Umami Mart

Hi everyone, I’m back! Let me tell you what I was doing all this time, while neglecting this shochu column. Two months ago, I went back to Japan to take the Shochu Advisor’s test, so I needed to concentrate on studying shochu. I did pass the test, and got the certificate. What is a Shochu Advisor? […]

When customers visit Ippuku (where I work) and see the shochu collection, they invariably say, “Oh wow, look at the beautiful sake collection!” I’m tired of correcting them, but I have to, and I tell them that those bottles are not sake, they are shochu! And then, they think for a minute and say, “Oh, […]

Since I have moved to the U.S. from Japan, I have felt sad about how Americans drink, because American people don’t drink so much. “飲みが足んねえ” (nomi ga tan ne e, or “They don’t drink enough”). They are too discreet. Maybe people can’t be a dead drunk in U.S., because of safety issues. Maybe they have […]

This time I would like to talk about mugi (barley) shochu in more general terms. Mugi shochu might be easier to understand than any other shochu, because mugi shochu is distilled from barley–like whisky, vodka, and gin. There are two types of mugi shochus. One is clear, and the other is amber. The amber one […]

I’m ashamed to say that I had not tried kome (short rice) shochu so often in Japan because I didn’t have many occasions to try it. Truthfully, I did not care for it much anyway, since I was most into imo (sweet potato) shochu. So I’m still a kome shochu novice. I want to introduce […]

Today, I’ll introduce you to Satsuma Shiranami which used to be my go-to shochu in Japan. I would get home late from work, turn on the TV and settle down into my couch and have this shochu on the rocks. It relaxed my exhausted body and induced a deep sleep. The next morning, I would […]

Hello, I’m Washi. Nice to meet you! I moved to the U.S. in January 2010 from Tokyo. Sorry ladies, I’m married. Anyway, I have been drinking soooo much shochu for years, and I just wanna say, SHOCHU IS FANTASTIC! Huh? What is shochu? Don’t rush, I’ll tell you all about it later. During my bachelor […]

One of my most vivid alcohol-related memories is going to Kyoto in the summer of 2003 and trying my first oolong-hai. My dad’s third wife turned me on to the oolong-hai the moment she casually ordered me a tall glass as we sat in an izakaya overlooking the Kamo river after a long day of […]

It’s happening. Ippuku, the East Bay’s premiere yakitori and shochu bar is opening on Monday 7/5! HOLLA! I was lucky enough to get a tour of the restaurant before it opens and talk with the owner/chef, Christian Geideman. Located in the heart of Berkeley, the restaurant space is quite breathtaking (read: epitome of cool) and […]