Japanese Foods-- nomimono

[torakris]

what's up with the new funky bottle shapes??

An attempt to make less look like more?

Is the "bottle can" (2nd from left, Pepsi link) style starting to fade away?

←

good question, I am not sure.

At the convenience store yesterday I noticed all these funky shaped bottles taking over the shelves and I wasn't paying attention to the bottle cans. I really prefer those as they keep the drinks cold longer. I will keep my eye out and see what is happening with them.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

When I was at Nijiya this morning, I found Suntory Bubble Man Golden Delicious soda in a bottle can. I really like it, and I'm kicking myself for only getting one.

[NickLam]

Evertime I'm in Japan, its always Suntory or Boss coffee from the vending machine in the morning, and calpis sometime during the day. At last year's beer festival in Tokyo however....I discovered the best beer I've tasted in my life. Koshihikari from Niigata. I think its beer made from Koshihikari rice.

All I can say is WOW...super smooth, crisp, flavourful and a nice finish. Absolutely amazing. Dunno where to buy it in Tokyo though....but I will look for it next time!

[Hiroyuki]

Evertime I'm in Japan, its always Suntory or Boss coffee from the vending machine in the morning, and calpis sometime during the day.  At last year's beer festival in Tokyo however....I discovered the best beer I've tasted in my life.  Koshihikari from Niigata.  I think its beer made from Koshihikari rice.

All I can say is WOW...super smooth, crisp, flavourful and a nice finish.  Absolutely amazing.  Dunno where to buy it in Tokyo though....but I will look for it next time!

←

Was it this?

I found some others too, such as this and this.

[NickLam]

[Hiroyuki]

The bottle was dark brown, with a dark sticker.  In the sticker, it had a red sun and on each side, was a rice plant.    The words HoshiHikari are written in english in the middle.

Can't seem to find it on the net at all, it was a small artisanal brewery up in the mountains.....or so thats what the guy said!    He said its crispness comes from the cold mountain spring water, etc...etc.....

How about this one? Edited April 4, 2006 by Hiroyuki (log)

[NickLam]

The bottle was dark brown, with a dark sticker.  In the sticker, it had a red sun and on each side, was a rice plant.    The words HoshiHikari are written in english in the middle.

Can't seem to find it on the net at all, it was a small artisanal brewery up in the mountains.....or so thats what the guy said!    He said its crispness comes from the cold mountain spring water, etc...etc.....

How about this one?

←

Bingo! Thats the one! Do you know what company produces it? Ahahahahaa thanks for finding it, Hiroyuki.......now you're making me thirsty!

[tantan]

My favourite drink at the moment is from Starbucks (in Australia, not sure if other countries have it). It's a kind of milkshake mixed with green tea, crushed ice and cream on top.

It's smooth, creamy, tastes like a dessert drink, but not too sweet.

As for real Japanese drinks, I usually just have mugicha, green tea, Pocari Sweat or whatever flavour of Calpis has just been released.

If I'm eating yakiniku or okonomiyaki I love a Sapporo or Asahi.

[NickLam]

My favourite drink at the moment is from Starbucks (in Australia, not sure if other countries have it). It's a kind of milkshake mixed with green tea, crushed ice and cream on top.

It's smooth, creamy, tastes like a dessert drink, but not too sweet.

As for real Japanese drinks, I usually just have mugicha, green tea, Pocari Sweat or whatever flavour of Calpis has just been released.

If I'm eating yakiniku or okonomiyaki I love a Sapporo or Asahi.

←

That would be Matcha cream frappucino in Japan. Ever since my sis intro'ed it to me at the Shibuya Starbucks.......I've been addicted! Slurped it everywhere.............even the Starbucks across from my home in Bangkok has it, though its super sweet here.

[torakris]

My favourite drink at the moment is from Starbucks (in Australia, not sure if other countries have it). It's a kind of milkshake mixed with green tea, crushed ice and cream on top.

It's smooth, creamy, tastes like a dessert drink, but not too sweet.

As for real Japanese drinks, I usually just have mugicha, green tea, Pocari Sweat or whatever flavour of Calpis has just been released.

If I'm eating yakiniku or okonomiyaki I love a Sapporo or Asahi.

←

That would be Matcha cream frappucino in Japan. Ever since my sis intro'ed it to me at the Shibuya Starbucks.......I've been addicted! Slurped it everywhere.............even the Starbucks across from my home in Bangkok has it, though its super sweet here.

←

I actually discovered this when I was in the US last summer!

I know order it every time go to Starbucks in Japan with my kids as they love it.

[_john]

I discovered an extremely good Japanese beer about a week ago. It is an unfiltered wheat beer called Gingakogen komugi beer (銀河高原小麦ビール). I found it at YaMaYa import food shop and I have not seen it elsewhere. Very nice flavor, I really enjoy unfiltered beers, the flavor of the yeast is very pronounced.

I would like to try more craft beers from Japan, that koshihikari beer sounds interesting. Nick can you tell me a little bit about the beer festival in Tokyo?

Edited April 6, 2006 by _john (log)

[Hiroyuki]

The bottle was dark brown, with a dark sticker.   In the sticker, it had a red sun and on each side, was a rice plant.    The words HoshiHikari are written in english in the middle.

Can't seem to find it on the net at all, it was a small artisanal brewery up in the mountains.....or so thats what the guy said!    He said its crispness comes from the cold mountain spring water, etc...etc.....

How about this one?

←

Bingo! Thats the one! Do you know what company produces it? Ahahahahaa thanks for finding it, Hiroyuki.......now you're making me thirsty!

←

Sorry for a late reply.

http://www.e-ippin.jp/70sankei/index.html seems to be the only site from which you can buy a set of Koshihikari beers.

See the third photo.

It says:

Koshihikari set:

Enjoy the two Koshihikari beers, refreshing Koshihikari lager and flavorful roasted (malt) Koshihikari lager.

Set of six 330-ml bottles

Price (including tax): 2,625 yen

The company called Sankei produces these and other beers under the brand name 日本海夕陽岬ビール Nihonkai Yuuhi Misaki Beer (lit. Japan Sea Evening Sun Cape Beer). They have a brewry called 日本海夕陽ブルワリー Nihonkai Yuuhi Brewry

The official site of Nihonkai Yuuhi Brewry is here:

http://www.yuhibeer.com/

Information on Sankei:

Location: Nozumi, Teradomari, Nagaoka city, Niigata

Phone: 0258-75-4966

E-mail： brewery@yuhibeer.com

According to the site above, the company produces beers with both spring water from Todo no Mori and and deep sea water from 200 meters below sea level.

A brief description of Todo no Mori can be found here:

http://www.city.tochio.niigata.jp/school/a...i/2319todo.html

The spring water is one of Japan's 100 remarkable waters:

http://www.mizuhiroba.jp/en/meisui/hyakusenlist.html

You can see photos of the beers produced by Sankei here:

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~iv9y-ymmt/beer...gata/yuuhi.html

The third and fourth photos from the left show roasted (malt) Koshihikari lager and the fifth photo shows Koshihikari lager.

In the International Beer Summit http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~keika/sake/goldbeer.html (Japanese only), Koshihikari lager won a silver award in the American style premium lager category and roasted (malt) Koshihikari lager won a silver awardin the scottish style ale category.

I didn't know anything about these beers. I wish I could have them, but considering the price,... well I think I should stick to shochu and "third beers".

[Hiroyuki]

One more thing:

According to this site (Japanese only), both

Koshihikari lager

and

Baisen Koshihikari lager (roasted (malt) Koshihikari lager)

are available for a limited time only.

[thelobster]

I've heard rumors that Ginga Kogen is going out of business - maybe that's why it's on sale at Yamaya.

For Koshihikari and other hard-to-find microbrews, it might be worth checking out Tanakaya in Mejiro. They seem to have the biggest selection of Japanese craft beers in town.

[NickLam]

One more thing:

According to this site (Japanese only), both

Koshihikari lager

and

Baisen Koshihikari lager (roasted (malt) Koshihikari lager)

are available for a limited time only.

←

Wow, doomo arigato gozaimashita Hiroyuki san!

That was some great info on Koshihikari there. Unfortunately, the Japanese characters are showing up on my Mac as wierd characters and I will have to find another computer to properly load the webpages.

But I'm both saddened and surprised to see Hoshihikari only being available for a limited time

That is one amazing beer and if only for one time, I'd urge anyone who loves beer to splurge on it and savour it. I think the spring water gives it a unique crispness, taste and superior thirst quenching properties. Strange seeing how alcohol actually dehydrates.

For those who haven't tried Hoshihikari....gogogogo, get it b4 its too late.

[Hiroyuki]

One more thing:

According to this site (Japanese only), both

Koshihikari lager

and

Baisen Koshihikari lager (roasted (malt) Koshihikari lager)

are available for a limited time only.

←

Wow, doomo arigato gozaimashita Hiroyuki san!

That was some great info on Koshihikari there. Unfortunately, the Japanese characters are showing up on my Mac as wierd characters and I will have to find another computer to properly load the webpages.

But I'm both saddened and surprised to see Hoshihikari only being available for a limited time

That is one amazing beer and if only for one time, I'd urge anyone who loves beer to splurge on it and savour it. I think the spring water gives it a unique crispness, taste and superior thirst quenching properties. Strange seeing how alcohol actually dehydrates.

For those who haven't tried Hoshihikari....gogogogo, get it b4 its too late.

←

I thought I should post some more information about their availability, so I sent an inquiry to the company. I'll post a reply here.

[_john]

I've heard rumors that Ginga Kogen is going out of business - maybe that's why it's on sale at Yamaya. 

For Koshihikari and other hard-to-find microbrews, it might be worth checking out Tanakaya in Mejiro.  They seem to have the biggest selection of Japanese craft beers in town.

←

That's a shame, I just found them and they might be going out of business. I live in Osaka and I haven’t researched to find a shop with a good beer selection yet. Coming from the California I am totally spoiled by Beverages and More. Maybe they will open up in Japan just like Costco has.

[Hiroyuki]

One more thing:

According to this site (Japanese only), both

Koshihikari lager

and

Baisen Koshihikari lager (roasted (malt) Koshihikari lager)

are available for a limited time only.

←

Wow, doomo arigato gozaimashita Hiroyuki san!

That was some great info on Koshihikari there. Unfortunately, the Japanese characters are showing up on my Mac as wierd characters and I will have to find another computer to properly load the webpages.

But I'm both saddened and surprised to see Hoshihikari only being available for a limited time

That is one amazing beer and if only for one time, I'd urge anyone who loves beer to splurge on it and savour it. I think the spring water gives it a unique crispness, taste and superior thirst quenching properties. Strange seeing how alcohol actually dehydrates.

For those who haven't tried Hoshihikari....gogogogo, get it b4 its too late.

←

I thought I should post some more information about their availability, so I sent an inquiry to the company. I'll post a reply here.

←

I received a reply from Nihonkai Yuuhi Brewery today. Here's a summary of the reply:

Q1. Can I purchase your beers individually not as a set?

A1. For home delivery, we have a styrofoam box for six bottles and a cardboard box for 30 bottles. We will pack what the customer requests, and we will accept only a single type.

For more details, contact us.

Q2. How can I get your beers in Tokyo, for example?

A2. There are two shops where you can drink our beers, but there is none that sells them. Thus, they are available by home delivery (only).

Q3. One site says that Koshihikari lager and baisen Koshihikari lager are available in a limited time only. What exactly is the limited time?

A3. Basically, we manufacture and sell them all year around.

[NickLam]

You're a legend Hiroyuki!

Ahahahaha, I can quench my thirst in Tokyo now. So sorry to trouble you again.......but could you find out which 2 shops in Tokyo sell their beers?????

Thank you again for all your help.

[Hiroyuki]

You're a legend Hiroyuki!

Ahahahaha, I can quench my thirst in Tokyo now.  So sorry to trouble you again.......but could you find out which 2 shops in Tokyo sell their beers?????

Thank you again for all your help.

←

No problem. I just sent them another inquiry.

[NickLam]

Thank you!

[Hiroyuki]

Thank you!

←

Their reply:

都内で飲めるお店は下記の通りです。

1.　東山東京　　　目黒区東山1-21-25　　　コシヒカリラガー・マスカットワインタイザーのビン

　　東山ラウンジ　　　　　同　上　　　　　　　　コシヒカリラガー・サンセットラガーのビン

2.　松　　　　　　　渋谷区恵比寿3-28-12　　コシヒカリラガーのタル

Translation, with some additional information:

The restaurants in Tokyo where you can drink (not buy) them are:

1. Higashiyama Tokyo

1-21-25 Higashiyama, Meguro ward

Phone: 03-5720-1300

Koshihikari lager and muscat wine tizer (sp??) in bottles

Higashiyama Lounge

Location: Same as above

Koshihikari lager and sunset lager in bottles

2. Matsu

1st floor, ATY building, 3-28-12, Ebisu, Shibuya ward

Phone: 03-3442-3915

Koshihikari lager in barrels

There is surprisingly little information on these restaurants. Neither of them seems to have an official website.

[NickLam]

Thank you thank you thank you!

Ahahaha I will be visiting these places for my 'fix' of Hoshihikari. Finding these places would be a bit of a headache.....but with the phone number and the nearby koban, it shouldn't be a problem. Thats what I always do.....get the cops to call the place, find out where it is, than draw it on the map for me to follow!

Thanks again Hiroyuki, your help has been indispensable.

Cheers!

[Hiroyuki]

Thank you thank you thank you!

Ahahaha I will be visiting these places for my 'fix' of Hoshihikari.  Finding these places would be a bit of a headache.....but with the phone number and the nearby koban, it shouldn't be a problem.    Thats what I always do.....get the cops to call the place, find out where it is, than draw it on the map for me to follow! 

Thanks again Hiroyuki, your help has been indispensable.

Cheers!

←

I should have searched for Higashiyama-tokyo rather than 東山東京.

Here are some links:

http://www.simplicity.co.jp/higashiyama_tokyo/top03-2.htm

http://www.hike-shop.com/cul/bassin/bassin2.htm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49258984@N00/32856876

Looks like a high-class Japanese restaurant.

I still can't find any information on the other restaurant, Matsu, except that the fact that it is a Japanese restaurant.

[NickLam]

Great links and yea....ahahah any place that calls itself a 'lounge' sounds high class! But Matsu at ATY building should be reasonably easy to find. I seem to remember ATY building.........but pretty sure its not that hard to find. Besides, with their restaurant number, I send for a skymail map to their restaurant using a mobile phone. Thats why Japan rocks!