See flower lanterns
flickering above Tokyo
hearts beating within
Haiku 44
Flights Of Fantasy: Geralt Of Rivia
When it comes to sake, there’s something magical about drinking Japan’s national drink. The same can be said for shochu, which is produced from a huge range of ingredients that create different flavour profiles.
Geralt of Rivia is a character who’d develop a taste for shochu and here’s a Flights Of Fantasy edition that showcases the kind of styles The White Wolf would enjoy.
Guest Post: Kanpai Brewery Kumo Tokubetsu Junmai Nigori Review
As the only affordable sake brewery currently operating in the UK, all eyes are indeed on Kanpai. Yet, the Peckham-based business have much more to recommend them than simple default. Sake enthusiasts Lucy and Tom Wilson opened the trendy microbrewery in 2017, and quickly won the respect of other aficionados across the country, and most impressively of all, from industry operatives and experts back in Japan.
Covered several times already in Yamato Magazine (along with several gushing pieces in the national press), there’s no need for another extensive history here. It’s enough to say that all of the praise is deserved and that Kanpai are in no small part responsible for the ever-increasing interest in sake across Britain.
Continue reading “Guest Post: Kanpai Brewery Kumo Tokubetsu Junmai Nigori Review”
Oubaitori Life: Johnny Silverhand
Learning about Japanese philosophy is a great way to discover new life lessons and apply them to daily routines. Oubaitori Life examines the Japanese concepts that fictional characters apply to their routines and an interesting character to focus on is Johnny Silverhand from the Cyberpunk franchise.
A soldier turned anti-establishment rockstar and freedom fighter, Silverhand surrounded himself with Japanese concepts on a regular basis.
Native Soil: How The Earth Affects The Flavour Of Sake
Sake production is a magical process that requires a great amount of skill, with the ingredients being a key factor in the finished product. Rice, water, yeast and koji are the main ingredients for brewing nihonshu.
Another important factor to producing great sake is soil, yet it’s often overlooked. Soil imparts different nuances into sake, differentiating by region and rice varietal. Here’s why the earth should never be taken for granted when it comes to making sake.
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Making The Case For Koshu Sake
Embarking on a journey into the sake world means coming across a countless number of varietals. From the type of rice used to the final flavour, there’s so much variation across the categories and a type of nihonshu that’s gained traction in recent years is koshu.
Known as aged sake, koshu can be recognised by its distinctive dark colouring and depth of flavour. Although there are no official rules for the category, sake must be aged for a minimum of three years to qualify as koshu.
While considered a niche product today, there was a time where koshu was considered the cream of the crop, signifying its potential to rise to the top of the mountain again. The history of koshu is like the drink itself: intriguing, complex, full of contradictions.
Haiku 43
The rockerboy strums
An immortal legacy
Never fade away
Women Warriors: Masami Odate
Japanese history is filled with stories of onna-bugeisha and kunoichi, proud warriors who fought for what they believed in and those stories continue to repeat themselves in the modern day.
Wrestling is a medium where many Japanese women are leaving their mark, redefining the industry and kicking down doors. A woman at the forefront of this movement is Masami Odate, better known by her ring name Io Shirai.
Guest Post: Cody’s Junmai Daiginjo Review
Watanabe Sake Brewery’s decision to take on Cody Brailsford as assistant-head brewer is famous throughout the world of nihonshu. The enthusiastic American rose through the ranks from apprentice to assistant head brewer, determined to share the joys of beautifully crafted Japanese sake with the Western world, presented in a way it could easily relate to.
The Hourai Cody’s Sake range has undeniably achieved that, its catchy names (see Cody’s Ninja Junmai) and trendy bottles stand out against a sometimes-impenetrable wall of kanji and tradition in sake lists. And whilst Cody is admittedly still a way off from his ultimate goal of having the US President drink his sake, it certainly doesn’t seem impossible, considering the ever-growing reputation of him and his produce.
Continue reading “Guest Post: Cody’s Junmai Daiginjo Review”
Flights Of Fantasy: Kest Murrowson
Japanese sake can be interpreted in many different ways and a perspective that I like to associate it with is fantasy. From the magical koji mould that’s vital to producing sake, to the heart and soul brewers put into their craftsmanship, there’s definitely a fantastical element to Japan’s national drink, which is where the inspiration for Flights Of Fantasy comes from.
The segment pairs sake with different fantasy characters, revealing their motivations and the stories behind the bottles. This edition of Flights Of Fantasy focuses on Kest Murrowson, a member of the main trio from Sebastien De Castell’s acclaimed The Greatcoats series.
A man of logic, stoicism and tremendous fighting ability, Kest’s sake flights feature drinks with hidden depths.
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