Sake News from Japan / Sake Muse
Distill to revive? New way to help old breweries
News2u.net announced the launch of a new sake-based drink – “Purified Spirit” or jōchū (浄酎), made from sake that has been distilled [浄溜 instead of蒸留, using a pun on the characters for ‘purified’ and ‘receiver’] and matured in wooden barrels. Distilling the sake is...
Survival in the brave new world of sake (2/2)
The Gendai IsMedia Finance/Business section features a long interview with Chōbe Yamamoto, 13th generation head of Yuchō Shuzō. Journalist Haruo Isshi asks him what the brewery has done to survive, and what he thinks the future holds. Isshi points out that quirky...
Survival in the brave new world of sake (1/2)
The Gendai IsMedia Finance/Business section features a long interview with Chōbe Yamamoto, 13th generation head of Yuchō Shuzō. Journalist Haruo Isshi asks him what the brewery has done to survive, and what he thinks the future holds. Isshi opens the article by...
Do you know how many people know Sake Day?
The Kankō Keizai Shinbun (Tourism Economics Newspaper) surveyed 100 people online between 16-22 October and asked them if they knew about days celebrating various forms of alcohol in Japan. The survey was only given to people who said they drank alcohol. Do you know...
The uni that benefits sake students long after graduation (2/2)
Continuing with a long and fascinating article from Nikkei Business Farm about one sake brewer network you might not have heard of - the Tokyo University of Agriculture. Total exports of sake in 2018 hit JPY 22.2 billion, setting a new record for the ninth year in a...
The uni that benefits sake students long after graduation (1/2)
Nikkei Business Farm has a long and fascinating article about one sake brewer network you might not have heard of - the Tokyo University of Agriculture. The total value of exported sake reached JPY 22.2 billion in 2018, an increase of 19% on the previous year. Volume...
Flooding damages Fukushima brewery
Jiji.com reports that many breweries were affected by flooding caused by typhoon 19 (Hagibis), which left brewing rice and facilities underwater and at least one brewery owner unsure if they could resume operations. While his heart sank when he realised the extent of...
Enjoy an autumnal dessert with amazake cocktails
Jiji.com reports that Nihonshu Bar Kuranoya in Shinbashi, operated by Globridge and popular for its café-like atmosphere, will be serving a menu of original cocktails made with the KURAYA line of “drinkable wagashi” [Japanese traditional sweets] from 16 October 2019....
New range of sake that can even chazuke
The Merumo site has a rather enthusiastic report from writer Haruka Mano on a tasting of a new type of sake sold under the brand HINEMOS. It starts by waving the same old red flag, asking readers what they think of when they hear the word nihonshu [sake in Japanese] –...
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The translations/summaries of Japanese language news articles or other resources, personal commentary and other content provided on this site or through its associated newsletter are part of a personal project to increase the amount of information about Japanese sake and related fields available in English.
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