Japan's Mineral Water:Fukumitsuya

If you haven't had a chance to catch up with this series I recommend reading this article and this article first, and maybe even this one too.

" While writing this, I was listening to "In the White Silence: Letter C" by Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble."

In this installment we are heading to northwestern Japan on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu near Mount Kigo and Mount Hakusan. This region is blessed with mineral wealth and an abundance of natural mineral water and delicious nihonshu. Another name for this part of Japan is called the Hokuriku region, where it is said that the true soul of Japan exists. This region of Japan is defined as including four prefectures; Toyama, Fukui, Ishikawa, and Niigata, all of which are prefectures very famous for making outstanding nihonshu. Tonight's journey will take us to Ishikawa prefecture.

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" While writing this, I was listening to "Music & Theta Brain Wave Therapy" by Kelly Howell"

Of course, let's take a look at the water first. The name of the sake brewer that sells this water is called, [Fukumitsuya] where they use this mineral water called in Japanese Hakunensui [ 100 year water]. What that means is that it took a hundred years for this water to filter through underground rocks to the area where the sake brewer is located today.

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( Hakusan is where this water comes from. You can see it located below Kanazawa).

The water breaks down as follows: Sodium 48.0mg, calcium 90.0mg, magnesium 54.0mg, potassium 7.8mg. The final pH balance is 7.8. The end result is a fairly hard water[やや硬水] or ya ya kou-sui as indicated on the bottle. So in such a case we have another instance where fairly hard water is not entirely that bad for brewing a nihonshu.

Drinking

Nice and cold.

Not all mineral water tastes the same. All mineral water has its own distinguishable characteristics. This one, hands down, is my favorite I think. I love a fairly hard mineral water like this one. Just so well balanced when served chilled. However, drinking this at room temp. after forgetting to put it back in the fridge it tastes a little different. I had ordered a case of twelve 2 liter bottles of this stuff last week and now I only have 2 left.

While writing this, I was listening to "The Planner's Promise" by Trevor Morris

The brewer itself was founded in 1625 at the height of the Edo era where so many of the arts had flourished, along with newer and better sake brewing techniques as well.

The brewery is located here:

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The next segment of this essay will introduce the nihonshu that was made by this mineral water. She's called Kuurobi "Do-Do"(ku-ro-bi), and she has been brewed using some of the finest methods in sake making. That method being the Yamahai Shikomi method of preparing the yeast starter that involves natural lactic bacteria, but eschews mixing the poles. These types will generally by a bit more gamey.

The two rice grains used are Yamada-Nishiki, a sake rice indigenous to Hyogo Prefecture and the area surrounding it. Generally regarded as the best sake rice. The second rice used is called Kinmon- Nishiki which is an extremely rare, yet highly prized rice grain hailing from Nagano prefecture. Water and rice infused is the soul of sake, and then there's the koji.

The featured products. Of course I drink with Riedel for maximum aroma.

The data: Polished rice at 65%, sake meter value +5, acid 1.65, alcohol content 15. Flavor profiles should be rich and flavorsome.

Tasting:

Rice on the nose. Much rice on the nose! Nice on the tongue. You can immediately taste the rice. This sake has texture and balance to it. Very easy to drink. The blending of the two rice grains and the medium hard water add beauty and sexiness to this sake. There's also a slight discoloration in the sake too. I mentioned in previous posts that hard water discolors sake which sometimes can be a merit in how the finished products turns out.

While writing this, I was listening to "The Planner's Promise" by Trevor Morris

The lady in the picture's name is Asanogawa Yoshihisa from Kanazawa. She was born and raised in the Hokuriku region and is exceptionally beautiful thanks to her mother, according to her.

Japan's Mineral Water: Gorogoro Mizu

For those of you who haven't read my previous articles on natural mineral water, I recommend taking a look at my Japan mineral water post and my Tenju post. This may help you get a good grasp of what I'm blogging about in this series.

( Hit control "C" and click to activate the links).

"While writing this part, I was listening to "Place Where You Go to Listen" by John Luther Adams Ensemble."

In continuation from last week on water and nihonshu, I mentioned that I would take you to West Japan, to a place on the edge of eternity not too long ago called Nara Prefecture. And in choosing this place, one where Shinto is revered and where people respect the master and his craft and their own gods and how that all relates to making nihonshu, then I would say West Japan for its water, Shinto, and nihonshu which have been tied into the creation and fermentation of this mystical Japanese rice brew for centuries. It has been hailed as god water by Shinto priest and scholars since time immemorial. No blog on sake would be complete without the inclusion of its water and rice.

"While writing this, I was listening to "Immortal City" by Trevor Morris."

Another reason why I chose to focus on Nara as it was the ancient capital of Japan, the place where Japanese Shintoism was successfully merged with Buddhism, is because it's here that the Japanese achieved enlightenment and prosperity through the arts - literacy to be exact. This all occurred in spite of Buddhism being regarded as a foreign religion at that time in history. Present day Nara is a UNESCO World Heritage site, including other surrounding areas in this venerated mountainous region which is famed not only for its mineral water and shrines, but for it beautiful temples.

" While writing this, I was listening to "In the White Silence: Letter C" by Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble."

The water I chose to blog about today, along with its nihonshu, is called Gorogoro Mizu or ごろごろ水. If you have lived in the Kansai and Kinki regions of Japan then you should be familiar with this brand of mineral water. Just about all Japanese who live in these areas know of this water as being the freshest and most refreshing natural mineral water around.

The Ministry of Japan has approved Gorogoro water as "The Best 100 Japanese Waters and Best Hometown 34 Waters in Nara" It makes perfect sense as to why a brewer would use this water to make its nihonshu. In order to make really good nihonshu you need to use the very best ingredients.

" While writing this, I was listening to "A Breath of Fresh Air" by Ray Kelley Band."

Before writing this post I ordered a case for myself. I had to try it over a span of three days - I'm drinking some now. The more I drink it, day after day, the more I like it. I can't get enough of it. It so clean and refreshing.

While writing this, I was listening to "Apologize (feat. One Republic)" by Timbaland

From a geographical point of view, just to give you some perspective, the Nara region is a rectangular shaped land mass which is 78.5km from east to west and 103.6km from north to south, so not so big when you put it all in perspective. And it's also located at the center of Japan's Honshu island which means that all roads lead here, like the old axiom " All Roads Lead to Rome."

While writing this, I was listening to "Shape Shifter" by Jerry Martin

The source of Gorogoro mizu(water) is located in the Yoshino-Kumano National Park, which was accredited as another World Cultural Heritage site in 2004. In this vast national park there's a mountain called Ōmine-san, a sacred mountain that has been revered for centuries as a holy place. And one of the few places in Japan where women are not allowed even still today. Ōmine-san is home to the Shugendo Sect of Japanese Buddhism, which is an ancient mix of old Shinto and Buddhist practices that place an emphasis on training towards enlightenment with the kami, or gods. This setting reminds me of another post I did about another mineral water source that's surrounded by temples and shrines, and is thus protected by the locals. Here

While writing this, I was listening to "Without Form" by Jerry Martin

In this vast mountainous region called Omine-san, there's a place called Tenkawa Village. In Japanese there's a word that goes something like this: 天然記念物( ten-en-kin-butsu), which means a protected national monument. It's from this monument that the Gorogoro mizu water springs from, like from some ancient well or something like that. I can almost imagine seeing water spewing forth out of it, cold clean water. As for the water itself the break down is as follows: pH 8.2, so it's full of alkali. Sodium is 2.41, calcium 33.8mg, magnesium 1.22mg, potassium 0.54mg.

While writing this, I was listening to "Rockin Down" by Walt Szalva

I was even surprised to find hard mineral compounds in this as well. Things like Germanium and Selenium. There are over 190mg/l of minerals in this bottle water. This could classify as a hard water, but it's not mainly because it lacks iron.

While writing this, I was listening to "Simmin" by Rock Hendricks

Drinking it at first it didn't seem like it was that mineral rich. It was just a very pleasant drinking experience. I used a classic water drinking glass from Riedel this time around.

While writing this, I was listening to "Welcome Home" by Trevor Morris

All and all this was some great water. I'd highly recommend it for someone who appreciates the most precious natural resource on earth. I sure as hell do.

Now, to the nihonshu. There are only a handful of select sake that use Gorogoro water to brew with, so after careful searching I found an off brand sake that hardly no one ever talks or knows about. The brewery is called Fujimura Shuzo in Nara Prefecture. This is one of, if not, the only brewer that uses gorogoro mizu for its water for brewing sake.

While writing this, I was listening to "City In a Box" by Trevor Morris

While writing this, I was listening to "The Planner's Promise" by Trevor Morris

In commemoration of the 1300th year anniversary of Heijo-Kyo, Fujimuro Shuzo created a sake just for this event. Heijyo-Kyo is the site of the true capital of Nara Prefecture and was where the late Emperor worked at unifying all of Japan. The nihonshu used has a picture of Manto-kun on it(deer), which is the official mascot of Nara Prefecture, by the way. Sento-Kun was replaced by popular demand by Manto-Kun.

This sake embodies the natural essence of its mineral water called "gorogoro mizu" along with a very hard textured rice grain called Fukuoka Nishi-Homare. In addition, this sake I am featuring is a Junmai-Ginjo, which means that no alcohol was added to it, just water and rice that's it. Fujimura Shuzo brews most of his sake using gorogoro mizu so this commemorative sake with mascot is just to help celebrate the 1300th year anniversary and is meant for entertainment purposes only.

I've been harping on about natural mineral water and sake and how they tie into making a great sake. I have mentioned in previous post that soft water is ideal for brewing sake whereas hard water is not. This is because hard water contains too much iron and manganese which discolor and downgrade a sake's overall quality and appearance. This is not a Golden Rule though. Like I've mentioned another time, some sake have used slightly harder water in making sake with a mild degree of discoloration. Sometimes this is a good quality and not necessarily a flaw....

While writing this, I was listening to "Magic City" by Jerry Martin

Sake is made up of about 80% water and all the way through the process of making sake, it's constantly being exposed to water. And then there's the rice.

The flavor profiles:

At first the smell was that of rice; nishi-homare to be exact which will generally yield a milder taste and texture. Junmai sake types are all rice and water. Just as I expected upon the initial taste, soft and smooth. The nishi no homare and gorogoro-mizu together bring out something smooth, clean, and refreshing. This however, is not the type of sake you bring to a sake tasting competition though. This is the kind of sake you binge on. Nice rice after-taste, too. You hardly even notice a tail. There's just not enough complexity for this one to be entered into a competition. For those who just want to appreciate the most simple balance between rice and pure mineral water then it doesn't get any better than this. Again, not a popular sake, but one that's worthy of being tried at least once. It's clean with a strong rice aroma.

Chokaisan Junmai Daiginjyo(Tenju)

From the sea comes fish, from the air comes foul, from the mountains come natural mineral water and wild vegetables, and from the earth comes live stock and fresh produce.   I have grown to love this balance when looking at Japanese food and sake.   The Japanese place a lot of emphasis on natural balance and order, which can be reflected in not only its cuisines, but also its national drink called nihonshu.

(N.B. As we go along I may use the words sake /nihonshu interchangeably).

 

In this four part series I will be introducing some great sake along with the mineral water that made each of them.   We'll start from Akita and work our way down to West Japan.  I'm going to show you the sake and the water that was used to make each sake and how that translates into to the actual sake brewing process  itself.    There's a plethora of information on the web highlighting the three basic ingredients of a sake, that being rice / rice mash, water, and koji mold, and then there's the brewer and his art that bring these three elements together.   It  could be said that the brew master too is another important ingredient...?

 

The sake of choice tonight is called Chokaisan Junmai Daiginjo.  Junmai meaning no added alcohol, only rice, water and koji.   Daiginjo meaning super premium sake made with rice milled down to 50% or less its original size, in other words, the Seimai Buai, which is the number that indicates the percentage of rice remaining after milling, NOT the amount that has been milled away will be a good indicator of the quality of the sake.  The rice type used on tonight's featured sake is called Miyama Nishiki 100% and it hails from the northern part of Japan, namely six different prefectures:  Nagano, Yamagata, Fukushima, Akita, Iwate, and Miyagi.    The alcohol content is 15.5% and the sake meter value is plus +1, the higher this number goes up the drier the nihonshu.  The acidity is 1.4.

 

Chokaisan is a mountainous region in Akita Prefecture, which is known for its delicious natural spring water, and home to a very old sake brewery called Tenju Shuzo.   This is also one of the oldest and most venerated sake breweries in the world.  

 

So without further ado let me introduce the water first that was used to make tonight's nihonshu.

It's called Chokaisan Natural Water and it's a soft water that's bottled at the source.  Potassium is 0.82mg, sodium is 1.9mg, calcium is 0.44mg, and magnesium is 0.22mg...pH is 6.2.   Basically, soft water is more compatible for making good sake whereas hard water has too much mineral content, namely calcium and magnesium.    Less of these ions and minerals the better  it is for sake brewing.   But this is not the generally  standard for all breweries, like in the case of Juyondai of Yamagata Prefecture which uses a harder natural mineral water.  What this does to the sake is give it more of a deeper amber(ish) color, and adds a little to the graininess and overall texture of the sake - it's really sexy.   Drinking this  water straight from the bottle after a long walk was refreshing.  I could taste the subtle balance of minerals in every mouthful.   One of my favorites.

 

And here's the sake that won the 2008 gold medal at the International Sake Challenge and silver at the 2009 Sake Challenge.    Chokaisan!

^^^^^^^^^^

( Natural energy as mentioned in the Celestine Prophesy)

Many people have commented on this sake saying things like: "A unique yeast created from flowers infuses this sake with fragrances of perfumed pear and fresh flowers. Matchless in its balance, it pairs perfectly with oysters, oil rich foods, nutty grains, cheeses and milky sauces. It can also be enjoyed alone or as an aperitif. Founded in 1874, Tenju Shuzo is a tightly knit, family-owned brewery enjoying its sixth generation of sake production. To ensure the quality of their product, the brew masters at Tenju use only naturally-filtered soft water from nearby Mt. Chokai and rice grown by exclusively commissioned local farmers." -Importer.  

 

I can confirm that it tastes exactly like that.  Flowers, flowers, and more flowers.  Clean and refreshing, dynamic and bold and with a beautiful pear nose.  So, there you have it, the perfect marriage between water and sake.  

Now let's head down to West Japan.

Japanese Sake & Food

I published a mini-pairing guide about Japanese sake and food a couple of years ago, and never got around to adding it to this new blog.  I was lucky enough to sell it through Yurindo Bookstore back in 08' and did well with it there for about six months.  I was very pleased with the outcome.  As of now the book is no longer in print as I am in the process of making some revisions to it.

This sake guide is a list of my personal favorites at that time, along with a few food picks that I would recommend for anybody. 

My time in Japan has been spent traveling, eating, and drinking delicious nihonshu, so it was quite natural for me to publish a book about these experiences.  It took me awhile to get around to doing that but I did, finally. 

The highlights of this book is focused on regional favorites like Hanasaki Gani, and some other rare fish delicacies that most Tokyoites may not be familiar with.   This book is skewed towards the Hokuriku and Tohoku regions of Japan - northern Japan and Hokkaido to be exact with an emphasis on local jizake or locally brewed sake.

 

So much history and so much beauty infused in the sake drinking experience.  The onsen  also serves to further heighten this experience.   The next revision will be released sometime in 2011, not sure exactly.

Natural Mineral Water of Japan

I love Japan's mineral water.   I'm a sentient being, so water is more then just a colorless, tasteless, and odorless beverage, it's  a precious resource that comes in many flavors and textures.   Even mineral content can vary from one minor degree to the next, which all have an effect on the taste.   Water is the quintessence of tea and nihonshu in Japan.  It is also the quiddity of every onsen ever soaked since time immemorial.   In Japan water is king!

 

One of the things I like most about Japan is that almost every prefecture  has its own mineral water source.  This is good for so many reasons, one of them being for making good sake, especially nihonshu.  Mineral water has also been used for growing delicious fruits and vegetables.    I will attempt to highlight some of my favorites and that of many other water aficionados in Japan.

 

First, let's start with some household name brands.  The first is called Rokou no Oishii water and it's from Osaka.   Almost every supermarket chain in Japan carries this brand.  Natrium is 2.95mg/Calcium 0.65mg/Magnesium 0.37mg/potassium is 0.08mg.  The pH is 7.2.  If you like something soft and with very little mineral content then I recommend trying this one.   A lot of elderly people buy this brand for some reason.

六甲のおいしい水

Next up, the picture below, is called Suntory Natural Mineral Water from the Minami Alps.   Now I like this water very much because it has a little more acid and mineral content than the first one.    The pH is 6.7, we get 0.97 calcium and 0.28 potassium.   It gets its taste from the lower pH, which for me has a perfect balance that make a mineral water taste great; refreshing taste, good medium hard water consistency. 

http://suntory.jp/tennensui/

 

Another interesting tid bit is that it's bottled on site, or at the water source itself!   Most times water is transferred to a processing plant  first and then bottled, which isn't necessarily a demerit, but a good precautionary measure in case there's something detected in the water itself, and also to remove excessive calcium and magnesium, which are the two main minerals that make water hard.

 

Leaving Kanagawa Prefecture there are two very nice mineral water choices.  Ones from Shinshu/Nagano Prefecture and the other is from Kumamoto Prefecture on the Island of Kyushu.

 

Let's start with Nagano Prefecture first.   It's called Kiso no Oishi Mizu / 木曽のおいしい水 and it's a soft water type that's very easy to drink.   It too is bottled at the source. 

pH 6.8, Potassium 0.94mg, Calcium3.0mg, magnesium 0.54mg.    There're a couple of supermarkets down in my area that sell this one.  Not particularly my favorite, but the taste could easily appeal to the soft water drinker.  Kiso is a very famous part of Nagano, by the way.  Been there and loved this place, especially if you are into Hinoki and onsen. 

 

The last really good one  is called Shirakawa Suigen, Minami Aso Hakusui Village from Kumamoto Prefecture located on the Kyushu Island of Japan.  According to the legend, a long time ago, the dragon god of water lived in the gushing waters of the fountainhead. 

Natrium is 1.0mg, calcium 2.3mg, magnesium 0.6mg, potassium 04.mg, ph 7.1. Mineral content in water does make a difference in taste.    Calcium content is high in this one, so the tongue may think it's a hard water when in actuality it really isn't that hard.   Often times when you hear words like "pH" then you need to thing more along the lines of how it has an effect on human skin, and not so much on the taste.  

 

 

The higher the pH the more emollient properties are in the water.  This means that it makes your skin feel smoother and with a mild astringent affect.  How it relates to you internally may have something to do with  aiding in digestion.....  Natrium is just another word for sodium. 

 

All-in-all, Japan's got some pretty good mineral  water.   I plan to continue this water series this week, but only next time it'll be with mineral water used to make Japanese sake! 

アラフォー：Around 40!

This post will pay a special tribute to my favorite class of women called the Japanese Jukujo.  Not every Japanese woman in her forties is a Jukujo, though.   It takes a certain purity, genius, and power to be one of these types of women.   Why...?

( Chisato Shoda / 千里翔田)

There's just a little over exaggeration there.  And honestly, to class women like this is sexist and bias.  But, let me answer the first paragraph first.  In Japan, the term Jukujo is considered derogatory, which is quite stupid actually.  The Japanese interpretation of it is skewed in as much as they worship underage air headed girly types.  It's almost as if they worship the very things that make the country go down the drain.

 

 

Jukujo is the apotheosis of Japanese beauty for me, and while young Japanese women are also beautiful, Jukujo still far outclass them in almost every way, even in physical beauty.  And how is that I suppose...?  Look at Chisato Shoda, a very well aged, spry forty year old matron.  Elegant and sexy in purple who has beautiful legs and fair skin.

 

One of the greatest charms any woman can have is that of a teacher, mentor, and supporter.  Not necessarily a sex teacher, but a teacher of her own culture and language.   A woman who loves to be supportive and sincere, not some milquetoast who's afraid to help others or themselves achieve great things.

 

I think all people are the same in this regard regardless of sex, race, or nationality.  All humans have a need to be accepted by others.   However, I think that to simply be accepted would require that you have a unique quality to start with, I mean, if all you do all day is shop and live at home with your folks way up into your thirties and you go to Disneyland five times a year then what types of qualities are you to have?   If a woman has  confidence in who she is as a person, just as a simple ordinary Japanese person, then this is enough for me.  I'm an ordinary person so I can't be asking for too much.   Japanese men don't see it that way.  They see these women as old and undesirable which is nothing but pure stupidity. 

 

 

I was in Kamakura one day with a Jukujo and we were waiting in line to be seated at this restaurant.  Just ahead of us a group of people were leaving the restaurant.  An American family of five and a Japanese lady who looked like she was no more then 24 years old was hosting them.  I take it that she was either engaged to one of the Americans and was showing her future in-laws around, or she was already married to one of the guys there, I couldn't really tell....

 

At any rate, you know in Japan you have to remove your shoes when entering traditional restaurants, and when leaving you have to put your shoes on over by the exit.   Unfortunately for the mother in-law she wasn't able to put her shoes on because of some sort of back or leg injury.  The rest of the family had finished putting their shoes on while completely forgetting about the mother in-law and almost walked off and left her, like nobody cared or even bothered to check that she was even able to put her shoes on.  She just sat there on the chair in the corner. 

 

My Jukujo ran over and put her shoes on for her!  Totally unexpected gesture of kindness that I had never seen in her before.  I mean, I'm used to her taking care of me and all, but a total stranger and with such spontaneity...?   I was impressed.   Later at the table I had asked her why she did it.... and she told me, ' who else was going to do it, somebody had to do it, so I did it.'   So you see, just from this one example, not every Japanese can be a Jukujo.

 

Most Japanese women are busy soul searching for some other identity, sometimes here or abroad, or at Disneyland....Rarely are they content with just being themselves?

Sorry for the nudity in this one, but I couldn't resist.  The male actor chose my favorite spot to sniff and relax.

 

Nurturing and supportive roles have always been a good traditional model for many Japanese women.   What we all need might just be in our very midst.

Bero Fetish Collection

The human tongue is the organ of speech which serves to taste and eat with.   Most vertebrates have one, and most use them for more than just eating and tasting, some for cleaning.   There're probably numerous and unimaginable ways that people use their tongues.

 

The tongue is the most widely mentioned part of the body in the Bible and is the most widely used of all the body parts next to the heart.   We even use our tongues when we are fast asleep, dreaming about that delicious something or someone.  That insatiable tongue, ehh...?  Tongues have also been  responsible for instigating wars and for  brokering peace. 

 

We love our tongue.  We couldn't live without it.  They give us our livelihood or make us sound smarter or dumber than we actually look, or perceive ourselves to be.  I love my tongue.   My three favorite body parts are my tongue, eyes, and penis. 

 

In Japan, the Japanese have taken tongue worship to a whole new level.  It's called "Bero" ベロフェチ or tongue fetish in English.  Have you ever listen to a piano sonata while watching a delicious looking Japanese woman lick her lips and teeth with that pink velvety mound of flesh...?  Lips coated in lush red lipstick as they glisten with saliva and quivering in nervous anticipation of that first kiss.

This morning, on my 38th birthday, I took a trip down to a porn shop to browse around.  The only time I stop through there is to look for Jukujo stuff.  The first store I went to had nothing of particular interest so I headed further down the road to another place that I had never been to before.    

 

Quickly browsing through the selection they had, I stumbled across this video cover in the picture above.   I have always had a special place in my heart for Japanese tongues and mouths.  There's just something about the neatly made-up face of a beautiful Japanese woman and her tongue that sparked arousal, and since it was only 380 yen! I picked it up.

 

This tongue in this video is beautiful.  It's wet, luscious, and the lips are full.   This DVD has forty beautiful Japanese debutants each showcasing their beautiful tongues.  Some clips show them kissing and talking, or even moaning.  Lovely.   Enjoy.

Bakuren

The sake is called Ba-ku-ren by Kudoki Jyouzu, Kameno Brewery in Yamagata Prefecture.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, rice is a big deal in the  saké world, so much, that breweries have invested an enormous amount of time and energy in looking for ways to grow newer and better rice grains just for brewing saké.

 

The rice used for today's featured saké is called Miyama Nishiki rice (美山錦), and it's a true saké rice varietal from the Tohoku region.  Normally, a brewer who uses this type of rice may be trying to create a more full bodied saké, one that's less dry, and with a good rice texture.   However, Bakuren saké was made exclusively with dryness in mind, yet many who have tasted it say it's not so dry.  So what was the brewer thinking by using this rice varietal if he didn't want to brew a dry saké?  I will try to answer this, read on.

 

As some of us may already know, that in order to brew a saké the rice used must be milled first...i.e. stripped away of its outer layer, the part where most of the nutritional content is.  Standard table rice, the stuff you eat for dinner, is only milled away at 10% whereas saké rice is anywhere from 50 ~ 70% milled.  That means that almost no nutritional content is left in the rice, save the amino acid content.   This is better for the brewing process.

 

Now, for  tonight's sake.  The Miyama Nishiki rice is milled down to about 55% of its value, so theoretically this is a Ginjo grade saké, which places this in a the premium saké category.  Premium saké will have more roundness and  delicate flavor profiles than the average brands that use less refined rice.    Are you still with me?

 

Here's the part that gets me.  All sake brewed has to have what's called a SMV(sake meter value) or nihonshu-do(本酒度), which is a measure of the density of sake to water.  The three things that are essential to any nihonshu or saké are rice, koji(mold), and water.  How this density is measured in each and every sake  determines how dry or how sweet a sake is supposed to taste.   Average saké regardless of category will generally fall into a few different ranges.  Just imagine a scale: -10 to 0 to +10.  Negative would be sweet and positive would be dry.   Many saké will either be between +1 to +3 and even +5, which are still basically sweet even though they're on the plus side.  The saké I'm drinking tonight is a +20!

 

So wow, what an extreme ratio here.  We have a saké that's brewed using Miyama Nishiki, a rice that's not typically used for creating dry sake, but more for  sake with bolder flavor profiles, and more well roundedness . 

 

Upon tasting, I noticed how smooth and very light this sake was.  Hardly no bouquet on the nose.  No bite.  Delicate tail.  Clean  mouth finish.  No complexity.  Quite dry actually.   The good point about this sake, though, is that  it has a pretty taste that you never get tired of.  This is the type of sake you can binge on over light snacks or what have you.   After spending hours and hours of drinking much stronger sake your tongue gets tired of the complexity, not this one.   Bakuren is the type of sake you can drink all night because it's so easy on the tongue...  I would highly recommend this sake for bingers with sensitive tongues and people who want to enjoy eating light snacks.  This could be a nice starter sake for those who may have no sense for sake.

 

So here you have it, a sake that was brewed using a rice that's not typically used for dry sake, but more for dynamic and bold sake, yet was +20!  This sake didn't taste like it was a +20, so a bit of a let down there.  I was expecting something very sexy to come out of the bottle, like a sexy Jukujo gene!  Instead, a stubborn kitchen drinker Jukujo type banging her fist on the table and demanding  more sake! 

 

N.B. Most premium sake is best enjoyed chilled.   Also, according to the brewer the picture on the label is of a Jukujo  during the Edo period drinking sake.   According to the lore, she's stubborn and demanding and refuses to stop drinking.  She's dreamy eyed with tofu complexioned skin which highlights the features of Yamagata women.   The +20 dryness and rice choice could be associated the brewer trying to force two different elements together by trying to make sense out of the differences and wound up creating something so light tasting, yet clean and refreshing and so Jukujo(ish).

What's Wrong with your Tongue?

 

I wish I could remember her name....oh...Ayako.   This string bean bikini(skinny Japanese girl) pulls me over to the side today to tell me how much she disliked one of  my choices in restaurants.  The restaurant I recommended to her was  in her own city and was even popular amongst the locals there, except her!

 

 

There's a place in Odawara, a micro urban city located on the outskirts of Kanagawa Prefecture, where there's a  type of hidden gem of a restaurant called Sanpei( san-pay), which specializes in Western style fried chicken.   It's rare to see such a place offering such a food dish like oily super crispy fried chicken, especially in the land of wabi-sabi and healthy food where anything oily gets condemned as junk food.

 

 

When I think of American-style fried chicken, words like crispy, juicy, oily, and salty spring to mind.  Sanpei's fried chicken is that, plus more!  It's really one of kind and a refreshing blast from the past when sinking my teeth into each and every bite.  Only true food geeks would travel as far as Odawara just to eat this chicken.  The only way to get here is by car!

 

 

At Sanpei, they have their own farm where they raise chicks up until they turn 3 or 4 month old, butcher them, halve them and prep them, then flour and fry them to order, nothing is pre-cooked, everything is  made to order. 

 

 

How I stumbled across this joint was through several popular food magazines that showcased this restaurant as having a very unique and flavorsome kind of chicken.   So, knowing me, the onsen, food, and sake geek I took a trip down there and went to heaven.  Luckily for me, since Hakone is just next door to Odawara,  made it even more appealing to even drive down  there.  I have since taken a couple of females there on two separate occasions  to enjoy a nice onsen and then a sumptuous chicken dinner.   All of them liked it and still crave more of it to this day.

 

 

Throngs of people fill this place up almost every night it seems, and they sell out of chicken almost every night.  So many people love this little joint that serves this super delicious and super crispy and super oily fried chicken.  Yes, it's the most oily fried chicken I have had since living in Japan, but it's damn good.

 

Just cause' this lady is underfed and unhealthy and who is super silly and super sensitive to oily food doesn't mean the chicken was bad.  Some oily foods taste good, fried chicken is one of them, she either  needs a tongue transplant or maybe a head check-up.    Bottom line is is that people eat all different types of food, some healthy, some not healthy.  Many oily foods like pizza and chicken just taste plain old good just as they are, oily.

 

I look at the numbers, I look at the people, I look at the ratings, I see the lines and the repeat customers who come back again and again.  People from Odawara and further north come from far and wide to enjoy this chicken. 

 

Ayako then comes back and offers me a recommendation for a chicken dish called chicken nanban チキン南蛮, which she claims tasteｓ better than my recommendation, here:

Now, chicken nanban is a local favorite of Kyushu  and Miyazaki prefectures whereas Sanpei's chicken is an experiment in eclecticism by not following  traditional styles of cooking.   The two dishes simply cannot be compared; one is a regional favorite and the other one is a Western concoction that  wound up tasting very good.

 

In the video you can see a decent spread.  All of the little dishes were excellent and so was the chicken nanban!  I also ordered  some nihonshu.  The sake in the vid is called Tsurugi 剣 and it's brewed by Hou Biden of Tochigi prefecture.  It was a super dry 辛口 type and it complemented the juiciness in the the chicken and the yoghurt sauce that was used as a topping over the chicken.   All-and-all, a nice dish.  I would definitely recommend it. 

 

There's a place in the Collette-Mare in Sakuragicho that sells chicken nanban called gin no tsubura or 銀のつぶら on the sixth floor.  No English is spoken.  The set  I ordered in the vid was a lunch set, sake was additional, so I wound up paying 1800 yen for lunch and was very satisfied.   Sanpei's for maniacs who like bold and heavy tastes like myself. 

Yoshie Takahashi

You did great today.  I attended your concert over at the music hall in Yokohama.  You didn't see me, but I was there, in the last row,  back there  ensconced in the warm embrace of a shadow.

 

Watching you strum along on that long and beautiful Japanese Koto was amazing.  Your hair was so neatly adorned in pins.  Your make up was flawless and your kimono was awe inspiring.   I was captivated by your allure, and at the nimbleness of your fingers as they moved up and down the strings.   I was carried off by each chord to another place in time - lost in time.

 

Again, you did great today.  You are a daughter  of Kochi, a prefecture famous for its many rivers of which knowledge has flowed since time immemorial.  So many great luminaries have come from where you were born. 

 

I never understood the urbanite modern day Yokohama born Japanese woman of today, and I suspect I never will.  Yoshie, you are a God amongst insects in this regard because you embody the principles of what it means to be Japanese.  You really do. 

 

This is the actual footage of her playing.  I recorded it from my iphone.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to zoom in to get a clear view of her beautifulness.   Nevertheless, I captured the sound of her playing.

Night Walks

 

night

The Yokohama Bay Quarter.  Some good shopping here.  If you're looking for American style mountain bikes at reasonable prices you can find them here.  I also like to come here for the burgers.  They've got so many restaurants in this complex.

 

These housing complexes were built just recently.  It's amazing how expensive they are too.  I don't see how anybody can afford to live in these. 

And then finishing up for the evening.

MM21 at Dusk

Nightly walks have been becoming my routine lately.  Recently, I purchased a track suit and a pair of K-Swiss snickers for walking; trying to work off the pounds slowly and painlessly.  Since it's in the middle of GW, I decided to stay local during this holiday. 

 

Normally,on long holidays,  I take opulent vacations to northern Japan for onsen and some respite, but this time, I wanted to stay in Yokohama and appreciate the city where I've been living for so many years.   I think Yokohama has some of the best views at dusk. 

Dusk

 

Dusk

Dusk

This part of Yokohama, MM21, or Minato Mirai, is billed as the city of the 21st Century.   The two towered building is an observation deck overlooking the harbour.

MM21 has something for the whole family.  Kids can come and enjoy themselves at a nearby fun park

Dusk

Something as simple as walking, breathing, and watching things are beautiful gift.