. We've always been intrigued by the dish after hearing others speak of it and saw this as our omen. It was time for our first effort. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">There was just one problem. As Melissa Clark inferred in the story, it might be a little problematic to use our small scale grill as opposed a gas grill, which is easier to control the temperature and heat. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NLpGUQ8Ic5dBA_nk_GSK5br0hBQ1JDZqo8fvrSyQv47fXrqcbYGpngYOUcP42yPrOOIgmJddU-E5105jakVrPq8vDYHlnPdqvFj1oRZxoYeUJpRVEPyEGmAP7HMkV8NmUxbspA/s1600/IMG_3751_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NLpGUQ8Ic5dBA_nk_GSK5br0hBQ1JDZqo8fvrSyQv47fXrqcbYGpngYOUcP42yPrOOIgmJddU-E5105jakVrPq8vDYHlnPdqvFj1oRZxoYeUJpRVEPyEGmAP7HMkV8NmUxbspA/s200/IMG_3751_1.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="fullpost">We searched on the internet for others' experience and decided to try the recipe in the oven. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6uSD1C4bDApotAbghwH2vDVCfyv5LGrGQFDIGCqFuJOptvCxUnd25K-dei_iql59qMYOSZrrO2Gjy-U-v8LaDxqRQS9sYWz8HZHehhCBR_mYFq_M5Cknmdcr3r3azAOG__YHzQ/s1600/IMG_3755_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6uSD1C4bDApotAbghwH2vDVCfyv5LGrGQFDIGCqFuJOptvCxUnd25K-dei_iql59qMYOSZrrO2Gjy-U-v8LaDxqRQS9sYWz8HZHehhCBR_mYFq_M5Cknmdcr3r3azAOG__YHzQ/s200/IMG_3755_1.JPG" width="150" /></a><span class="fullpost">Choosing the beer was an important step as we realized that all of the beer that we drink comes in a bottle. Our search for the canned variety led us to one with the irresistible moniker of <a href="http://www.butternutsbeerandale.com/" target="_blank">Porkslap Pale Ale</a>. While prepping the bird, Hiroko treated herself to half of the beer, leaving the balance, as called for in the recipe, in the can to function as the "seat" on which the chicken "sits" upright. She slathered the chicken with mayo-curry mixture and popped it in the oven at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes. She then reduced the heat to 350 degrees F, and added an assortment of vegetables to the pan to cook for about 45 minutes. As the whole house began to smell like curry, we opened another beer while we waited for the chicken to be done. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif48rzHqEoToWQ2hC1kCIK9RtmlXZtb6UPI5gLP080lJI7hJrP6A2zywAnmNyIRhbC_XObNogsE3CxfAmk3_JsoymIvJwESBwuDVtxIys4oROJvrJlelcRS2IjNpmG4RUDshrX5w/s1600/IMG_3759_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif48rzHqEoToWQ2hC1kCIK9RtmlXZtb6UPI5gLP080lJI7hJrP6A2zywAnmNyIRhbC_XObNogsE3CxfAmk3_JsoymIvJwESBwuDVtxIys4oROJvrJlelcRS2IjNpmG4RUDshrX5w/s200/IMG_3759_1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span class="fullpost">When we removed the chicken from the oven, it was a beautiful carmel shade with perfectly crispy skin enveloping the moist, juicy meat inside. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">We found the breast to be noticeably moister than with our regular roast chicken cooked in "prone" resting position. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIHAEB1_llq2M-Pi_TKiqzy30DFdtHJUR6OYMNGUs5d0oIa2L0uw501bWistXfS7dcHNXc55wt3SvR4a2QQWv2lTLgXAWDEcwK_6zGRtYWLmuaH_TaSsu1ij7DLNSVBe6I-IWAw/s1600/IMG_3763_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIHAEB1_llq2M-Pi_TKiqzy30DFdtHJUR6OYMNGUs5d0oIa2L0uw501bWistXfS7dcHNXc55wt3SvR4a2QQWv2lTLgXAWDEcwK_6zGRtYWLmuaH_TaSsu1ij7DLNSVBe6I-IWAw/s200/IMG_3763_1.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="fullpost"> </span><span class="fullpost">As proprietors of NYC's only sake shop, we had to try pairing the dish with sake. Since the dish is a bit spicy and full flavored, we paired it with Yuho Junmai, a premiuim sake from Ishikawa Prefecture. Yuho has a full-bodied richness with hint of sweetness, that complimented the curry spice. The sake also went well with our side dishes of roasted potatoes and green been salad. </span><br />
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<span class="fullpost">Our first beer-can chicken experience was so delicious, it had us asking ourselves the age-old question, "what took us so long?!!" </span><br />
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</span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-43392150598487841972010-08-04T19:37:00.000-04:002010-08-04T19:37:25.370-04:00SAKAYA in The New York Times<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqeSWltPWeDTaldVogvFxBW6db7lGH5ElKDJ84Yen955m5JYV9m9VaaL3s0hwc4r7esutMq_lVLlkS88kq387lLqpSrFF3dHQxLYSmMemqLqFtRgYkJGj1cuFl0pTHYBSaZA4oQ/s1600/NYT+the+pour+72810+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMqeSWltPWeDTaldVogvFxBW6db7lGH5ElKDJ84Yen955m5JYV9m9VaaL3s0hwc4r7esutMq_lVLlkS88kq387lLqpSrFF3dHQxLYSmMemqLqFtRgYkJGj1cuFl0pTHYBSaZA4oQ/s320/NYT+the+pour+72810+photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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We are delighted to have been the subject of Eric Asimov’s column, “The Pour” in the Dining section of The New York Times on 7/28/10. Since the article appeared (initially on the Times' website on Tuesday), we've been "feeling the effect" of their bond with readers and couldn't be more excited about it! After 2 1/2 years, it is wonderful to be recognized and for sake to receive such positive treatment by a prestigious, well-respected news organization. Many thanks to Eric Asimov and to our supporters everywhere both new and long-term!<br />
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To read the article which also appears on the NY Times website, <a href="http://events.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/dining/reviews/28pour.html?scp=1&sq=sakaya&st=cse" target="_blank">click here</a>!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7A4mDm23eWDwvoBmOkJtOcirspAJDwcf5ciLCuVxUNkenaJZz5uxdgs-DBKjsJbIiLF8pwQ_Vlhr45yy4SdXI6gcCJBS0r1zR6qA7MMuNKtKTxHU246faa5285u68B70CdBczw/s1600/IMG_3734_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7A4mDm23eWDwvoBmOkJtOcirspAJDwcf5ciLCuVxUNkenaJZz5uxdgs-DBKjsJbIiLF8pwQ_Vlhr45yy4SdXI6gcCJBS0r1zR6qA7MMuNKtKTxHU246faa5285u68B70CdBczw/s320/IMG_3734_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Photos were taken by the very talented David Goldman. He spent time with us taking photos of us, the store, and sake. <br />
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</div><span class="fullpost"></span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-38263208779845592012010-06-02T18:41:00.002-04:002010-06-02T21:20:55.197-04:00Okome Milk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHG46LzsouOBbHzRn2NEO6KsxZ7Wl_Rd1mnuXr23rFa1XyL6XE5xxD71Vn053-KXApSIyM2cViDz6h6qCJusAHDxITcDIr4hGwnc-gPGryzC8Fjh5vtw9g6xwV1BWDFzKUM9H7Q/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHG46LzsouOBbHzRn2NEO6KsxZ7Wl_Rd1mnuXr23rFa1XyL6XE5xxD71Vn053-KXApSIyM2cViDz6h6qCJusAHDxITcDIr4hGwnc-gPGryzC8Fjh5vtw9g6xwV1BWDFzKUM9H7Q/s320/photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Recently, we had a visit at SAKAYA from Yageta-san from <a href="http://www.fukumitsuya.co.jp/english/index.html" target="_blank">Fukumitsu-ya Brewery</a> and he brought us an interesting Fukumitsu-ya product called <a href="http://www.fukumitsuya.co.jp/english/thefoods/okomemilk.html" target="_blank">Okome Milk</a> that Hiroko wanted to try. It's made from rice, koji (koji mold affected rice), and water. The product does not contain yeast, which is a necessary ingredient for making sake. This Osake Milk has no yeast involved, so it hasn't been fermented and therefore has no alcohol content. The flavor of Okome Milk is similar to amazake, which is traditional sweet low alcoholic drink. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-ZdBI9UQGZuurV22cBEn1ShJWdvSEY3KN-GsgpSs2Tf2orf0guTHGdzGd7slJOSbJuI9u1EIDl66khI2rBVAeG5PwFpLok7nIcvk8-f1OaquZyMu0qTmrSzCsGgU41CBD7UsUg/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-ZdBI9UQGZuurV22cBEn1ShJWdvSEY3KN-GsgpSs2Tf2orf0guTHGdzGd7slJOSbJuI9u1EIDl66khI2rBVAeG5PwFpLok7nIcvk8-f1OaquZyMu0qTmrSzCsGgU41CBD7UsUg/s200/photo.jpg" width="150" /></a>Fukumitsu-ya's Okome Milk has a cute package and there are four flavors including plain, strawberry, banana, and mango. The product does not use any artificial colors or preservatives, is filled with lots of nutrients including vitamins and nine kinds of amino acids.<br />
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When Hiroko spotted strawberries at farmer's market, she decided to make Okome Milk Strawberry slush. After chilling it overnight in the freezer, she put the strawberry Okome Milk in the blender to made slushy texture. Decorated with fresh strawberries, it made a delicious summer dessert. <br />
<span class="fullpost"></span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-81222698593444490622010-05-07T15:23:00.001-04:002010-05-07T15:57:22.436-04:00Sake Kasu Cheesecake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjXw_zbojAUy5KhcMqtiMYwSfnASqZcA5JDjwNJ4B5kySHhmT3Q5kLY9Rka_InRbrQz7wGjJtq2mhYv5t-KSfNgD7ZHl8dzTmnk25LCsu5KYUV0a-FOE-sZYgwLqX3wFrTH-z0A/s1600/IMG_3627_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjXw_zbojAUy5KhcMqtiMYwSfnASqZcA5JDjwNJ4B5kySHhmT3Q5kLY9Rka_InRbrQz7wGjJtq2mhYv5t-KSfNgD7ZHl8dzTmnk25LCsu5KYUV0a-FOE-sZYgwLqX3wFrTH-z0A/s320/IMG_3627_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last year, Kazuhiro Sakurai from <a href="http://asahishuzo.ne.jp/" target="_blank">Asahi Shuzo</a> in Yamaguchi gave us his Dassai Junmai Ginjo sake kasu. Sake kasu is the sake lees that are left over after the mash has been pressed to extract the sake following fermentation. The kasu is filled with lots of nutritients including carbohydrates, proteins, vitamin B, fiber, and yeast, and has some valuable potential health benefit. Traditionally, sake kasu has been used to make amazake, a sweet sake by mixing it with sugar and water. Another use is to add it to miso soup or in making Japanese pickles. Lately, we have also seen sake kasu used in cosmetics such as facial masks. When we received the sake kasu from Mr. Sakurai, we made sake kasu nabe, mixing sake kasu with the soup in nabe (hot pot). Adding the sake kasu enriches the flavor of the nabe adding another flavor dimension to an ordinary pork or chicken nabe. We froze the left over sake kasu for future use. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYSVc246EFIVA7LtyN3eCBf_org2ioiof5EDbe3f2e-_lSaKMzxuBDBBy0HaQT13Qm6MekaHaDLfS4apDDmwgmzyp53APpwP1pGwQjiAcSr48FR8Wh-27-HPOgJvj6j5A6em0NA/s1600/IMG_3624_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYSVc246EFIVA7LtyN3eCBf_org2ioiof5EDbe3f2e-_lSaKMzxuBDBBy0HaQT13Qm6MekaHaDLfS4apDDmwgmzyp53APpwP1pGwQjiAcSr48FR8Wh-27-HPOgJvj6j5A6em0NA/s200/IMG_3624_1.JPG" width="200" /></a>Recently, Hiroko had the urge to bake something sweet. Struck by a bolt of inspiration, she suddenly announced, "I am going to make a sake kasu cheesecake." </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">She pulled the frozen sake kasu from the freezer to thaw the day before she was going to bake. A 300g package contains two sheets of sake kasu. We had one sheet remaining in the package. The first step was to break it into small pieces and mix it with warm milk to make a soft paste (about 1/2 cup).</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb5ULaLjnA6gTF0CldQ7yFda3MywTWUquURSrk5bWI8ywi5yl9jaslRaALXXvcE58lu27w9PiZl3l35gaH6SRIE0XiW1fIEeMI9vJkgEwEYXL0HiesaG-lVUkI7u0vwITebAMSw/s1600/IMG_3625_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb5ULaLjnA6gTF0CldQ7yFda3MywTWUquURSrk5bWI8ywi5yl9jaslRaALXXvcE58lu27w9PiZl3l35gaH6SRIE0XiW1fIEeMI9vJkgEwEYXL0HiesaG-lVUkI7u0vwITebAMSw/s200/IMG_3625_1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While baking the crust, she mixed cream cheese, the sake kasu paste, and sugar together, and beat eggs into the mixture one at a time. She then tasted the mixture and added lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla to adjust the flavor. She then poured the mixture into the baked crust, and baked it for about an hour. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwmHLbMfEujqRVnxVxMOcY78yX7wVVf0RdWPJ1b-gF2_4lMVcCzFH32N6FAdb0t9McytfXeIPXIIojQY0eEUqtuHqq3F8q_pa1IjyP9yL3uOmWhPtlQBOdqSNjOmkvdcnetoUqg/s1600/IMG_3630_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwmHLbMfEujqRVnxVxMOcY78yX7wVVf0RdWPJ1b-gF2_4lMVcCzFH32N6FAdb0t9McytfXeIPXIIojQY0eEUqtuHqq3F8q_pa1IjyP9yL3uOmWhPtlQBOdqSNjOmkvdcnetoUqg/s200/IMG_3630_1.JPG" width="200" /></a>The kitchen was filled with the savory aroma of cheese and sake. The next day, she sliced it gently to taste her creation. It was very soft and moist, and it tasted almost like regular cheesecake, but sake flavor lingered long after each bite. Paired with a nigori zake, it made a delicious dessert. </div><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Sake Kasu Cheesecake</span></b><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ingredients:</span></i><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">crust: </span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> 1/3 cup cookie crumbs</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 tablespoons melted butter </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>filling: </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 8 ounce packages of softened cream cheese (Hiroko used 1/3 less fat) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/2 or less cup of softened sake kasu (sake kasu mixed with milk, soy milk, water, or sake)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3 eggs </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/2 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> 1 lemon juice</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Zest of 1 lemon </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1 teaspoon vanilla</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <b>Direction:</b></span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1. Crust. Mix crumbs with butter and press onto the bottom of spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2. Filling. Mix cream cheese, sake kasu, and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time to blend the mixture well. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla to taste. Pour over crust and bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3. Allow it to cool for about 15 minutes and remove the rim of the pan. Chill in the refrigerator. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com2Brooklyn, NY, USA40.65 -73.9540.519760999999995 -74.1834595 40.780239 -73.716540500000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-20457324813580240642010-04-26T17:57:00.000-04:002010-04-27T17:30:52.956-04:00Umenishiki Beer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJpOc4hBlNUAwboAAvw2EFxs4sPtKnRQGfHXGsuQw30zEcbK7GcQ-tdhl6qhacR9Q1w2zBq-Q1lhY2PBFAiisjPXd65IcLxBAV8BsT0QlJhpLzQcwyk_Y-exkJ_JQCdvU6NMYFg/s1600-h/IMG_3514_1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450072192505364386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJpOc4hBlNUAwboAAvw2EFxs4sPtKnRQGfHXGsuQw30zEcbK7GcQ-tdhl6qhacR9Q1w2zBq-Q1lhY2PBFAiisjPXd65IcLxBAV8BsT0QlJhpLzQcwyk_Y-exkJ_JQCdvU6NMYFg/s320/IMG_3514_1.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">When Hiroko was in Japan, she didn't have time to visit her parents and buy sanuki udon in Kagawa. Her solution to not being able to get home, was to visit a prefectural store called an "Antenna Shop" in Tokyo.</span> <span style="font-family: arial;">Even though Japan is a small island country, there are many different food cultures with unique products that can only be found in the prefecture of origin. Since each prefecture needs tourists visit their towns to revitalize their local industries, they have developed these "Antenna Shops" in Tokyo to promote their well known products as well as to provide travel information. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">This way you don't have to go to each of the 46 prefectures to buy their specialty goods.from each prefecture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">There seem to be number of prefecture stores that have popped up around Tokyo in just the past 5 years.</span> <span style="font-family: arial;">Hiroko went to </span><span style="font-family: arial;">the Antenna Shop for Kagawa and Ehime prefectures (</span><a href="http://www.setouchi-shunsaikan.com/contents/index.html" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">香川・愛媛せとうち旬彩館</a><span style="font-family: arial;">) in Shinbashi. After some browsing, she picked up couple of packages of sanuki udon and then spied some beer made from </span><a href="http://www.umenishiki.com/jul02/front.html" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">Umenishiki Brewery</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, the sake brewer in Ehime.</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
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<a href="http://www.umenishiki.com/jul02/front.html" target="_blank">Umenishiki</a> sake brewery was established in 1872. Their Junmai, Junmai Ginjo and Junmai Daiginjo are available in NYC through the importer, <a href="http://www.meimonshu.jp/modules/xfsection/article.php?articleid=1335" target="_blank">Japan Prestige Sake Association</a>. Since 1995, they have also been making artisanal beer which have won medals in Japan's International Beer Competition. Among the five types that they make, their Bock, Weizen, and Blanse have won Gold, Silver, and Silver medals respectively. </span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Hiroko picked up one bottle each of the Pilsner and Aromatic Ale to bring home to Brooklyn. Shaken and tossed by luggage handlers, the preservation and condition of the beer might not have been the best, but nonetheless we decided to open and taste the beers made by the sake brewer.</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijE5uYNKL7f2Gif2xxh5a_0ZAb1bP42MjqgFWRV3xBTMnJUFzXhSuVNQ4parjanwOefv9180AhGCmUE2V-mt2nBKxeaDDmGaO0l5l972bxtIIoAF_h1Dzob-8NpO0MKeXfSqK8gQ/s1600-h/IMG_3516_1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450073992772542834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijE5uYNKL7f2Gif2xxh5a_0ZAb1bP42MjqgFWRV3xBTMnJUFzXhSuVNQ4parjanwOefv9180AhGCmUE2V-mt2nBKxeaDDmGaO0l5l972bxtIIoAF_h1Dzob-8NpO0MKeXfSqK8gQ/s200/IMG_3516_1.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">We usually drink pilsners from Pennsylvania and ales from California where the style is very hoppy and aromatic. Umenishiki Pilsner was golden in color, very light and tasty with a light fruit flavor and peppery finish. Yet, there was something missing in the flavor. It's better than Sapporo or Kirin that we drink at Japanese restaurants, but we tend to prefer a more hoppy flavor. </span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: arial;">We opened the Aromatic Ale next. With an alcohol level of 8.5%, it was deep and rich, with a hint of caramel flavor on the back end.</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
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Perhaps had we drunk them in Japan, they would have tasted better. On our next trip, we hope to try their other beers. Still we enjoyed tasting something from Hiroko's family home that is not available in the U.S. </span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-79037582144530993262010-03-30T15:50:00.001-04:002010-03-30T17:49:07.729-04:00Cold noodle, Morioka Reimen<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpX38EXiKHOksScligjJKL5slV_vCLDDFvTY631tiDwSrDdZ-yRc9PXscOtoteHO3P8MVMJsHnkEn3S_RHf1SMqxKnVCsDWMCBaQj9-U79wjm6B5gly2b7u2-L4ITw7X-y5MjjA/s1600-h/IMG_3242_1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450085760874989074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpX38EXiKHOksScligjJKL5slV_vCLDDFvTY631tiDwSrDdZ-yRc9PXscOtoteHO3P8MVMJsHnkEn3S_RHf1SMqxKnVCsDWMCBaQj9-U79wjm6B5gly2b7u2-L4ITw7X-y5MjjA/s320/IMG_3242_1.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Before I was to leave Nanbu Bijin Brewery (<a href="http://www.nanbubijin.co.jp/index.html" target="_blank">南部美人</a>), Kosuke Kuji, the 5th generatio</span><span style="font-family: arial;">n brewer, took me to eat the most famous noodle dish in Iwate prefecture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Iwate is famous for <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6K0E1EobWo" target="_blank">Wanko Soba</a>, when one finishes a small serving bowl of soba, a staff member will fill the bowl with fresh soba noodles. The staff will keep filling the bowl as long as you eat. It is more game than eating, but this is an unique soba eating experience. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcYpieXaZY4Lj78wmnADJUMBAFCKEhtOWNSoIeGqrbraD9CpMnUqJ06CCZPNNc2pWZm_BY7vN_3ExUvwdrjWXbjIfVib41HaVBqsPpVpOOmEl7-EfwvDf9cRCNXjeaSH_2AhJLQ/s1600-h/IMG_3245_1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450085909406338770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcYpieXaZY4Lj78wmnADJUMBAFCKEhtOWNSoIeGqrbraD9CpMnUqJ06CCZPNNc2pWZm_BY7vN_3ExUvwdrjWXbjIfVib41HaVBqsPpVpOOmEl7-EfwvDf9cRCNXjeaSH_2AhJLQ/s200/IMG_3245_1.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">But Kuji-san didn't take me to a Wanko Soba place. He took me to a restaurant specializing in Morioka style cold noodles. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Morioka Reimen as it is known, is the answer to all-season lovers of hiyashi chuka, which is the quintessential summer cold noodle dish only available during the summer months. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">The restaurant is Pyon-Pyon-Sha (<a href="http://www.pyonpyonsya.co.jp/index.html" target="_blank">ぴょんぴょん舎</a>), a Korean fusion or Yakiniku restaurant in a very</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> modern building. Each table has a grilling station similar to that of Korean restaurants in NYC. When Kuji-san was parking the car in the restaurant's lot, I noticed a number license plates of cars parked there from outside of Morioka and Iwate prefecture, a clear indication of drawing power of this famous place. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZ9XEfekRXKDPLcwzKcUivPlCp7zdWiVQyEzMqIjQYnLmTVmu-HTQKaXVY1Eh7UFU6QJaabSJM5oao29cxT-sGE8GitI8ZPZX-E8vzntOf9cVTFRQI1UP0tu49pxhNnZWRQ5b9Q/s1600-h/IMG_3244_1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450086095786607330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZ9XEfekRXKDPLcwzKcUivPlCp7zdWiVQyEzMqIjQYnLmTVmu-HTQKaXVY1Eh7UFU6QJaabSJM5oao29cxT-sGE8GitI8ZPZX-E8vzntOf9cVTFRQI1UP0tu49pxhNnZWRQ5b9Q/s200/IMG_3244_1.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Morioka Reimen is similar to the North Korean cold noodle dish Naengmyeon, except that the noodles are made from potato starch and flour instead of kuzu or buckwheat flour. The noodles are nestled in a cold beef broth with toppings like slices of beef, hard boiled egg, raw vegetables, and kimchi, and customers can add as much kimchi as they'd like to spice up the Reimen. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">The Morioka Reimen style of cold noodle was created by a Korean immigrant named Aoki-san from </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Hamhung, North Korea. Nostalgic for the spicy cold noodle dish that he grew up eating, he created a cold noodle dish that he originally called Pyongyang Reimen which as it grew more famous became known by its Japanese place of origin as Morioka Reimen. It took long time for locals</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> to embrace it since Japanese people weren't used to eating spicy kimchi. The name "Pyongyang" didn't attract many customers either. However, working hard and not compromising his taste and style, he built up fan base for his noodles. In 1986, at the Japan Noodle Summit, the current owner of Pyon-Pyon-Sha renamed the Pyongyang Reimen as Morioka Reimen, and introduced it as Morioka's specialty noodle. And, as they say, the rest is history. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnw6NrI0YjaV9CsoRMf3zWO5plXEJnIpm6_jkJ21vKTaCXshlX4Llf9Iqc7RcQEMjpuHr4nA-NOsgQWclGz2jNXlbc1ALT0UhOkxd2fqDVYlp-h1-2LlzjfEh7pBTnzQJX8RQboQ/s1600-h/IMG_3243_1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450086533905037826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnw6NrI0YjaV9CsoRMf3zWO5plXEJnIpm6_jkJ21vKTaCXshlX4Llf9Iqc7RcQEMjpuHr4nA-NOsgQWclGz2jNXlbc1ALT0UhOkxd2fqDVYlp-h1-2LlzjfEh7pBTnzQJX8RQboQ/s200/IMG_3243_1.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">When a server brought the Morioka Reimen, Kuji-san advised me to sip the</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> cold beef soup. It has a light beige color and has a delightfully sweet, rich flavor that makes you just want to finish the entire bowl as a first course. After sipping the soup, we ate a few strands of noodle. It was a chewy glass glass noodle that was a great compliment to the soup. After a few slurps, we started to add more kimchi turning the soup bright red. It was so addictive, we couldn't stop eating until the red soup disappeared leaving only a white bowl. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">Now, many Japanese enjoy eating the dish that was brought by a humble immigrant, who beat the odds of becoming successful in Japan. It was great dish and it was surely a great success story. </span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-23849591304373185332010-03-24T13:33:00.000-04:002010-03-24T14:59:45.526-04:00Mr. Kuji -- Nanbu Bijin Brewery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7k9b0PBgBIpRdz_9RJVlHB23qQ_NNUuyeb-HaHcSqSvJtT947z-yLyRt089_fQcs7ArHt8ZFlO1l7C7S344ZSHZZ5NdV6_taPOcX69b8VTW_-6VPWjqLJX_A55jbpLRDoWoMXDA/s1600-h/IMG_3237_1kuji.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7k9b0PBgBIpRdz_9RJVlHB23qQ_NNUuyeb-HaHcSqSvJtT947z-yLyRt089_fQcs7ArHt8ZFlO1l7C7S344ZSHZZ5NdV6_taPOcX69b8VTW_-6VPWjqLJX_A55jbpLRDoWoMXDA/s320/IMG_3237_1kuji.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450085253814367442" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Hiroko had never been north of Tokyo. When she mentioned to Kosuke Kuji (久慈浩介), the 5th ge</span><span style="font-family:arial;">neration of Nanbu Bijin Brewery (<a href="http://www.nanbubijin.co.jp/index.html" target="_blank">南部美人酒造</a>)in Iwate, Kuji-san invited her to his brewery. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Nanbu Bijin Brewery is located in <a href="http://www.city.ninohe.iwate.jp/english/index-e.html" target="_blank">Ninohe</a> (二戸), <a href="http://diddlefinger.com/m/iwateken/" target="_blank">Iwate prefecture</a> in the Tohoku region about 3 hours from Tokyo by rail, and the second to last stop on the Tohoku Shinkansen before Hachinohe, Aomori prefecture. With a population of about 31,400 (in 2006) it is rather small city which still has the remains of the historic Kunohe Castle (九戸城) and the famous Kindaichi Onsen (<a href="http://www.kindaiti.com/" target="_blank">金田一温泉</a>). Among its restaurants is the legendary soba restaurant <a href="http://letseatmeal.blogspot.com/2010/03/famous-soba-place-in-ninohe.html" target="_blank">Maita Koubou Sobae-An</a> (米田工房そばえ庵), the hard-to-get-in yoshoku Restaurant Bonheur, (レストラン・ボヌール), and an extremely famous ramen shop, and several late night drinking spots. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nanbubijin.co.jp/image/top_logo.gif"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 73px; height: 84px;" src="http://www.nanbubijin.co.jp/image/top_logo.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Anyone who is familiar with Japanese language may get confused about the name Nanbu Bijin. Translated as Southern Beauty, one may wonder why the "Nanbu" or Southern when the brewer is located in the northern part of Japan?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">"Nanbu" comes from the name of the Nanbu samurai clan which originated in Norther</span><span style="font-family:arial;">n Japan, mainly in what was once known as Mutsu province (which now encompasses present-day Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, and Aomori plus some parts of Aki</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ta). Descended from Emperor Seiwa (reign 858-876), Minamoto no Mitsuyuki (1165?-1236?) of Kai province (Yamanashi prefecture), took the name "Nanbu" from the town where he lived changing his name to Nanbu </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Mitsuyuki. He</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> is said to have moved to Mutsu province around the time of the Oshu War in 1189. Over time, the Nanbu became the dominant samurai clan in the Mutsu area and built their castles as they established themselves in the area which is how the Nanbu name came to be associated with this part of a Iwate. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBG1ylNfKLHeu_CKBDcdwKQ1_Wu3kxoYhlc_PUoMKNoODaWREhKjpxJ8FH_T0GI-3xFnU15LROpTHr75ZyK3ODGqNYaIhyC-nuUBU_f0K-Zi-znevh9s7Lea9EujhEhBiRRwhVA/s1600-h/IMG_3230_1.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBG1ylNfKLHeu_CKBDcdwKQ1_Wu3kxoYhlc_PUoMKNoODaWREhKjpxJ8FH_T0GI-3xFnU15LROpTHr75ZyK3ODGqNYaIhyC-nuUBU_f0K-Zi-znevh9s7Lea9EujhEhBiRRwhVA/s200/IMG_3230_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450075200634828706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Nanbu Bijin Brewery is rather small, family-run operation. It has seven kurabito (people involved in the brewing </span><span style="font-family:arial;">process), all young men in their 20's and 30's. They also </span><span style="font-family:arial;">employ twenty staff members</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> to run the operation. The brewery produces 2,500 koku of sake. (1 koku = 180 liters or 100 x 1.8 litter isshobin). It is considered a small to mid-sized brewery (those with production of less than 1000 koku are very small.)<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Kuji-san is an energetic young man in his 30's whose ebullient personality casts sunshine on the sake world and beyond. He has been to New York City to promote his sake many times, and has enthusiastically encouraged many sake fans to become Nanbu Bijin lovers. </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nanbubijin.co.jp/s01sake/image/05_ts_ume_72.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 80px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.nanbubijin.co.jp/s01sake/image/05_ts_ume_72.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">He is also a risk taker and revolutionary in terms of developing new products with a spirit akin to the sam</span><span style="font-family:arial;">urai Nanbu Mitsukuni who made the bold move to very far north from where h</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e was born. Seeing the popularity and trend of umeshu or plum sake/liquor, Kuji-san has created a non-sugar added umeshu.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The journey started when his wife Rika suggested mixing his "All-Koji Sake" with kiwi or strawb</span><span style="font-family:arial;">erry to make a fruit cocktail. This all-koji sake was a early brainchild that he created in 1998, and it </span><span style="font-family:arial;">is now a staple of the Nanbu Bijin lineup. It is made from just three ingredients: koji (koji-mold </span><span style="font-family:arial;">affected rice), water, and yeast starter instead of the four ingredients usually used for making sake: rice, water, yeast, and koji. Koji-mold's job is to break down the rice starch into the simple sugar, glucose. Therefore, koji (rice innoculated with koji mold) has a high glucose level. This "All-Koji Sake" has a little sweetness that </span><span style="font-family:arial;">makes it a good mixer for a fruit cocktail. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">After his wife's inspiration, Kuji-san had his "ah ha!" moment. He theorized that the all-koji sake could be infused with ume (Japanese plum) to make an umeshu that is naturally sweet. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">He tweaked his all-koji sake, and </span><span style="font-family:arial;">using the koji's natural glucose level, he successfully create the umeshu that needs no additional sweetener. </span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FmuRaTGIOKmUWOm99nFfB759gRUC-qTgwaczhNz7Jbwdmvsjo87UrUozSBmrqQvmiFUH5JldNcBzq0okIr1rFslfngHp5aHmTvd4k97RaqK2TcM0vRZNOufHMlXELb0LxdBrzw/s1600/IMG_3224_1.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FmuRaTGIOKmUWOm99nFfB759gRUC-qTgwaczhNz7Jbwdmvsjo87UrUozSBmrqQvmiFUH5JldNcBzq0okIr1rFslfngHp5aHmTvd4k97RaqK2TcM0vRZNOufHMlXELb0LxdBrzw/s200/IMG_3224_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452276582950429426" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">His search for the perfect ume for his product led him to a </span><span style="font-family:arial;">local farmer in Iwate prefecture. He also found a young local artist to design the label for the product. He patented the process in 2009, and his umeshu now sells briskly...his February released umeshu is almost sold</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> out. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Look for it in the U.S. by October of this year. Kuji-san's samurai spirit inspired umeshu is sure to cast its spell on umeshu fans here too!<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-65418354164502302852010-03-18T17:36:00.001-04:002010-03-18T19:09:23.333-04:00Famous Soba place in Ninohe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyn-NV83N2iXahPwhLjY-afhMOzJubXLiy2xtodjwHzbA92sDhwo3JPPpu2J-_f7Ze2Efhk3o1Xrn78U5_j3BUfsvv3sh_V3AfsdyKRO9IHiLVdbe5JLbp24UWmg495k_MQpSig/s1600-h/IMG_3180_1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyn-NV83N2iXahPwhLjY-afhMOzJubXLiy2xtodjwHzbA92sDhwo3JPPpu2J-_f7Ze2Efhk3o1Xrn78U5_j3BUfsvv3sh_V3AfsdyKRO9IHiLVdbe5JLbp24UWmg495k_MQpSig/s320/IMG_3180_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448232198857716402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">While Hiroko was visiting the Nanbu Bijin Sake Brewery (<a href="http://www.nanbubijin.co.jp/index.html" target="_blank">南部美人</a>) in the town of</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninohe,_Iwate" target="_blank"> Ninohe</a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"> in Iwate prefecture, Ono-san from the brewery took her to an out-of-the-way soba place located in the middle of the town. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">After parking the car in what looked like someone's backyard, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">he said, "this way." Seeing nothing that looked like a restaurant, Hiroko followed him along a muddy path through</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> a field over ground that was soggy and slippery from melting snow. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;">"This is it," he said. At that, she looked up and saw </span><span style="font-family:arial;">someone's house.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQqRCpMZQEmVSpQBZISD18cTtxhsWV28_JpJoPJUAFYX_zG9bvtI7wF299WWpcG4pS2ohfjwr_3j2GUP495G3itKv6ljo-8d93gTaGq5EuEmc1UBzgBAiovRoPgxC3_7tdgatTw/s1600-h/IMG_3179_1.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQqRCpMZQEmVSpQBZISD18cTtxhsWV28_JpJoPJUAFYX_zG9bvtI7wF299WWpcG4pS2ohfjwr_3j2GUP495G3itKv6ljo-8d93gTaGq5EuEmc1UBzgBAiovRoPgxC3_7tdgatTw/s200/IMG_3179_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448232064667805538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The soba place called Maita Koubou Sobae-An (<a href="http://www.iwatetabi.jp/spot/detail/03213/1403.html" target="_blank">米田工房 そばえ庵</a>) was run by Kayo Yoneda-san. Wh</span><span style="font-family:arial;">at is special about this Sobae-an is not its location in the middle of a field, but rather Yoneda-san's belief in eating local. She may not know</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> the current "locavore" trend but she follows the old way of life in Japan. Food self-sufficiency was at about 73% in 1965 </span><span style="font-family:arial;">and </span><span style="font-family:arial;">is now hovering at around 40% in the last 10 years. To put in different perspective, the US food self-sufficiency rate is around 130%.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Yoneda-san grinds h</span><span style="font-family:arial;">er own soba (buckwheat) flour. She even makes her own soy sauce for soba </span><span style="font-family:arial;">dipping sauce. To make her soy sauce, she also grows soybeans and wheat! I told her that she was super-woman, and she was modest telling me that she doesn't know anything else. She promotes local cuisine giving lessons on how to make soba. She is a well-respected, well-known figure in the area.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-UUg19rZLzPc4-ISyIwt0MGyC7qMfy4Lzxx1eTK6aX-pn5-M5VLvI_RGrE3FJYbvsEZF-CRpBiwEPIqkFpY3HKIV_xhmaf3k7atTgRb0O_tDEcmFZ3mMf6jCSfDpABeKvqZskw/s1600-h/IMG_3171_1trim.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-UUg19rZLzPc4-ISyIwt0MGyC7qMfy4Lzxx1eTK6aX-pn5-M5VLvI_RGrE3FJYbvsEZF-CRpBiwEPIqkFpY3HKIV_xhmaf3k7atTgRb0O_tDEcmFZ3mMf6jCSfDpABeKvqZskw/s200/IMG_3171_1trim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449350652875419986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Her soba is made from 100% soba flour, whereas many soba noodles contain some amount of </span><span style="font-family:arial;">wheat flour. Since soba flour does not contain gluten, some wheat flour helps to bind the dough together. Nihachi Soba, which is 20% wheat and 80% soba flour, is a highly regarded specialty soba noodle. Many of the dried soba noodles sold at supermarkets contain more than 50% wheat flour. (Look at the</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> ingredients listed on the back of package. If the first ingredient is soba flour, then it contains more than</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> 50% soba flour in the noodle.)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Her soba were sliced very thin and long, had a pale soba color, and looked very delicate. Once it </span><span style="font-family:arial;">is put into the mouth, it has a resilient and firm al dente texture. It was hard to believe that the soba was made only from soba flour. Once she had started, Hiroko found it hard to stop eating and she soon found herself looking at an empty plate.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ELstFBN_YjWJXmj-YU9_RzV8sP5rASnEAsOkOtnPu25bxE7R2DRki6JTu4DlamyDa5h27epjbdO8_YYgx-Bg1vlPuvjz52VsJBuzynaU24vxyvvfFvksk1mq2fXcOHLWZQVQ9g/s1600-h/IMG_3173_1.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ELstFBN_YjWJXmj-YU9_RzV8sP5rASnEAsOkOtnPu25bxE7R2DRki6JTu4DlamyDa5h27epjbdO8_YYgx-Bg1vlPuvjz52VsJBuzynaU24vxyvvfFvksk1mq2fXcOHLWZQVQ9g/s200/IMG_3173_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448231656530764338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">After eating the soba, Hiroko was lucky enough to join with locals (old and young) for the soba making class given by Yoneda-san.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">She casually placed soba</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> flour and cold water together in a large bowl, then mixed and rubbed the mixture together with her hands. While she was talking, the dough began to form. When it became the texture of an ear lobe, it was time to roll the dough.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NVGwudkbf5tJK0n-YLopLQncLp8R50j6nldG4_gFvi9YxUS__6NT7V5GqYhwYU1SohLarNNQ_xFXo3GrQkuDeI7ISoqFb-g2oKXHPkxSJRhDb29voovuieahhWCzjazIQqrE2g/s1600-h/IMG_3174_1.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NVGwudkbf5tJK0n-YLopLQncLp8R50j6nldG4_gFvi9YxUS__6NT7V5GqYhwYU1SohLarNNQ_xFXo3GrQkuDeI7ISoqFb-g2oKXHPkxSJRhDb29voovuieahhWCzjazIQqrE2g/s200/IMG_3174_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448230851914154658" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">She placed a handful size of round dough onto a big square cutting board. Rotating the dough as she rolled it out</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, before you know it, the round dough had become a square the same size as the cutting board.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3fvL_I0XwDv-iXcrVB1ir8PZxZGF7lPSjn4RQ8fgF9yDmLlbwLsGK_VHDsqF9le9O_8cBRyAPTjkKrG2z8ho2vpNL9URlZCtSNGwHH9-wFKKfettiNKOTL6FnKVZjmlqtv1lLA/s1600-h/IMG_3175_1.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3fvL_I0XwDv-iXcrVB1ir8PZxZGF7lPSjn4RQ8fgF9yDmLlbwLsGK_VHDsqF9le9O_8cBRyAPTjkKrG2z8ho2vpNL9URlZCtSNGwHH9-wFKKfettiNKOTL6FnKVZjmlqtv1lLA/s200/IMG_3175_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448231068639840658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">She then folded the dough carefully and started to slice it very thin. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">The entire process took only 10 to 15 minutes! Everyone was </span><span style="font-family:arial;">mesmerized by the way in which she had so casually yet expertly, created her soba noodles.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">It was a priceless experience see Yoneda-san's soba making method and eat the resulting delicious noodles. Also it was nice to see local people of engaging with the local cuisine and learning to carry on their tradition to the next generation. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Maita Koubou Sobae-An</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">24-2 Jumonji Shimotomai</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Ninohe-shi, Iwate 028-0611</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">tel: 0195-23-8411</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />11am to 5pm</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Closed on Friday</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />米田工房そばえ庵</span> <span property="v:locality" style="font-family:arial;">〒028-6100 岩手県二戸市下斗米十文 字24-2</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">電話:0195-23-8411</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />11時から5時まで</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />定休日:金曜日</span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-49489526853674070772010-03-15T16:48:00.005-04:002010-03-16T17:41:16.119-04:00Fuki-no-Tou<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3Lx7dH0OUDAgbJ_-TJWDrQWn6sT3psREldJHr98-YxD8j4m9feNR7zDwViCtZy4isJmCI70Lu8Q12fGBEK22aqKmUA7oUyMe9vOKGg7uv1nwaK4yk5iwhBTiJ5MKsO85wdc5tA/s1600-h/IMG_3511_1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3Lx7dH0OUDAgbJ_-TJWDrQWn6sT3psREldJHr98-YxD8j4m9feNR7zDwViCtZy4isJmCI70Lu8Q12fGBEK22aqKmUA7oUyMe9vOKGg7uv1nwaK4yk5iwhBTiJ5MKsO85wdc5tA/s320/IMG_3511_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447507916869965410" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It has been a while since we updated this blog. Now that Hiroko is just back from her trip to Japan, we'll be adding some more new posts soon.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Meanwhile, we wanted to share our first taste of the joy of spring. In Japan, when people begin to see </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >sansai</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> (mountain vegetables) such as </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >fuki-no-tou</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> (butterbur sprout), bambo</span><span style="font-family:arial;">o shoots, fiddlehead ferns, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">and </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >udo</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> (mountain celery) in markets and/or vegetable shops, the</span><span style="font-family:arial;">y know the spring is near. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" > Sansai</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> are foraged in wooded areas as the snow melts toward the end of winter.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlVXQfCfB0SgkETjhmn0SbX9_-Ji1nzJYzO2n_jNrhB8b53uKecG3hypAoJVfI1c8cUeX3lX51x614e76kyKg1VYh2qs7F0EM1GfkGc1lZWv7egUd2HEEGFtjLAGWHKs-erEzfQ/s1600-h/IMG_3503_1trim.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlVXQfCfB0SgkETjhmn0SbX9_-Ji1nzJYzO2n_jNrhB8b53uKecG3hypAoJVfI1c8cUeX3lX51x614e76kyKg1VYh2qs7F0EM1GfkGc1lZWv7egUd2HEEGFtjLAGWHKs-erEzfQ/s200/IMG_3503_1trim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449348939367114322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">When Hiroko was in Tokyo, she found </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >fuki-no-tou</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> at the vegetable stands. Unable to resist, she brought some </span><span style="font-family:arial;">home with her</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. The most familiar way to serve </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >fuki-no-tou</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> is as tempura. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">The farmer from whom she purchased it recommended this method as the best for serving but, he added that it could also be pan sauteed or blanched and then cooked in soy broth.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />When the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >fuki-no-tou</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> are removed from the package, their fresh, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">green, earthy aroma reminds one immediately of spring. Once opened, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">the debate ensued on how to cook them. After some initial reluctance about deep frying and a long discussion over several glasses of sake, we decided to prepare them two ways; Western i.e. sauteed in olive oil and garlic and of course, the "classic" tempura.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQu8Jq4Nu9kPifwGUwxmOzTVZsZQvRy1ieZnv4ZH13oYNqNpDdhE3Hj-Ywn902llciFkOnv_HgTjG_ez95pdA4ajpYC0DuDMkWeX9WxlKGsIH_G1nOvk50gisK87_MubjivZ53w/s1600-h/IMG_3504_1trim.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQu8Jq4Nu9kPifwGUwxmOzTVZsZQvRy1ieZnv4ZH13oYNqNpDdhE3Hj-Ywn902llciFkOnv_HgTjG_ez95pdA4ajpYC0DuDMkWeX9WxlKGsIH_G1nOvk50gisK87_MubjivZ53w/s200/IMG_3504_1trim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449349706505391842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Version #1: After first heating the pan and sauteeing the garlic, the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >fuki-no-tou</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> was added with sprinkle of salt. After just a few minutes, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">it was ready eat. This vegetable h</span><span style="font-family:arial;">as a pleasantly bitter taste (bitter like broccoli rabe but not the same flavor). Although there is some similarity to each, it's flavor is not like celery, nor </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >shiso</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, nor green pepper. It has its own distinctive </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >sansai</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> flavor. Since it was so delicious, for a moment, Hiroko thought the she didn't need to </span><span style="font-family:arial;">go the tempura route.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">But after some pleading from Rick,she did.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38GCtm5DZXkyzdOHXuELXDX8Ai31qbsKKqDOiprqsXmKCA_f9_DKgq8i7OQXuVOhjP6KlICYkWcOcq_OWM0UMBrSpIb_kod418f8aMvmZxF0rOi-Bx9UTGhFnqvDTrl7ngM5xpw/s1600-h/IMG_3506_1trim.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38GCtm5DZXkyzdOHXuELXDX8Ai31qbsKKqDOiprqsXmKCA_f9_DKgq8i7OQXuVOhjP6KlICYkWcOcq_OWM0UMBrSpIb_kod418f8aMvmZxF0rOi-Bx9UTGhFnqvDTrl7ngM5xpw/s200/IMG_3506_1trim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449349833252426546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Version #2: Hiroko whipped up some tempura batter in no time, and after dipping the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >fuki-no-tou</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, lightly fried it in canola oil. The tempura version was absolutely delicious! The bitter taste of the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >fuki-no-tou</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> cut the oil from the tempura batter, and it made for a very fresh and savory dish. A sprinkle of some "sakura salt" that we received from someone in Japan added just the right element to make for a perfect tempura.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">We really enjoyed the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >fuki-no-tou</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> both ways.<br /><br />It's a different, less familiar style of vegetable, but we found it to be a delicious taste of early spring. And, since we had the batter, we used it to enjoy a few of our local vegetables tempura-style, joyfully eating them with some fresh soba that Hiroko had also brought back from Yamagata-ken.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_jW3rvEAzGwtZkUD1LaEiO9KM5_dvir-Pky_l7byrF5InfhisoieaB37TXTKuDR-KdSHq8P022FpBfJOzRXsKtuBjEXac_4kbLHYtM5ihrREkPsLSTV6-IUgfAB-yM4-FaVt8g/s1600-h/IMG_3511_1.JPG"><br /></a>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-29374859082905929652009-11-11T10:16:00.004-05:002009-11-11T18:26:00.764-05:00Golden Pepper<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZMEuAIGVqzEhAcWtHjl9-tv2Zs5LNh_tlR1aWI8vuzF-HefWUFQTCKShrKsWR4ekDCxrnCsxJBXDYXzSVAevde6WlzyX-4LbPb3dvzxASMN6I78q71yJAWfwFheMwfFiUPohdQ/s1600-h/IMG_1446_1_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZMEuAIGVqzEhAcWtHjl9-tv2Zs5LNh_tlR1aWI8vuzF-HefWUFQTCKShrKsWR4ekDCxrnCsxJBXDYXzSVAevde6WlzyX-4LbPb3dvzxASMN6I78q71yJAWfwFheMwfFiUPohdQ/s320/IMG_1446_1_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402649642583460450" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Recently, we received an inquiry about <a href="http://letseatmeal.blogspot.com/2006/05/japans-hottest-hot-pepper.html">Ogon pepper</a>, a golden pepper which we brought back from our first trip to Japan and wrote about a couple of years ago. The reader asked what kind of pepper it </span><span style="font-family:arial;">was and how to get seeds, so we decided to research the Ogon pepper and share our findings. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ajikou.com/img/gold_photo01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 201px;" src="http://www.ajikou.com/img/gold_photo01.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The Ogon pepper (ogon togarashi 黄金唐辛子 or ogon bansho 黄金蕃椒) is known to be the spiciest pepper in Japan. Its shape is like that of a bird chili with a yellow color. Some Japanese websites postulate that Kento-shi, the Japanese envoy to the Tang Dynasty, who</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> brought it from China in the year 809. This theory is not widely believed however.<br /><br />The more widely accepted belief is that the chili pepper originated in Central and South America and that most likely, no chili peppers existed in China or India until some time after Christopher Columbus found the species in </span><span style="font-family:arial;">1492 and brought it back to Spain. It was from there, through trade with the East, that it spread throughout India and then Asia.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Japanese historians believe that chili peppers were introduced to Japan by Portuguese </span><span style="font-family:arial;">merchants. Another story is that a Portuguese missionary introduced the chili pepper to Otomo Yoshishige, a daimyo (feudal lord) in Kyushu in1542. </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />From that time forward, the Japanese people cultivated the the chili pepper for use as medicine. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">It is recorded that 100 kinds of peppers were grown in the mid-18th century and that during the Meiji period (1868 -1912), there were 52 types of chili pepper in cultivation. At that time, Japanese chili peppers were of high quality, highly valued, and exported overseas. However, as greater industrialization in Japan began </span><span style="font-family:arial;">a migration to the cities in the1960's, farming became less attractive, and cheaper peppers from overseas took the place of those that had been grown </span><span style="font-family:arial;">domestically. Today, most of the chili's in Japan come from China.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.kosho.ne.jp/%7Ekotenkai/tokusen/gazo/k0465.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 186px;" src="http://www.kosho.ne.jp/%7Ekotenkai/tokusen/gazo/k0465.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So, when did the Ogon pepper come to Japan? We </span><span style="font-family:arial;">couldn't pinpoint the exact date</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> but there is record of the Ogon pepper in an historical text called "Bansho-fu" (chili pepper category book) written by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiraga_Gennai" target="_blank">Hiraga Gennai</a> (1729-1779). In "Bansho-fu," Gennai compiled information on 72 varieties of chili pepper along with beautiful illustrations of each. He referred to the Ogon pepper as "sashiage" in his book.<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.mita.lib.keio.ac.jp/archives/rare_img/079.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 265px;" src="http://www.mita.lib.keio.ac.jp/archives/rare_img/079.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Hiraga Gennai was a kind of Japanese Renaissance man. He was a </span><span style="font-family:arial;">pharmacologist, student of western medicine, physician, inventor, and author. </span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Gennai was born into a low-ranking samurai family in Kagawa-ken. His interest in natural science started while working in the medicinal herb garden of his lord. He went to study Rangaku (Dutch medical studies) in Nagasaki, then to Osaka to study herbs and finally to Edo (Tokyo). There he met a group of doctors and scholars studying empirical science. His inventions include the Erekiteru (electrostatic generator), Kandankei (thermometer), and Kakanpu (asbestos cloth). His most important book is "Butsurui Hinshitsu," the book on the classification of various materials published in 1763. As was often the case with enlightened men of genius, his ideas were thought to be eccentric. After being largely unappreciated for his intellect, his life took a fateful turn when one day, he got into argument with one of his pupils and accidentally killed him. Gennai spent the rest of his life in prison and died there. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Back to the original question of where to buy Ogon pepper seeds. From looking at various websites and blogs, it seems that they can be purchased in Japan at any home center or garden store (places that sell seeds and plants). If you'd like to bring the seeds to the U.S. however, it takes a bit more time and planning.<br /><br />Bringing seeds to the U.S. is not simple. Many countries have strict rules on which plants or plant products can be brought in or out. The reason is that each country wants to protect their own native plants from new disease or the spread of pests. An example of this is the Asian long-horned beetle infestation which was discovered in New York City in 1996. Officials believe that wood packing material from China in 1980's carried the beetles, and that they then spread quickly within the U.S. </span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Although a number of fruits and plants are prohibited from being brought into the U.S., seeds are usually permitted.<br /><br />To bring the seeds into the U.S., one must visit a <a href="http://www.pps.go.jp/english/index.html" target="_blank">Plant Protection Station (PPS)</a>, which are located throughout Japan and submit them for inspection after which the PPS will issue an Official Phytosanitary Certificate. So, it is possible for the Ogon pepper to make its way to America.<br /><br />We can only hope that sooner or later, we may be able to buy Ogon pepper in the U.S! </span><br /><span class="jobs3" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><br /></span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-23632680313761204112009-11-03T16:02:00.003-05:002009-11-13T17:56:57.439-05:00Sake with Friends<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-nIENkpa7NUBJh6SEDcChk1TyBaY5dzf90_r6SDM8hF8dUlMrgGH-jK5chaTB2tRCYtDqwHH1LLrXXnGmWT8mCDhf63bpaJUUrcko5GnKyh-l8sddoOkEtZfxVzQB3pCSEIutZw/s1600-h/email.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-nIENkpa7NUBJh6SEDcChk1TyBaY5dzf90_r6SDM8hF8dUlMrgGH-jK5chaTB2tRCYtDqwHH1LLrXXnGmWT8mCDhf63bpaJUUrcko5GnKyh-l8sddoOkEtZfxVzQB3pCSEIutZw/s400/email.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><span style="font-family:arial;">The evenings throughout the week in Tokyo were reserved for delving into the multitudinous opportunities to i</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ndulge in drinking sake and eating some of the best food made to accompany it. Fortunately (and not coincidentally), my Tokyo-based friends share this passion (three of them being bloggers on the subject, and one a world-renowned sake guru) so choosing places to go to</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> partake were not an issue. On separate evenings, <a href="http://tokyodrinkingglass.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Melinda</a> and her husband J.P., <a href="http://tokyofoodcast.com/" target="_blank">Etsuko</a>-san and he</span><span style="font-family:arial;">r husband Ted, Hitomi-chan and sister Hanayo-chan, and John all led me to extraordinarily fine sake and drink. The photos will attest to it!</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-aYDMae6Uf8amy_j5jwiU400t8CC9h6iJ9d_9UnC-OXXGN8KvsHPr-Se63zTRARv3n-cvm657kgo0iO0Eitrcoq_ENazPOdtRLyiU3qJhx2zYwngda3PQ_7CBVg5zxzeZ8E-eA/s1600-h/IMG_2968_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-aYDMae6Uf8amy_j5jwiU400t8CC9h6iJ9d_9UnC-OXXGN8KvsHPr-Se63zTRARv3n-cvm657kgo0iO0Eitrcoq_ENazPOdtRLyiU3qJhx2zYwngda3PQ_7CBVg5zxzeZ8E-eA/s200/IMG_2968_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400043289820734530" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">E</span><span style="font-family:arial;">tsuko-san and Ted took Hitomi-chan and me to Yoshimoto in Shinjuku where we ordered flight after </span><span style="font-family:arial;">flight of jizake to drink with Chef </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQuqox_FfG2O6QmyMzY4hfkkg6iyZisuU-Re-5CymEuLZRAsWEjhoVMW0z5Qa1wS2NF0G6_DPOBjJBlLzSCvxnXSNo4YJ3FAaWt9uTKzBt43SIyFU01_pNvwuxFJeVAQ3AMaKuw/s1600-h/IMG_2998_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQuqox_FfG2O6QmyMzY4hfkkg6iyZisuU-Re-5CymEuLZRAsWEjhoVMW0z5Qa1wS2NF0G6_DPOBjJBlLzSCvxnXSNo4YJ3FAaWt9uTKzBt43SIyFU01_pNvwuxFJeVAQ3AMaKuw/s200/IMG_2998_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400043670537943378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Ohara-san's exquisitely prepared sashimi and his own sake-friendly creations. The Kishi sisters and I discovered Ishii, a </span><span style="font-family:arial;">restaurant specializing in the cuisine of Yamagata prefecture where we ate the tenderest, most flavorful, crispy, and light tonkatsu (pork cutlets) </span><span style="font-family:arial;">imaginable.<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZOyWQW2l3vxwu1SrgrJo7mXScJ1Rc-nyonx5VZlgEeBNEyMbDmuyZG5UjPNZRBFr8u1k5Fin4mcuZ_0Ofmgs6EKTtJLuRTTDIA2wYfqu7MNYAeCH5nzARAJn-vZWsfcMD0jGiQ/s1600-h/IMG_3004_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZOyWQW2l3vxwu1SrgrJo7mXScJ1Rc-nyonx5VZlgEeBNEyMbDmuyZG5UjPNZRBFr8u1k5Fin4mcuZ_0Ofmgs6EKTtJLuRTTDIA2wYfqu7MNYAeCH5nzARAJn-vZWsfcMD0jGiQ/s200/IMG_3004_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400047933704404898" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My final day with <a href="http://www.sake-world.com/index.html" target="_blank">John Gauntner</a> was a tour of sake "through the drinking glass" (as our friend </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Melinda h</span><span style="font-family:arial;">as perfectly named her blog about eating and imbibing in Tokyo). After attending a tasting of the sake of about twenty breweries from Shimane prefecture, John and I made a brief stop at the <a href="http://www.hasegawasaketen.com/english/index.html" target="_blank">Hasegawa Saketen</a> in Tokyo Station to pick up a bottle of Izumo Fuji Ginjo, an artisanal sake discovered at the tasting, then hopped back on the train and set out for my sake purchasing Mecca, <a href="http://ajinomachidaya.com/" target="_blank">Ajino Machidaya</a>. Two trains and a zig-zagging twenty minute hike later, we re</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1mHji90aV1z4mn2YYLRENCzm6l2LooSOib3E30IqGvcz6qzXqiLMJ8RzZNDj6UdclXjUkF0x7_Z0InfQdP_yZOuGIOblUF-dLP1NrCCaBVGWnUBMIb14tyaciytDHo5xITkqwg/s1600-h/IMG_3010_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1mHji90aV1z4mn2YYLRENCzm6l2LooSOib3E30IqGvcz6qzXqiLMJ8RzZNDj6UdclXjUkF0x7_Z0InfQdP_yZOuGIOblUF-dLP1NrCCaBVGWnUBMIb14tyaciytDHo5xITkqwg/s200/IMG_3010_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400045983107544450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">ached our destination. It was all that I had hoped it to be and more with all sorts of small production premium sake to bring back to enjoy with </span><span style="font-family:arial;">our nihonshu-loving friends in NYC. Kimura-san, the owner and shacho, introduced us to two of his recent koshu </span><span style="font-family:arial;">finds and generously offered a package of wonderful organic mugi (barley) miso.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95wtwcvX4wbcXMKKQsVuFeyAE_Y6PAIv-PgSEi5cFrSVrn6U908wx3E8WxJUS02ZE6MIPFirFzFheNfM-0BKIg6cZ9ARCz3ohN27F7-Pi3v6fNn7UPfJ_ioF7l3LHtBNmhReG-g/s1600-h/IMG_3008_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95wtwcvX4wbcXMKKQsVuFeyAE_Y6PAIv-PgSEi5cFrSVrn6U908wx3E8WxJUS02ZE6MIPFirFzFheNfM-0BKIg6cZ9ARCz3ohN27F7-Pi3v6fNn7UPfJ_ioF7l3LHtBNmhReG-g/s200/IMG_3008_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400044411257334754" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">After an hour of fascinating conversation and </span><span style="font-family:arial;">drink, he</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> drove us to the railroad station and sent us on our way back to Shibuy</span><span style="font-family:arial;">a for an izakaya dinner by Chef Kawanairi at <a href="http://ameblo.jp/fg-nakamura/" target="_blank">Nakamura</a> that put the perfect cap on the perfect day.</span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-37165533577794495082009-10-31T15:50:00.003-04:002009-10-31T16:46:43.132-04:00Sawanoi Brewery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjnwsvLUqYN6dPumbgIwk1A8TDcc-i_yOl0jsIw3RIM13PSCrFsd-63aPX9LB235iHC5GaTVMOlaID8r1Abp96vydf2_ng8WiDlidZEZ4FJTdGZRfc1snymrLmz8LhY97a8kXiA/s1600-h/IMG_2953_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjnwsvLUqYN6dPumbgIwk1A8TDcc-i_yOl0jsIw3RIM13PSCrFsd-63aPX9LB235iHC5GaTVMOlaID8r1Abp96vydf2_ng8WiDlidZEZ4FJTdGZRfc1snymrLmz8LhY97a8kXiA/s320/IMG_2953_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398867283502155234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcoLZpt5e8NbeAMdC9a_k3MD79v_cz4cgN52MNwMz1rWsPbhMEEQma_HLKVXrIWLBlCcAIqr2gGJ7iRdqzmLxt7WIiQakBOiA8dZJxl5rAgGkR29yXYRY1AUSaL4qAd-7LvEaNA/s1600-h/IMG_2944_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcoLZpt5e8NbeAMdC9a_k3MD79v_cz4cgN52MNwMz1rWsPbhMEEQma_HLKVXrIWLBlCcAIqr2gGJ7iRdqzmLxt7WIiQakBOiA8dZJxl5rAgGkR29yXYRY1AUSaL4qAd-7LvEaNA/s200/IMG_2944_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398866062942794818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The following day’s brewery visit took me in a completely different </span><span style="font-family:arial;">direction, to <a href="http://www.sawanoi-sake.com/" target="_blank">Ozawa Shuzo</a></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">in </span><span style="font-family:arial;">scenic Sawai, nestled among verdant mountains about two hours west of the city, but still in Tokyo prefecture. This time, a pleasant five minute walk through the picturesque village led</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScysy63hJQUlM25VuOai2Orc4oPXUqkYrttD6wwFmaIt7Q4kf4YZ11pKjAFbZfOd1AxrYj_xwP1xcg822IjPw8KP1m-LBM0Xdoy2_zgWoHwBLRJ73pfT9o1YD11IR7wYfeDmOUg/s1600-h/IMG_2952_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 121px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScysy63hJQUlM25VuOai2Orc4oPXUqkYrttD6wwFmaIt7Q4kf4YZ11pKjAFbZfOd1AxrYj_xwP1xcg822IjPw8KP1m-LBM0Xdoy2_zgWoHwBLRJ73pfT9o1YD11IR7wYfeDmOUg/s200/IMG_2952_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398866298338554578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> me to my destination, the kura that brews one of my favorite sake, <a href="http://www.sakayanyc.com/shop_all.php?prod_id=70">Sawanoi </a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.sakayanyc.com/shop_all.php?prod_id=70" target="_blank">Kiokejikomi Iroha Kimoto Junmai</a>. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">My guides Kubo-san and his assistant were gracious and informative, making sure that I </span><span style="font-family:arial;">saw the cedar tank (kioke) used in making the aforementioned brew, the underground springs that are their two water sources, and a wall of koshu (aged sake) vintages dating back 20 years.</span> <p style="font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7GvI1pvveMiQB2OE2WglpcsTD7VsVUhUR0kEZLcZ5fFNipihwr6328EBao8uIyNLblp6b59lcZvkmGhBki46XtbKv1EJpKM5O41YXksgPdNbqtk45Sm_srDr9ofKzVWSXMf9dA/s1600-h/IMG_2957_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7GvI1pvveMiQB2OE2WglpcsTD7VsVUhUR0kEZLcZ5fFNipihwr6328EBao8uIyNLblp6b59lcZvkmGhBki46XtbKv1EJpKM5O41YXksgPdNbqtk45Sm_srDr9ofKzVWSXMf9dA/s200/IMG_2957_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398866886992319010" border="0" /></a>Another highlight of the visit was a perfect lunch at their fabled tofu restaurant perched serenely just above the rapids of the Tama River. As my server presented each in a series of delectable tofu dishes, I sipped from the flight of four Sawanoi sake that I had <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBuUbvE3snbet5eYD8rO5QQ3SZuiD3Gw7f7nSoiLv47K2kedjTi3oP9Pck6JfIkLKr5CRLGrmgZ8wcqmc-Voa-tfkDixlBfx1w-TWjUtJMIMacwQqlWsv9dexANx8b4Gi02OSxJw/s1600-h/IMG_2954_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBuUbvE3snbet5eYD8rO5QQ3SZuiD3Gw7f7nSoiLv47K2kedjTi3oP9Pck6JfIkLKr5CRLGrmgZ8wcqmc-Voa-tfkDixlBfx1w-TWjUtJMIMacwQqlWsv9dexANx8b4Gi02OSxJw/s200/IMG_2954_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398866732473174146" border="0" /></a>pre-selected while gazing at the natural beauty of the tableau spread out before my windowside table. Even as rain began to fall, it only enhanced what couldn’t have been a more peaceful and relaxing experience!</p><br /><br /><span class="fullpost"></span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-2627476996211837002009-10-23T15:46:00.003-04:002009-10-29T17:36:09.146-04:00The Wonder of Wataribune Rice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzRDzr9YfcOKdQ-GGpnTZOln8-umZbbPPnBQOhGM7WnwhxG13bu9HUvd6CUUdf7IJsRe-FfHugYxzUBLBL3TmRVzJWWDSHObhmrJescpoo7AZDUQ8JxELVgccwQzS_q4xzL2NdA/s1600-h/IMG_2930_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzRDzr9YfcOKdQ-GGpnTZOln8-umZbbPPnBQOhGM7WnwhxG13bu9HUvd6CUUdf7IJsRe-FfHugYxzUBLBL3TmRVzJWWDSHObhmrJescpoo7AZDUQ8JxELVgccwQzS_q4xzL2NdA/s320/IMG_2930_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398138907714137154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6r-bWnl2VBnwsxzrv7YZ0dZnSwr8mDfGfJZSOsEpMddU2ejDo1UJPL2KKJjS2fGLKFX4iBn-Oh65zPBB2lRtWa6py7jci_8V7G92pC76EY-DdmfHn6ckJGzlsyhtgCFhyT3FNg/s1600-h/IMG_2925_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6r-bWnl2VBnwsxzrv7YZ0dZnSwr8mDfGfJZSOsEpMddU2ejDo1UJPL2KKJjS2fGLKFX4iBn-Oh65zPBB2lRtWa6py7jci_8V7G92pC76EY-DdmfHn6ckJGzlsyhtgCFhyT3FNg/s200/IMG_2925_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398137067535154434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Accompanied by our friend <a href="http://tokyodrinkingglass.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Melinda</a>, I set out early the morning following the</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> SSI awards event for <a href="http://www.huchuhomare.com/" target="_blank">Huchu Homare Shuzo</a> in Ishioka, a small town in Sonoma-like <a href="http://www.ibarakiguide.jp/en/" target="_blank">Ibaraki-ken</a>, about an hour and a half </span><span style="font-family:arial;">north by train from Shinjuku station in Tokyo. On our arrival at Ishioka </span><span style="font-family:arial;">st</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ation, we were greeted warmly by the smiling shacho-san (brewery President) Takaaki Yamauchi. As he </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfGoeuiA9s6gGDI4ZVRU3-JdvHHhQ7pG9GY9dqdL1JkYzIyanSJj1AKMkgbTGERdEOpAfhPZDfO4e4abwiRRfY5RxYZkEsy_FJOUm9n0TbDM4nWLA-hGbRFQ5g5D1tOBdfwTjrgA/s1600-h/IMG_2935_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 179px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfGoeuiA9s6gGDI4ZVRU3-JdvHHhQ7pG9GY9dqdL1JkYzIyanSJj1AKMkgbTGERdEOpAfhPZDfO4e4abwiRRfY5RxYZkEsy_FJOUm9n0TbDM4nWLA-hGbRFQ5g5D1tOBdfwTjrgA/s200/IMG_2935_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398137243311242594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">drove us to his </span><span style="font-family:arial;">family-owned brewery, we discussed the local effects of the typhoon which had made </span><span style="font-family:arial;">landfall in </span><span style="font-family:arial;">eastern Japan the day before, destroying several older buildings nearby. Fortunately, no harm had come to any of the inhabitants! (Aside from high </span><span style="font-family:arial;">winds which temporarily shut down rail service, the much-anticipated typhoon had been a non-event in Tokyo).</span> <p style="font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5DW_OkVhZ16sgqzDxjAV53fUWqm-0ot_f2VB8feV8Ps2s95mXAVdy8CZSF5-ysVIrHBAulJt4821nk_9g_D-u0zjumw4cvtJPnOoD7JWsvZ1-XEGtMC5cfgRW5VRT5oXTCKhyphenhyphenA/s1600-h/IMG_2922_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5DW_OkVhZ16sgqzDxjAV53fUWqm-0ot_f2VB8feV8Ps2s95mXAVdy8CZSF5-ysVIrHBAulJt4821nk_9g_D-u0zjumw4cvtJPnOoD7JWsvZ1-XEGtMC5cfgRW5VRT5oXTCKhyphenhyphenA/s200/IMG_2922_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398137458764200386" border="0" /></a>Following a welcome of tea and sweets in the ancient reception room, Yamauchi-san led us on an intriguing tour of the kura. We then tasted the full line of Wataribune nihonshu as he described the history of the brewery and how he had come to use the unique Wataribune strain of sakamai (sake rice varietal) to make his sake. It seems that a former high-ranking Ministry of Agriculture official who had retired to the locale, about twenty years ago suggested that Huchuhomare consider resurrecting the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60QPA6dAoAFUeermewStefvjNrPIj1k_WBNXUv6HLt-zno-NNR1slOcI3GJt7ApLXCi-jGC62cPPWqLMSOIylAi7U323JdqPik_KkM3ASIAU6R3MUY_gMlETsP8doRJRVXhz3pQ/s1600-h/IMG_2938_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 138px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60QPA6dAoAFUeermewStefvjNrPIj1k_WBNXUv6HLt-zno-NNR1slOcI3GJt7ApLXCi-jGC62cPPWqLMSOIylAi7U323JdqPik_KkM3ASIAU6R3MUY_gMlETsP8doRJRVXhz3pQ/s200/IMG_2938_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398137845116677714" border="0" /></a>long-ago used pure strain. Only problem was that all they could find was about 15 grams of seeds in the seed bank. Not a lot to start a rice field with! Nevertheless, they planted it, collected the seeds each year and eventually cultivated a sufficient supply for sake brewing.<br /></p><p style="font-family: arial;">The story came to life quickly as our next stop was that very rice field itself which surrounds our lunch destination, the homemade tofu and soba restaurant owned and operated by, you guessed it, the gentleman who brought Wataribune to Yamauchi-san!</p><br /><span class="fullpost"></span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24484851.post-87301415533465303292009-10-19T15:48:00.011-04:002009-10-29T17:21:30.742-04:00Kikizakeshi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXfCCjuRODDqnJpdvp2rGueWNhVYHMT0jfvhXkWlO76XRNyhR1z74F2AXfF0f87M47RRpvK86V2L8Mwz7gizyhAvLCRKK8Wkv81LkRyOOm1r_ZEza0SD3A4T-Vz_4nvnjE3U9_Q/s1600-h/IMG_2911_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXfCCjuRODDqnJpdvp2rGueWNhVYHMT0jfvhXkWlO76XRNyhR1z74F2AXfF0f87M47RRpvK86V2L8Mwz7gizyhAvLCRKK8Wkv81LkRyOOm1r_ZEza0SD3A4T-Vz_4nvnjE3U9_Q/s320/IMG_2911_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398132473721275458" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Earlier this month, I traveled to Tokyo to receive The Sake Service Institute’s (SSI) Honorary Master Sake Sommelier Award (Kikizake-shi) on behalf of <a href="http://www.sakayanyc.com/" target="_blank">SAKAYA</a>. Since it was the 10th Anniversary of these awards, there were a number of luminaries from the worlds of sake, journalism, and Japanese hospitality in attendance at the three-hour event which featured a Shinto ceremony, </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">awards presentation, and dinner.</span><br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXUqrYSQPKrsxHbYWgAN3pag0BxVAteAPvK2-5w__oqOtN-9CBth4653e75x4DKFyAldRDy68RdQxIrhwtdZGNa9kul5BAIkV0k_M0Ft9QRl1ENTTGb9eMBT-XG_YnT-Gs1kjlQ/s1600-h/IMG_2885_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 182px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXUqrYSQPKrsxHbYWgAN3pag0BxVAteAPvK2-5w__oqOtN-9CBth4653e75x4DKFyAldRDy68RdQxIrhwtdZGNa9kul5BAIkV0k_M0Ft9QRl1ENTTGb9eMBT-XG_YnT-Gs1kjlQ/s200/IMG_2885_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398131746324894306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">A</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">s one of three America-based honorees along with </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.truesake.com/" target="_blank">True Sake</a>'s </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Beau Timken and <a href="http://ticgroupnews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">T.I.C. Restaurant Group</a>'</span><span style="font-family:arial;">s Bon Yagi (owner of Sakagura, Decibel, Robataya, and a number of other Japanese</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> restaurants in NYC), I was thrilled that our efforts to promote enthusiasm for sake and its linkage to Japanese culture were recognized, and honored to have been included among such distinguished (and far more accomplished) company.</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlnDOeCwzBclX94CYgr-CicLJXQK26jPvBr-WJIOMPUrhLtnxVSMXHzcgjUZ1OFfOjNJgvg8U96Ltii0kSvIlKLSLajBOMePfNgb6XbKb5VAjKkDEQFAl2z-N_YqXNHa3ryYBCg/s1600-h/IMG_2882_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlnDOeCwzBclX94CYgr-CicLJXQK26jPvBr-WJIOMPUrhLtnxVSMXHzcgjUZ1OFfOjNJgvg8U96Ltii0kSvIlKLSLajBOMePfNgb6XbKb5VAjKkDEQFAl2z-N_YqXNHa3ryYBCg/s200/IMG_2882_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398131961020114098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Accompanied by Hiroko’s dear friend Hitomi, who met me at my hotel </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">dressed in a beautiful pink </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">kimono</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">, I found the event to be a curious mix of glitz and traditional ritual. At one moment we’d be bathed in swirling lights from a mirror ball with blasting disco music, then a few minutes later, silence</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> would be broken by mournful chant from a Shinto priest. It was truly East meets West. We shuttled back and forth between a reception room where </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">we met and conversed with the </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">other honorees, SSI </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">dignitaries, and their friends and family to photo sessions, and the ballroom where the Shinto ceremony and</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> awards dinner took place. During the dinner, we were called to the stage to accept our awards, traditional scrolls bearing our official kikizakeshi plus a medal of honor which would </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">put a military commendation to shame, while those in attendance ate or watched (or both).</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpMwX3ILPfyB-IlahXqkRyaFqAxTTiM7c-ThjYp6Kpiu-vV8RS00rTohasF_Xtaonw4_jpHQgQ3oZMlLvJ660ka_UdN8HPOXASYbT1AP8yJzz210okIFv3Z93Myii2f05JGuQIA/s1600-h/IMG_2909_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpMwX3ILPfyB-IlahXqkRyaFqAxTTiM7c-ThjYp6Kpiu-vV8RS00rTohasF_Xtaonw4_jpHQgQ3oZMlLvJ660ka_UdN8HPOXASYbT1AP8yJzz210okIFv3Z93Myii2f05JGuQIA/s200/IMG_2909_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398132232839222978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">What I found interesting was that although it was a sake event, the beverage was but a bit player in the grand scheme of things. It was available in th</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">e reception room during our down time between shuttling and a small glass was at each of our seats during the ceremony. I purposely didn’t drink it as I anticipated a “kanpai” at the conclusion of the proceedings which never came. For dinner, there were four sake servings of about 2 oz. but no refills offered. Odd, I </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">thought for an event dedicated to promoting service of the brew!</span></span> <p face="arial"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtO8bhspKvMUZc2U6mR37dJZJGDkkWay38YJk0v84zuT5KyHuoGha_q5OT7OFbg41m-QbDJObzooTlMrYE2L1IKrxSQRLypcGERZ5s3_QtuyoJlhQyaSLa1809N2StQEtWz9NeWg/s1600-h/IMG_2899_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtO8bhspKvMUZc2U6mR37dJZJGDkkWay38YJk0v84zuT5KyHuoGha_q5OT7OFbg41m-QbDJObzooTlMrYE2L1IKrxSQRLypcGERZ5s3_QtuyoJlhQyaSLa1809N2StQEtWz9NeWg/s200/IMG_2899_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398133394628077602" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >What there was in abundance were appeals for money. Each of the </span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >honorees had been responsible for a “donation” to the Shinto shrine from which the priest had come to perform the ceremony. There were also envelopes and forms given to each person soliciting donations for the SSI foundation</span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >. Finally, after the awards were given and as dinner segued into dessert, there was an auction of sake, shochu, and other donated items to raise money for the same(?) foundation. I couldn’t help but get the feeling that fund-raising, may in fact, have been the point of the event.</span></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" face="arial"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQhtQa7X9RPkN7e1A12pY4cutoYwZU_10UNukNANPO2nqCcjWLYLWwLBMsPeR8Ijqx0CcUhfKbisyscE-FzhuHzNWm6ALVLdyebmHElI9D5ThqPwxGfmGOBynS3S_cnff-W95Iw/s1600-h/IMG_2886_1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQhtQa7X9RPkN7e1A12pY4cutoYwZU_10UNukNANPO2nqCcjWLYLWwLBMsPeR8Ijqx0CcUhfKbisyscE-FzhuHzNWm6ALVLdyebmHElI9D5ThqPwxGfmGOBynS3S_cnff-W95Iw/s200/IMG_2886_1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398134083822152738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">The balance of the trip was devoted to: visiting sake breweries <a href="http://www.huchuhomare.com/" target="_blank">Huchuhomare Shuzo</a> and <a href="http://www.sawanoi-sake.com/" target="_blank">Ozawa Shuzo</a>, the makers of Wataribune and Sawanoi respectively, a sake yeast focused tutorial tasting at <a href="http://www.meimonshu.jp/index.php" target="_blank">Japan Prestige Sake</a>'s Okanaga Club with sake master Dr. Koichiro Mori, exploring the Tokyo food and drink scene with friends Hitomi and Hanayo Kishi, <a href="http://tokyodrinkingglass.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Melinda Joe</a>, J.P. Mudry, Ted O’Neill, <a href="http://tokyofoodcast.com/" target="_blank">Etsuko Nakamura</a> and a day of tasting sake from Shimane prefecture, sake shopping, and izakaya drinking with friend and mentor <a href="http://www.sake-world.com/index.html" target="_blank">John Gauntner</a>. </span></p><br /><span class="fullpost"></span>Hiroko and Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04112498674912368149noreply@blogger.com0