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May 21, 2015
Postcard from Shanghai: Cocktails at hoF
*Yoko is in China for 10 days! And with no access to Facebook or Instagram, she is sending us photos the old school way — via postcards. We’ll be featuring these snapshots from Yoko in Chengdu and Shanghai all week here on the blog. Enjoy! – Kayoko My first cocktail in China during this trip […]
May 14, 2015
Todai Utensil Factory
I’d like to start with a little background on the small town of Tsubame-Sanjo. This manufacturing town in Niigata Prefecture produces most of Japan’s stainless steel items. If you are enjoying a little cake with a tiny fork in Tokyo or stirring a cocktail with a barspoon from Umami Mart, chances are these utensils were […]
May 4, 2015
BOTTLE SYSTEM, Activated!
We did it. We patiently (or persistently, rather) waited for over two years to get to this point: selling Japanese beers and sakes at Umami Mart! It was a long, drawn out journey but it was all worth the wait. As soon as we received our license to sell beers and wines from the lovely state […]
April 27, 2015
A Visit to Kinshihai Brewery
Sake is one of those things that really makes you appreciate locality. It’s like the meyer lemons in Berkeley. It’s totally cliche and played out, but local food traditions are a sight to behold. The fact that they are native to their land, makes them thrive and produce in abundance, giving the locals many, many […]
April 23, 2015
Yukimuro Snow Refrigerator at Hakkaisan Brewery (Niigata)
In 2011, we visited Hakkaisan, a sake brewery in Niigata. As one of the most well-known breweries in Japan, it was a wonderful experience to walk through the vast facilities, hosted by the production master, Mr. Nagumo. You can read about our visit here. Yoko and I never thought we would visit this part of Japan again, […]
April 16, 2015
Rice Mill Machine at Aoki Brewery
During our visit to Aoki Brewery in Niigata, we were told that the three most important factors of brewing sake is the rice, the water and the people. The rice that breweries use for sake-making are not the usual grains you find at the grocery store — they use special rice strains like Yamadanishiki, Koshitanrei, Ohmachi, […]
April 13, 2015
A Visit to Aoki Brewery in Niigata
Kayoko and I go to Niigata every February. Our friends in Tokyo gasp in horror, “Why would you go somewhere so cold? In the middle of February?” The reason is kind of simple: it’s low season and getting around is cheap and less crowded. And the cold is not actually that bad. The locals are […]