Kakegawa City, One Cup sake, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: One Cup Series 9): Doi Brewery-Iwaizake Kaiun Tokubetsu Junmai

August 31, 2015 dragonlife Leave a comment

A very interesting and reasonable way to taste sake is to acquire one-cup sake!
They also make for cute collection of glasses or cups!

Now, this is the second batch of Shizuoka Prefecture One Cup Sake I obtained at Matsuzakaya Department Store in Shizuoka City!

“Kaiun” by Doi Brewery in Kakegawa City!

As far as I know I think this is the only one they put out, but that might change quickly as this form of sake is becoming increasingly popular!

Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled in July 2015

Clarity: very clear
Color: very faint golden hue
Aroma: Dry and fruity. melon, rice, pears, greens
Taste: very dry and fruity attack backed up with moderate junmai petillant.
Complex. Pears, dark chocolate, walnuts, custard.
Lingers for a while warming the palate before departing on an even drier note with hints of dark chocolate, coffee beans and custard.
Late appearance of oranges.
Varies little with food but for a drier note.
Coffee beans make a strong comeback again away from food.

Overall: a deep, heady and complex, and very fruity sake, but with a pronounced dryness.
Eminently enjoyable on its own, it does marry beautifully with any food, though.
Suggested pairings: cheese, biscuits, desserts.
A sure value, an extravagant sake for a one-cup!

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Navigating Nagoya by Paige, Shop with Intent by Debbie, BULA KANA in Fiji, Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pie
rre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Ichi For The Michi by Rebekah Wilson-Lye in Tokyo, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
ABRACADABREW, Magical Craftbeer from Japan
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

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Big Fin Reef Squid, Japanese Gastronomy, squid

Japanese Cuttlefish/Squid Species 3: Aori Ika/Bigfin Reef Squid

August 23, 2015 dragonlife Leave a comment

Here we continue with this series which still promises a long haul!

Aori Ika or Bigfin Reef Squid is another extremely popular cuttle fish but in many othere countries.
In French languedoc and Roussillon they call them “piste” and eat them raw marinated in lemon juice, olive oil and spices on top of freshly toasted bread.

American Aori Ika/Caribbean Reef Squid

Of course they come by various regional names in Japan: Mo Ika, Bashoo Ika, Kutsu Ika, Misu Ika, Shiroi Ika.
They are fairly large as they can attain 40~45 cm length for a weight up to 6 kg.

Their season is from Summer to early Autumn (just in time for this article!). They are mainly caught in Central and South Japan along the Southern shores.
The catch has never been big (mainly by trawling nets), making them a choice morsel.

They are considered the best cuttlefish as far as sashimi is concerned.
The Japanese often catch them as a hobby to process and sell at local markets.

As sushi, especially as nigiri, they are simply top-class!

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Craft Beer, Shizuoka City

Shizuoka Craft Beer: Aoi Brewing-“Holznotenschlüssel”

August 22, 2015 dragonlife Leave a comment

Aoi Brewing Co. in Shizuoka City has just launched two limited commemorative craft beers in collaboration with events in Shizuoka City!

The second one, “Holznotenschlüssel” was brewed to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Shizuoka Aoi Tower.
It was announced as a German Alt style craft beer!

Served on tap
Barley, barley malt, Haratau Nugget hop, German Select hop, German Hersbrucker hop, live yeast
Unfiltered
Alcohol/ABV: 5.8%
IBU: 23
Bubbles: very fine bubbles. Longish head. creamy, milk coffee color
Clarity: slightly smoky (normal considering live yeast and being unfiltered), very clean
Color: deep brown-orange color
Aroma: discreet. bread, apricot
Taste: soft, dry and fruity approach.
Very little acidity.
Bread, biscuits, dry apricot, oranges.
Lingers long enough for true tasting before departing with more dry oranges.

Overall: Light, soft, but very satisfying German Alt-style craft beer.
Should be drunk on its own.
A craft beer for all seasons.
Ladies would probably appreciate it more than gentlemen for its soft approach.

Beer Junkie MOTEL

420-0035 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Shichiken Cho, 11-5, IMAKKOKO Bldg. 1F
Tel.: 054-253-6558
Opening hours: 17:00~25:00, 17:00~26:00 (Saturday), 15:00~22:00 (Sunday)
Closed on Tuesday
Parties welcome
FACEBOOK

BEER GARAGE

Aoi Brewing Co.,Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyagasaki Chyo, 30
Tel.: 054-294-8911
Opening hours: 17:00~23:00 (Monday~Friday), 15:00~23:00 (Saturday), 15:00~22:00 (Sunday)
Closed on Tuesdays
COD, Cash On Delivery only for all orders.
MAP
FACEBOOK

AOI BEER STAND
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 4-6, Den bill, 1F
Tel.: 054-260-5203
Opening hours: 11:00~23:00
Credit cards OK
FACEBOOK

Some Aoi beers are also available at Aoi Brewery’s restaurant in Shizuoka City, namely

GROWSTOCK

420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Koyamachi Naka Building, 5F
Tel.: 054-293-9331
Opening hours: 17:00~25:00 (Mon.~Thurs.), 17:00~27:00 (Fri & Sat.), 17:00~24:00 (Sun.)
Parties welcome (reserve!)
Credit Cards OK
FACEBOOK

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Craft Beer, Shizuoka City

Shizuoka Craft Beer: Aoi Brewing-“Geppakufuusei”

August 21, 2015 dragonlife Leave a comment

Aoi Brewing Co. in Shizuoka City has just launched two limited commemorative craft beers in collaboration with events in Shizuoka City!

The first one, “Geppakufuusei/月白風清” was brewed to commemorate the 5th Anniversary of the Shizuoka City Art Museum.
It was announced as a stylish French Saison type craft beer brewed with 5 different hops and 5 different spices!

Served on tap
Barley, wheat, barley malt, wheat malt,Pearl hop, First Gold hop, Sapphire hop, Crystal hop, Opal hop, orange peels, lemon peels, coriander, nutmeg, lemon grass, live yeast
Unfiltered
Alcohol/ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 20
Bubbles: very fine bubbles. Long head. creamy, white
Clarity: slightly smoky (normal considering live yeast and being unfiltered), very clean
Color: deep lemon/light orange color
Aroma: dry and spicy but soft. Bread, faint citruses
Taste: very spicy and dry attack with satisfying acidity.
Citruses, orange peels, spices.
Lingers long enough on palate for true tasting before disappearing with more dry spices.
Actually lingers on the palate longer than usual.
Drinks very slowly.

Overall: A beer which ought to be enjoyed on its own, although it will please gentlemen more than ladies.
If you must absolutely drink it with food, cheese and spicy meats would be best.
Strong and intriguing although standard as far as alcohol content is concerned.
A beer for tasting, especially on a hot afternoon!

Beer Junkie MOTEL

BEER GARAGE

AOI BEER STAND
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 4-6, Den bill, 1F
Tel.: 054-260-5203
Opening hours: 11:00~23:00
Credit cards OK
FACEBOOK

Some Aoi beers are also available at Aoi Brewery’s restaurant in Shizuoka City, namely

GROWSTOCK

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Manhole covers, Shizuoka City, urban Art

Manhole Covers in Shizuoka Prefecture 38: Nishigaya Sports Center in Shizuoka City!

August 17, 2015 dragonlife Leave a comment

Nishigaya Sports Center is located far away, about 30 minutes by bicycle from Shizuoka Station on the other side of the Abe River. That is probably why I never realised they might have, and an ancient one at that, their own particular manhole covers!

They are all, 21 of them, located in the middle of a street running along the sports center (none were found near the baseball stadium, though). There are two types,most often in pairs, although of the exactly same design.
They were probably installed in 1990 when the Sports Center was completed, making them very old by Shizuoka standards!

The “denki/電気/underground electric cables manhole cover”!

The “Tachi Aoi/たち葵/Hollyhock”, emblem flower of Shizuoka City!

A “Tsubame/燕/Swallow”, one of the two Shizuoka emblem birds (the other one is the kingfisher)!

The “Osui/汚水/spent waters” type!

I have a strong hunch they will soon be replaced so keep an eye on them!

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Buckwheat, Japanese Gastronomy, Shimada City, Soba

Soba (Buckwheat Noodles) Restaurant: Soba Gen in Shimada City!

August 14, 2015 dragonlife 1 Comment

Service: very kind and smiling
Equipment & Facilities: Old but very clean. Washroom equipped for physically-impaired customers
Prices: reasonable
Strong points: Soba/buckwheat noodles, sushi. Pottery on sale

I discovered this very traditional soba/buckwheat noodles restaurant near the Shimada Municipal Meuseum when I visited the old Ooi River Crossing Village/Kawagoshi Kaidou!
It made for the perfect stop for lunch during a very interesting visit of this important historical site!

A very traditional entrance!

It actually doubles up as a pottery atelier and you can find fine artifacts right from the moment you enter the place!

Some of it is for sale inside the restaurant!

And you can have a good view of the kitchen and working chef!

A really peaceful rural atmosphere!

Traditional Shizuoka Soba with grated yam!

The menu is fairly extensive including even sushi!
As for soba, they are very traditional and authentic!

This was my order!

Cold soba with tenpura/Ten Oroshi Soba!

Absolutely succulent!
Definitely looking forward to my next visit as I want to visit the village a bit more thoroughly in more clement weather!

SOBA GEN/そば玄

427-0037 Shimada City, Kawahara, 2-14-5
Tel.: 0547-34-3332
Mobile: 090-5617-7548
Opening hours: 11:00~14:00 (on week ends: 11:00~15:00). From 17:00, on reservation only
Closed on Mondays and 3rd Tuesday of the month. Open on Monday if it is a National Holiday
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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Craft Beer, Izu no Kuni City, Shizuoka Beer

Shizuoka Craft Beer: Izu No Kuni Beer-Premium Stout

August 12, 2015 dragonlife Leave a comment

I finally came to taste Izu No Kuni Beer’s 3rd regular brew: Premium Stout!

As opposed to the canned version which contains 330 ml the bottled version contains 500 ml!

Contents: 500 ml
Barley, barley malt, hops, live yeast
ABV: 7%
Probably filtered

Bubbles: long head, very fine bubbles, creamy, milk coffee color
Dark very dark brown
Aroma: assertive. Dry caramel
Taste: Soft but deep attack.
Dry caramel, coffee beans. Very little acidity.
Biscuits and　bread appearing on the late.
Lingers long enough for true tasting before departing on a drier note and more coffee beans.
Stays true to the first impressions all the way through although coffee beans tend to assert themselves more and more with every sip.

Overall: very satisfying stout.
Dry and deep.
Very refreshing in spite of its stout nature.
Easily the best brew by Izu No Kuni Beer!
Although eminently enjoyable on its own would marry beautifully with BBQ food.
Would do well with a dram of whisky!

IZU NO KUNI BEER (IZU-WORLD MINNA HAWWAIIANS)
〒410-2315 静岡県伊豆の国市田京195-2
〒410-2315 Shizuoka Prefecture, Izu No Kuni City, Takyo, 195-2
TEL：0558-76-3355
HOMEPAGE

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Craft Beer, Shizuoka Beer

Shizuoka Beer News: Aoi Brewing to launch 2 limited Commemorative Craft Beers!

August 11, 2015 dragonlife Leave a comment

Aoi Brewing Co. in Shizuoka City is about to launch two limited commemorative craft beers in collaboration with events in Shizuoka City!

The first one will be a “Holznotenschlüssel” for the 20th Anniversary of AOI Music Hall.
It is a traditional German Alt type brewed with 3 different German hops and roasted malts.

The second one is “Geppakufuusei” for the 5th Anniversary of the Shizuoka City Art Museum.
It is a stylish French Saison type craft beer brewed with 5 different hops and 5 different spices.

Both brews will be available on tap at Aoi Brewing Co. outlets from the 17th of August!

\Beer Junkie MOTEL

BEER GARAGE

AOI BEER STAND
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 4-6, Den bill, 1F
Tel.: 054-260-5203
Opening hours: 11:00~23:00
Credit cards OK
FACEBOOK

Some Aoi beers are also available at Aoi Brewery’s restaurant in Shizuoka City, namely

GROWSTOCK

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Manhole covers, Shizuoka City, urban Art

Manhole Covers in Shizuoka City 37: The One That Will Never Appear On Shizuoka City Streets!

August 10, 2015 dragonlife 1 Comment

Last Friday the Shizuoka City Water and Sewers Department were holding an unusual and very instructive exhibition to make the public aware of their work from manhole covers to the functioning of toilets with a strong accent pn public hygiene!

Visitors were greeted with two of these public water spouts in shape of dragon head!

Quite a few fire hydrant and waterways manhole covers in their mint form were on display including a guest in the shape of a flowery design from Aichi Prefecture!

of course the hollyhock, emblem flower of Shizuoka City (for waterways) was exhibited!
Actually there exist more than 8 types of the same design!

There was also a mint of a fire hydrant manhole cover from Shimizu City before its merger with Shizuoka City!

The start display was of the three most recent fire hydrant manhole covers in Shizuoka City!

I have described those two in recent articles!

This one was minted in 2007 to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the retirement of Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu to Sumpu (the old name of Shizuoka City!)!

This was laid on February 24th this year to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the Death of Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu in our city!

These are the very newest designs to be laid in Shizuoka City!

The character on all three designs is a kingfisher, the emblem bird of Shizuoka City!
But unfortunately it will be some time before we can admire them in our streets!

This is the mint of a firefighting kingfisher!
When I asked the civil servants where we could them, they first replied they did not know exactly.
Later they were kind enough to meet me again with more of their colleagues who were actually extremely helpful and kind.
The story is we will never see this particular design as it was found out the surface would become too slippery when wet. Therefore this has become a mint proof that will ot be reproduced.
On the other hand the city is re-designing the cover to improve its safety but no one knew when they would appear yet!

A rare find if there is one!
Great for my collection until we see the new ones!
It would be a sham not to discover them as they are so cute!

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Cafes, Cakes, Shimada City

Cake & Coffee Set at din/g.place in Shimada City!

August 9, 2015 dragonlife 1 Comment

Service: Very friendly and smiling
Facilities & Equipment: Spotless clean overall. beautiful washroom. Entirely non-smoking
Prices: reasonable
Strong points: Cakes, desserts, lunch sets and week end brunches

The other day I had the occasion to pay my first visit to a cafe opened about two years ago in Shimada City, a city fast developing into a gastronomic venue: din/g.place!

The place is only opened only in daytime until 18:00 unless you reserve for a party of more than 5 guests past this time. Not only it is spotless clean in a new passage building, it is also completely non-smoking!
The setting inside the large cafe allows you to choose a table to your liking.

Even for a cafe the menu is really extensive.
For lunch they propose no less than four different sets, not only scrumptious but very reasonable.
The week end brunches are very popular and the desserts offer a good possibility of combinations!

I recommend a table by the window opening onto an interior terrace!

For this visit I opted for a combination of two desserts and a coffee for a mere 1,050 yen!

The double dessert!

Delicious baked cheese cake!

Very generous panacotta!

And coffee!

Looking forward to my next visit for lunch in particular!

din/g.place
Cafe & dining

Shimada City, Hon Toori, 1-1-10, Miyanokomichi Passage
Tel.: 0547-35-5005
Opening hours: 11:00~18:00, 08:30~18:00 on week ends. 17:00~21:00 on reservation only (from 5 guests~)
Closed on Mondays
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
FACEBOOK

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Japanese warehouses, Kura, Shizuoka Prefecture

KURA: Traditional Japanese Warehouses in Shizuoka Prefecture 27: Akino Family House in Shimada City!

August 8, 2015 dragonlife Leave a comment

“Kura” (in Japanese 蔵 or 倉) means “warehouse” or “Storehouse”.
In traditional Japan, especially during the Edo Era, as most of buildings and urba/village structures were made of wood, fires were the bane of society by and large.
However well-protected a fire would consume a house or buildings and all its properties within minutes.
Hence a special building or warehouse was needed to protect goods and properties against such a catastrophe.
But erecting a storehouse solely made of concrete, stones and some metal cost a vast amount of silver and gold and only rich merchants and nobility could afford them. Even castles could not be built entirely of stone then.

the other day I noticed a kura hidden inside a big property and s\decided to investigate!
The whole property was locked up and unfortunately access and views were very limited in spite of its splendid state!

I decided to find the entrance of the property where I found this commemorative pillar erected beside the entrance gate!
It stated that this home erected during the Meiji Era was owned by the Akino Family and had been designated as a national Cultural Asset in 1935!

Beside the very door hung this name plate with name of Akino Family and a rare kind of Arms representing agricultural tools! The Arms were evidently inspired by those of noble families in Europe!
I found out later that the Akin Family was probably the richest and the most powerful family in Edo Period and beyond in Shimada City which was then one of the richest cities in the Prefecture!
Unfortunately in spite of its status as a Cultural Asset it is uninhabited and closed to the public although local politicians are fighting to have it open as a local Museum!

What I found hidden behind all manners of vegetation was not one but a double imposing kura!
I was told there was even a third one hidden by trees inside the promises!
The family must have been enormously rich!

Still in incredibly good state and repair!

Unusually tall walls with their alignment hooks still unmoved or unbent!
I was told the kura contained an incredible wealth of documents and what else!