Although cherry blossoms and sake are both iconic symbols of Japan, the two are actually more intricately linked than meets the eye. From the annual outdoor drinking parties of "hanami" to sake made from actual sakura, they’ve both worked together to mold modern Japanese culture in many ways.
In the news this week: Let an artificial intelligence guide you to your ideal brand of sake at the Yummy Sake Week event in Tokyo. Then, Brussels gets its first ever sake bar at none other than the EU headquarters! Finally, Koreans, Taiwanese, and Hong Kongers agree: "drinking sake" is the best reason to travel to Japan in the winter.
It's winter again in many parts of the globe, which means it's the best time to explore the world of hot sake. Even if you’ve tried it before, it’s likely your hot sake experiences until now were just probing the surface of this particular rabbit hole.
Join us for a look at some of the things, both traditional and modern, Japanese people do as one year becomes the next. And, learn about the traditional New Year's sake known as "toso."
In the news this week: Another winter, another new and special stock of Funaguchi unpasteurized sake. Then, a byproduct of sake brewing surprisingly takes the Japanese cosmetic world. And, Uruguay imports its first-ever sake in a sign of the drink’s increasing global appeal.