The first "wine list" we saw, and the Tokyo Sky Tree I'm back from an extended absence - a lovely trip to Japan has kept me away from the world of wine in the UK and it's fair to say that the wine we know and love is not exactly "Big in Japan". Wine is available in many hotel bars and several restaurants but the choice was often limited to "glass wine". This is essentially the translation for "wine by the glass". Sometimes it wasn't even clear if this would be white, red, Japanese or anything else. Where "western" wines were spotted, they tended on the whole to be French, though I did see some Californian, and German Riesling featured at one venue. We also enjoyed a bottle of Cave de Turckheim Alsace Riesling in a fine dining experience or "kaiseki-ryōri" as it's called in Japanese, at one of the hotels we stayed it. It almost stood up to the food, but in the end, we mostly stuck to beer and saké. In the end, I only sampled a couple of Japanese whites, and wasn't able to find out anything important about them, not even the grape variety. I don't think France needs to panic just yet, as what I drunk had more of an apple cider finish than a wine finish, but I guess, it's early days for the Japanese wine industry and they've mastered whiskey (more of this later) so you never know...
A selection of (empty) Japanese wine bottles outside a bar in Shibuya (Tokyo). Note the tendency to use French terms like Chateau and "sur lie" despite these being Japanese...
5 Storey Pagoda at Nikko; Gate at Meiji Shrine, Tokyo Japan was a wonderful country to visit and explore, though I think Mr Purple Teeth won't mind if he never seens another Buddhist or Shinto shrine in the next decade. I'd wanted to visit since I was 8 years old, and finally my dream was realised. It was definitely worth waiting for. There are so many new flavours to explore, so many new foods to try, and so many unsampled alcohols, that while I did miss my wine at first, I soon got into the swing of ordering local drinks, confidently in my best phrase book Japanese. I won't say I fully understood what all of them were, nor that I'd drink them back home in the UK, but they added to the experience. If you'd like to try some for yourself, the Japan Centre has the UK's largest selection of saké, including the Gekkeikan Petit Moon, which we tasted in Kyoto, and were reliably informed was a very good one. It turns out to be the choice of the Imperial Household, so maybe we did learn a thing or two while we were there.
Our travels took us from Tokyo's bustling Megopolis to Nikko, a world heritage site dating back around 400 years. On from there to Hakone, a very quiet and scenic countryside area where we stayed in a luxurious ryōkan, to experience the onsen (hot spring baths) and the fine dining culture of multi-course meals with many separate dishes even within one course. We then hit Osaka, home of the Japanese comedy scene (which of course we didn't see), and Okonomiyaki - a kind of Japanese street food, pancake style. We certainly came back to reality here after 2 such luxurious days.
Our travels took us from Tokyo's bustling Megopolis to Nikko, a world heritage site dating back around 400 years. On from there to Hakone, a very quiet and scenic countryside area where we stayed in a luxurious ryōkan, to experience the onsen (hot spring baths) and the fine dining culture of multi-course meals with many separate dishes even within one course. We then hit Osaka, home of the Japanese comedy scene (which of course we didn't see), and Okonomiyaki - a kind of Japanese street food, pancake style. We certainly came back to reality here after 2 such luxurious days.
Central Tokyo; me in full yukata ready for onsen bathing; scenery around Hakone; "floating" shrine on Miyajima Our next stop was humbling Hiroshima, and onto a tiny island - also a world heritage site - Miyajima, finishing our trip in the centre of Japanese traditional culture, Kyoto. It was a lot to pack in and we covered many miles, but the Japanese bullet trains are extremely efficient and once you get your head round the unbelievable scale of some of the Japanese train stations, they are by far the best way to travel around the country. We used the Japan Rail Pass, which entitles you to travel on all but the Nozomi (the latest and fastest bullet train) and any JR train for 7 or 14 days. Despite not being on the fastest train, we still reached speeds of almost 200mph! A real highlight for me was seeing the glorious Mount Fuji from the bullet train on the way back to the airport on my last day. We'd hoped to be able to view it on our travels around Hakone, but the weather wasn't on our side. Luckily, I looked out of the window at the right time!
Five storey pagoda in Osaka we could actually climb; cenotaph at Peace Memorial, Hiroshima; gardens of Imperial Palace, Kyoto
Cherry blossom; Rose flavour; Japanese Caramel from a Japanese Island grown sugar (from a restaurant); enjoying Black Sesame flavour in Miyajima, not enjoying Green Tea and Sakura flavour in Kyoto So what about Japanese flavour? I'll start with the ice cream flavours. We've all experienced vanilla Mr Whippy. You may even have had half strawberry and half vanilla if you're exotic, but nothing could have prepared me for the multi-flavoured Japanese versions. The list of flavours was seemingly endless at many locations, and for the sake of my waistline, I could only taste a few. My favourite was doubtless the first one I tried: Sakura, or cherry blossom flavour. The Japanese have a particular obsession with cherry blossom and organise viewing parties, office outings, boat trips etc to take in the beautiful sight of all the trees in bloom. Needless to say, travelling during the peak blossom season is extremely expensive so we had just missed it, but this was a lovely way to enjoy the treat. Next I went for rose flavour, which was also a delicate floral and reminscent of Turkish Delight, as you'd expect.
I was so successful with the floral flavours that I got braver. I wish I had stuck to flowers and tried hydrangea, but I couldn't resist trying Black Sesame, if only to experience such a weird looking icecream. It was certainly sesame flavour, and perhaps a bit more savoury than most ice cream lovers would enjoy, but I found it refreshing after a long mountain hike, and as our ferry and train connection back to Hiroshima was the only bit of travel where we suffered a delay, it served to stave off the need for dinner! Finally, I wanted to come back to the cherry blossom flavour, but I felt I owed it to myself to try a new flavour, so I went for a compromise of cherry blossom and green tea (matcha). Japanese green tea is rather odd - it's not at all like what I'd experienced in Hong Kong. It's more or less a powder which dissolves in water, so while it's handy that there are no leaves, it is almost like pea green soup in colour, and some of the ones we sampled had a real seaweed tang. I found the roasted kind slightly more bearable, but I really wasn't a fan. If I was to develop a taste for it, I thought ice cream would be the way to go. But sadly, it just served to ruin my sakura flavour. A sad end to my ice cream experiences!
However, it did lead to a rather nice customer service moment. I'd walked down a thronging tourist trap street with my ice cream and it was melting fast. I was literally covered in a pink and green sticky mess without so much as a napkin. Another ice cream seller (not connected to the one I'd bought from) rushed out from her shop with some wet towels to allow me to wash myself down, and then disposed of my rubbish for me. All without me spending one yen with her. Now that is the kind, friendly and attentive service which we loved in Japan. For those of us who grew up watching Tenko, it's hard to reconcile just how warm Japanese people can be. It is true to say that we often felt invisible, but when it comes to customer service, I had no complaints at all. And coming from me, that's pretty remarkable!
I was so successful with the floral flavours that I got braver. I wish I had stuck to flowers and tried hydrangea, but I couldn't resist trying Black Sesame, if only to experience such a weird looking icecream. It was certainly sesame flavour, and perhaps a bit more savoury than most ice cream lovers would enjoy, but I found it refreshing after a long mountain hike, and as our ferry and train connection back to Hiroshima was the only bit of travel where we suffered a delay, it served to stave off the need for dinner! Finally, I wanted to come back to the cherry blossom flavour, but I felt I owed it to myself to try a new flavour, so I went for a compromise of cherry blossom and green tea (matcha). Japanese green tea is rather odd - it's not at all like what I'd experienced in Hong Kong. It's more or less a powder which dissolves in water, so while it's handy that there are no leaves, it is almost like pea green soup in colour, and some of the ones we sampled had a real seaweed tang. I found the roasted kind slightly more bearable, but I really wasn't a fan. If I was to develop a taste for it, I thought ice cream would be the way to go. But sadly, it just served to ruin my sakura flavour. A sad end to my ice cream experiences!
However, it did lead to a rather nice customer service moment. I'd walked down a thronging tourist trap street with my ice cream and it was melting fast. I was literally covered in a pink and green sticky mess without so much as a napkin. Another ice cream seller (not connected to the one I'd bought from) rushed out from her shop with some wet towels to allow me to wash myself down, and then disposed of my rubbish for me. All without me spending one yen with her. Now that is the kind, friendly and attentive service which we loved in Japan. For those of us who grew up watching Tenko, it's hard to reconcile just how warm Japanese people can be. It is true to say that we often felt invisible, but when it comes to customer service, I had no complaints at all. And coming from me, that's pretty remarkable!
An insight into the local favourites; the chicken wing; Gingko nuts; me being forced to down dessert in one; used skewers at the end of the night showing how much we enjoyed it! A customer experience highlight came in Osaka in the most unlikely place. We had expected Osaka to be party central, but it was a wet weekend, and after the Friday night when all the salary men and office ladies vacated their workplaces and hit the bars around 7pm, the Saturday and Sunday nights seemed deathly quiet. This may have been our location, or a factor of the economy? Or, perhaps they party so hard after work, they've no energy left to party for the rest of the weekend? In any case, we'd visited a semi Australian style bar on the Friday early evening happy hour, called Captain Kangaroo. On Sunday night, almost in despair, we returned around 8pm, looking for somewhere lively and the barman (Hiroshi?) kindly remembered us. He chatted with us for a while and then we asked for some advice on where to dine that evening. After discussing the sort of thing we were looking for, his colleague (Nozomi?) came up with the perfect Teppan place, where Yakitori was almost an art form, with over 40 different kinds of grilled skewers. It sounded (and was) perfect, and despite the wet weather and having drawn us a map, Nozomi decided to call the restaurant to check they were open and had space, and then accompanied us right to the door! Now that is the kind of service that makes me recommend a non-traditional, tired looking Australian bar in Osaka.
The restaurant itself was very simple but the range of things we tried that night was incredible and almost all met with our approval, though the Konjaku with Roe was hideous despite it's top 10 position. The staff confirmed it's not one that foreigners appreciate, AFTER we'd tried it. I became the centre of attention, with the staff stopping work to photograph me downing in one, accompanied by extreme chanting, their one dessert skewer (actually more of a slider of grilled sweet potato topped with a small ball of vanilla ice cream). The restaurant was called Teppanjinjya, but I don't have the address, so if you can't find it, pop into Captain Kangaroo and ask them for the Teppan place near Dojima and hopefully they can point you in the right direction to experience grilled Gingko nuts, beef neck, ginger, Japanese green peppers, mountain yam and many more which we didn't try, such as chicken gizzard...
The restaurant itself was very simple but the range of things we tried that night was incredible and almost all met with our approval, though the Konjaku with Roe was hideous despite it's top 10 position. The staff confirmed it's not one that foreigners appreciate, AFTER we'd tried it. I became the centre of attention, with the staff stopping work to photograph me downing in one, accompanied by extreme chanting, their one dessert skewer (actually more of a slider of grilled sweet potato topped with a small ball of vanilla ice cream). The restaurant was called Teppanjinjya, but I don't have the address, so if you can't find it, pop into Captain Kangaroo and ask them for the Teppan place near Dojima and hopefully they can point you in the right direction to experience grilled Gingko nuts, beef neck, ginger, Japanese green peppers, mountain yam and many more which we didn't try, such as chicken gizzard...
It wouldn't be Purple Teeth if we didn't talk about alcohol. In the end, we probably drunk more beer than anything else, with Asahi being the most common lager we sampled. Others such as Kirin, and Sapporo are also widely available in the UK but slightly tastier were Suntory Premium Malts, which, as you'd expect, had a lot more malty flavour and Yebisu. My personal favourites were the "black beers" or stouts. I tried Kirin and Yebisu, both of which were pretty good, but my favourite came in a can, from Japan's first micro brewery, Echigo. You really can taste the difference when beer is made in small quantities by people who care, rather than by mass production.
My first sake (sweet style); pouring it from the saucer; another dry sake, this time served in a bowl: Nigorizake (cloudy, unfiltered) served to brimming in a little box. When it comes to Japan and alcohol, there can be no more iconic drink than saké, or "Japanese Rice Wine". In Japan, saké can actually mean any kind of alcohol so it's a good idea to ask for it by the name Nihonshu. Funnily enough, for all we know it as rice wine, it's actually closer to beer in the way it's produced, via a brewing process, where the starch in one of 80 types of special saké rice (shuzō kōtekimai) is converted into sugar for fermentation. The rice is polished prior to fermentation to remove the bran and the different grades of saké depend on the degree of polish (up to 50% of the grain can be removed just leaving the pure and essential starch). While the alcohol level is similar to wine, the appearance and flavour is closer to a spirit. This is an unusual drink which can be served warm, chilled, at room temperature, frozen or on the rocks, or, even diluted with warm or cold water or in a cocktail. You wouldn't be doing that with many wines, beers or spirits. I must admit, I didn't try warm saké and I only drunk it neat, cold and very cold, mostly served in the traditional way where the glass is filled to the brim and overspill is drunk from the saucer underneath.
The most unusual one we sampled was Nigorizake which was kindly bought for us by a complete stranger. This is a cloudy type drink, which looks like milk but is essentially unfiltered saké, a bit like wine with the lees stirred through and not filtered. Technically and legally, this can't really be called saké in Japan. Seishu (清酒), "clear/clean sake", is the Japanese legal definition of sake and refers to sake in which the solids have been strained out, leaving clear liquid. Saké can also be dry or sweet, and though this information can be found on the label, I had no idea how to read it. Most of those I tried were dry although I'm not sure whether sweet really refers to noticable sugar on the palate, or whether this simply refers to the degree of smoothness and body. Certainly that varied. I found the flavours to be quite hard to name, but primarily herbal aromas and they reminded me of a Scottish sweet favoured by Sunday School teachers, OddFellows! Or maybe that's just me.
The most unusual one we sampled was Nigorizake which was kindly bought for us by a complete stranger. This is a cloudy type drink, which looks like milk but is essentially unfiltered saké, a bit like wine with the lees stirred through and not filtered. Technically and legally, this can't really be called saké in Japan. Seishu (清酒), "clear/clean sake", is the Japanese legal definition of sake and refers to sake in which the solids have been strained out, leaving clear liquid. Saké can also be dry or sweet, and though this information can be found on the label, I had no idea how to read it. Most of those I tried were dry although I'm not sure whether sweet really refers to noticable sugar on the palate, or whether this simply refers to the degree of smoothness and body. Certainly that varied. I found the flavours to be quite hard to name, but primarily herbal aromas and they reminded me of a Scottish sweet favoured by Sunday School teachers, OddFellows! Or maybe that's just me.
Frozen sake; Gekkeikan Daiginjo sake (supposedly a favourite of the Imperial household); racks of barrels of sake and Burgundy wines as offerings outside the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo
My first sample of Shochu (free); the kind (blind?) gent who offered us cloudy sake for my beauty; enjoying homemade Umeshu at the Izekaya Kuroganeya in Asakusa along with it's maker; mass produced Umeshu in Hiroshima The final Japanese traditional alcohols we tried in lower quantities. The first was Shochu - again, through remarkable customer service. We gingerly entered a very local local pub (or Izakaya) in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo on a Saturday night. The staff came rushing over waving their hands and saying "No English Menu". This was clearly their attempt to signal that this was a real "local" bar and we shouldn't really be entering. However, we indicated we only wanted to drink and one staff member managed a bit of English. With the help of our Collins Phrasebook, we were soon sampling beer and saké. There were lots of bottles lined up on shelves that looked to me like saké, but which clearly weren't. I asked what they were and was told "hard liquor". Turns out shochu is a distilled spirit made primarily from sweet potatoes, barley, rice or wheat, and I guess, is Japan's answer to Vodka. We were kindly poured a glass, on the house, after we managed to order some food by pointing at what other people were having. From the appearance of unwelcome, came a great welcome.
I also tried Umeshu, another Japanese product erroneously known as wine, in this case, Plum Wine. Umeshu is actually more similar to what Brits would recognise as Sloe Gin, given that it's essentially a liqueur based on adding Japanese yellow plums and sugar to shochu raw spirit. This is diluted down to around 15% and I drunk it as recommended, on the rocks. My first experience of this was in the bar where the kind gent had bought us cloudy saké. I felt bold after a few drinks and so went for it. Little did I know it was actually home made! Luckily, I lived to tell the tale and enjoyed it, despite the hint of almond flavour. It did seem to me ironic that we often describe red wine as having plum flavours and this alcohol produced with plum had virtually no recognisable plum flavour at all!
I also tried Umeshu, another Japanese product erroneously known as wine, in this case, Plum Wine. Umeshu is actually more similar to what Brits would recognise as Sloe Gin, given that it's essentially a liqueur based on adding Japanese yellow plums and sugar to shochu raw spirit. This is diluted down to around 15% and I drunk it as recommended, on the rocks. My first experience of this was in the bar where the kind gent had bought us cloudy saké. I felt bold after a few drinks and so went for it. Little did I know it was actually home made! Luckily, I lived to tell the tale and enjoyed it, despite the hint of almond flavour. It did seem to me ironic that we often describe red wine as having plum flavours and this alcohol produced with plum had virtually no recognisable plum flavour at all!
A small selection of the Japanese and other whiskies on offer at the 7-11 and the Yamizake 12 year old single malt Finally, and only sampled once, I couldn't call myself a Scot if I didn't scornfully sample Japanese Whisky.
Quite how they are getting away with calling it "whisky" (without the e - a spelling normally reserved for Scotch) I don't know, but I saw plenty of bottles labelled this way, so it clearly wasn't a one off mistake. I took the opportunity of a hotel "happy hour" to sample the Yamizake 12 year old single malt, served containing the world's largest "single ice cube". It was smooth and somewhat reminscent of a Speyside style but with a bit more smoke. I had expected to be horrified, but sadly for the Scotch industry, the Japanese do seem to have developed some skill in the production of our national drink. On the other hand, true Scotch was still widely available, and with virtually no price differential, I think there is still a market for Scotland's finest.
Quite how they are getting away with calling it "whisky" (without the e - a spelling normally reserved for Scotch) I don't know, but I saw plenty of bottles labelled this way, so it clearly wasn't a one off mistake. I took the opportunity of a hotel "happy hour" to sample the Yamizake 12 year old single malt, served containing the world's largest "single ice cube". It was smooth and somewhat reminscent of a Speyside style but with a bit more smoke. I had expected to be horrified, but sadly for the Scotch industry, the Japanese do seem to have developed some skill in the production of our national drink. On the other hand, true Scotch was still widely available, and with virtually no price differential, I think there is still a market for Scotland's finest.
I won't bore you with the rest of our food exploits as this could go on for a long time and this post is already plus-sized Instead I'll leave you with some pictures from both our fine dining, and not so fine eating experiences. And I'll also leave you with this thought: if you have a dream to visit somewhere, taste something, experience something new, don't hold back. Go for it. You only get one life and when you live a dream, it really is special. I'm more than happy to chat to anyone about this, or to offer wine tasting experiences, so feel free to get in touch if you're feeling inspired.
Back to Wine of the Week next week. Thanks for reading! Kampei!
Back to Wine of the Week next week. Thanks for reading! Kampei!
Endamame (virtuous bar snack); breaded giant shrimp (sadly & without warning, served with head on in this case); selection of starters on fine dining breakfast; Osaka Okonomiyaki being prepared on personal Teppan (hot plate)
Appetisers, sashimi selection; beef & trimmings to be prepared at the table "shabu-shabu" style. Just a few of the courses in one fine dining multi-course dinner at Aura Tachibana in Hakone
Soba and Vegetable Tempura (almost a spiritual experience after the "fine dining" to come back to simplicity); someone's prayer card at a shrine in Osaka; sunset from Miyajima
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