Tag Archives: Shizuoka

sake, Sake Bar, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka City

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Sanwa Brewery-Garyubai Junmai Ginjo Homarefuji Genshu (conducted at La Sommeliere in Shizuoka City)

October 19, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

I don’t mind repeating it all the time but I prefer conducting sake tastings in the right environment but not many places are propitious for that exercise or willing to help.
But La Sommeliere in Miyuki Cho, Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City is certainly becoming a habit as not only I can conduct my tasting in the best conditions possible but also exchange views at the same time!

Now, which sake did I taste this time!

Another sake with a long name by Sanwa Brewery in Shizuoka City, Shimizu Ku!

Garyubai Junmai Ginjo (no pure rice alcohol added) Homarefuji (rice name) Genshu (no pure water added)

Rice: Homarefuji (grown in Shizuoka Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 55%
Alcohol: 16~17 degrees
Dryness: + 4
Acidity: 1.4
Bottled in July 2014

Clarity: very clear
Color: faint golden hue
Aroma: Fruity and dry. Assertive. Alcohol. pears, green apples, custard
Body: fluid, slightly sirupy
Taste: Very fruity and deep attack, backed up by puissant junmai petillant and pleasant alcohol.
Complex: custard, lychees with hints of oranges.
Lingers on the palate for a short while before departing on a drier note with hints of almonds, coffee beans and dark chocolate.

Overall: I didn’t bother to drink with food!
Very elegant despite higher alcohol content.
Would make for the perfect digestif, especially for ladies who would prefer a late nightcap with less alcohol.
At times drinks like a dry Sauternes!

LA SOMMELIERE

420-0857 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 7-5, Aiseido Bldg, 1F
Tel. & Fax: 054-266-5085
Opening hours: 11:00~22:00
Closed on Sundays & National Holidays
Entirely non-smoking!

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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

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

sake, Sake Bar, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka City

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Eikun Brewery-Tokubetsu Junmai Hiyaoroshi (conducted at La Sommeliere in Shizuoka City)

October 15, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Another sake with a long name by Eikun Brewery!
Tokubetsu Junmai Hiyaoroshi (pasteurized only once) and also called “Aki Junmai/Autumn Junmai”!
It actually also a “genshu/no pure water added”!

Rice: Goyakumangoku (Fukui Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 16~17 degrees
Yeast: Shizuoka HD 101
Dryness: + 4
Acidity: 1.5
Bottled in September 2014

Clarity: very clear
Color: very faint golden hue
Aroma: fruity. pears, green apples
Body: fluid
Taste: soft, fruity and dry attack backed up by just a little junmai petillant.
Very pleasant alcohol.
Complex: coffee beans, dark chocolate.
Lingers on only for a little while.
Varies little with food but a slightly drier turn.

Overall: very elegant sake for such a high alcohol content. Actually the pleasant alcohol is very welcome.
Very complex with an unexpected difference between aroma and actual taste.
Superb on its own. To be enjoyed with very special food if you absolutely want to drink it at a repast.
Would well both as an aperitif and a digestif.
Try it with nuts, cheese or dark chocolate!

LA SOMMELIERE

420-0857 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Miyuki Cho, 7-5, Aiseido Bldg, 1F
Tel. & Fax: 054-266-5085
Opening hours: 11:00~22:00
Closed on Sundays & National Holidays
Entirely non-smoking!

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Kura, Shizuoka

Kura: Traditional Japanese Warehouse in Shizuoka Prefecture 23: Hon Tori, Shizuoka City!

October 3, 2014 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 urban/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.

thanks to the directions of my good friend, Atsuko Kurata, I found, atthe second attempt, this kura hidden along the Hon Tori Street in Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City!

It is easy to miss as it is tucked away from the pavement at the end of a new car park, indicating it was probably the warehouse of a company that ceased to function. in such cases the Japanese owners of such abandoned businesses transform the area available into a car park.
I also noticed another minuscule kura in the front left corner.

Can you distinguish the small white door on the left?

The whole kura is quite big, so it must have been a commerce of a certain worth in the past!

The front is still in pretty good repair, so it must be used as a shed by the owners in the house in the same enclosure.

but the roof needs to be weeded!

For a better view beside the owners’ house!

On the other hand , the back looked pretty decrepit!

Cement plastering flaking away…

The back door lock is crudely blocked with cement.

I’m afraid the owners are not ready to spend money on plastering!

How long is it going to survive?

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Crab, Shizuoka marine products, Spider Crab

Japanese Crab Species 3: Japanese Spider Crab/Takaashigani (expanded)

July 20, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Wikipedia definition:
The Japanese spider crab (高脚蟹 takaashigani, lit. “tall-footed crab”), Macrocheira kaempferi, is a species of marine crab that lives in the waters around Japan. It has the largest leg span of any arthropod, reaching up to 3.8 metres (12 ft) and weighing up to 19 kilograms (42 lb). It is the subject of small-scale fishery which has led to a few conservation measures.

Takaashigani/高足が二, literally meaning “Tall Legs Crab” is the largest crab in the and is caught almost only around Japan especially in the Suruga Bay In Shizuoka Prefecture and Izu Islands, but numbers of the crab have diminished over recent years, and there are many efforts to protect them. In Shizuoka Prefecture, people even help them grow from the eggs before returning them to the sea!

Fully grown it can reach a leg span of almost 4 m (13 ft), a body size of up to 37 cm (15 inches) and a weight of up to 20 kg (44 lb). The crab’s natural habitat is on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean (some 300 to 400 m deep) around Japan, where it feeds on dead animals and shellfish. It is believed to have a life expectancy of up to 100 years.

The Japanese spider crab has 10 legs. The front two legs have been adapted into claws. It has an orange body with white spots on its thin legs. In males, the limbs on which the claws are located become longer than its other limbs, and a large male can widen them to more than 3 m. The oval-shaped and vertically rounded shell can reach 30 cm in width and can be up to 40 cm long. The compound eyes are situated on the front, and two thorns stick out between them. Younger specimens feature hair and thorns on the shell, and their frontal horns are longer, but these gradually atrophy as the crab ages.

In Japan it is considered a delicacy and prices can easily jump!
The Japanese spider crab is caught using small trawling nets, and is often eaten salted and steamed.

Interestingly enough, when bolied/steamed, not only the shell but also the flesh turns red.

They do make for impressive sushi!

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Beer, Craft Beer, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Beer tasting: Baird Beer-Red Rose Amber Ale

July 19, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Due to increasing demand, Bryan Baird had to move his brewery from Numazu City to Shuzenji in Izu Peninsula recently, but on the other hand his beers are increasingly available in many stores in Shizuoka City!

“Red Rose Amber Ale” was named so because Bryan wanted to introduce the taste of red roses in this beer dark ale!

Product name: Baird Beer-Red Rose Amber Ale
Unfiltered
Ingredients: barley malt, barley, sugars, hops, yeast
Volume: 360 ml
Alcohol: 5.5%
Process: Unfiltered. Double fermentation for natural bubbles at low temperature. Live yeast

Clarity: Smoky but very clean (natural for unfiltered beer)
Color: Dark orange
Foam: Long head. Fine bubbles. Very light orange color
Aroma: Solid. Fruity. Oranges, citruses, bread
Taste: Dry, deep and fruity attack. Very refreshing.
Dry oranges, bread with hints of persimmon. Late appearance of apricots.
Varies little with food, except for deeper and drier oranges.
Lingers for a while in the palate before leaving with an even drier note.

Overall: Very refreshing, deep, solid, reliable and elegant craft beer.
Enjoyable in any season. Great with food.
Personally I enjoy it most on a hot evening on its own, lightly chilled, and try to savor it as slowly as possible (not easy!)!
Mind you, because of its strong orange taste, might be best enjoyed in winter in Shizuoka!

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Fashion, Heels, Shizuoka

Japanese Ladies fashion in Shizuoka 54: Summer Heels!

July 19, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

It does not matter if it is hot or not, Shizuoka ladies have some set minds when it comes to shoes and heels!

Whatever they wear, they tend to wear shoes with heels of varying height and styles!

When ladies are blessed with long legs they want to show as much of them as possible!

And summer does prevent them from overdressing if it can emphasize the perceived beauty of their legs!

When legs are of the average length, ladies will go to any other lengths to increase that very length!

The result is always of the wanted kind!

It is not always easy!

But some ladies are more proficient at the art!

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Beer, Beer Brewery, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Orache Wind Valley Beer-Limited Seasonal Pils

June 26, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Orache Wind Valley Beer-Limited Seasonal Pils

The other day I had the chance to find one of the very few seasonal craft beers produced by Orache Wind Valley beer in Kannami Cho, Tago Gun, Shizuoka Prefecture (between Mishima and Atami)!

Wind Valley/Kaze no Tani/風の谷 is actually the name of the place the brewery chose to establish itself!

Announced as an “Extravagant Pils”!

Product: Orache Brewery Limited Seasonal Pils
Draught/nama Beer, unfiltered
Ingredients: Barley Malt, barley, hops. Live yeast.
Contents: 360 ml

Clarity: Very clean if somewhat a bit smoky (normal as it is unfiltered)
Alcohol: 5.5 degrees
Color: Deep gold
Foam: Fine bubbles. Very long head
Aroma: Assertive. Fruity. Oranges, bread
Taste: Very deep refreshing attack.
　　　　Complex. Oranges, persimmons.
Lingers nicely on the palate.
Disappears on a drier note with subtle acidity and orange peels.
Changes little with food.

Overall: Very pleasant and elegant. Fruity and dry with great balance.
Insistently calls for the next sip.
Although great with food, eminently pleasurable on its own, especially on a hot afternoon/evening!

ORACHE WIND VALLEY BEER

Orache, originally a dairy products company was the first to produce organic microbeers in Japan!
It produces 4 regular brews and seasonal ones, too.
Tago Gun, Kannami Cho (south of Mishima City), Tanna, 349-1
〒419-0105　静岡県田方郡函南町丹那349-1
Tel.: 055-974-4192
Business hours: 09:00~17:30
HOMEPAGE (Japanese only)

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Fish, Fish Markets, Shizuoka City

Local Shizuoka Fish at Parche Fish Market in Shizuoka City! Bigfin Reef Squid & Mullet

June 17, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Due to work and trips away I hadn’t ad much time to check what local fish and seafood was available at the Parche market inside Shizuoka JR Station! A couple of weeks and a changing weather can make quite a difference!

Aoriika/あおりいか/Bigfin Reef squid at 238 ywn per 100g. Squid is never cheap, but this is expensive, even in Shizuoka!
Bora/ぼら/Mullet at 58 yen per 100g. Quite fish although their roe can easily fetch 20~30 times that price!
Mame aji/豆アジ/very young horse mackerel at 173 yen per 100 g. Not cheap either, but this is a seasonal delicacy!
All from the Suruga Bay!

Bora/ぼら/Mullet!

Mame aji/豆アジ/very young horse mackerel!

Aoriika/あおりいか/Bigfin Reef!

That was for the super fresh fish and seafood!
Let’s look at the other offerings!

Kuromutsu/黒むつ/Black gnomefish!

Kamasu/かます/Barracuda! Sorry for the fuzzy picture, I was banged into by another customer!

Urumeiwashi/うるめいわし/Round Herring!

Shindouika/シンドウイカ/Loliolus (Nipponololig) japonica Hoyle,1885! A Japanese squid variety!

Ebodai/えぼ鯛/Wart perch!

Shiromebaru/白メバル/White Japanese sea perch!

Tobiuo/とびうお/Flying fish!

Higetara/ひげたら/Snubnose brotula. A rare and succulent fish in japan! Still cheap in Shizuoka!

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Baird Beer, Beer, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Baird Beer-Kurofune Porter

June 8, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Summer has come and it is a god time to enjoy cool beer in late afternoons!

Today after having spent 4 hours non-stop on a bicycle and taken a bath I had this Kurofune Ported by Baurd Berr Berwery which has just moved its headquarters in Shuzenji, Izu Peninsula!

Product name: Baird Beer-Kurofune Porter
Unfiltered
Ingredients: malt, barley, sugars, hops, yeast
Volume: 360 ml
Alcohol: 6%
Process: Unfiltered. Double fermentation for natural bubbles. Live yeast

Clarity: Smoky but very clean
Color: Dark brown
Foam: Fairly long head. Fine bubbles. Milk coffee color
Aroma: Solid. Bread, caramel
Taste: Well rounded, deep and rich attack. very refreshing for a porter.
Lighter than expected.
Dry. Caramel, bread.
Pleasantly lingers on with a drier accent, more caramel and coffee beans.

Overall: A very satisfying brew, but quite elegant and light for a porter.
Chilled, it makes for a superlative summer or evening drink.
Although it marries well with food, one can best appreciate it on its own!

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Japanese Gastronomy, Moray eel, Shizuoka

Moray Eel at Shizuoka Parche Market!

June 3, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

I must say I found an unusual fish at the Parche Market inside Shizuoka JR Station today!
It is not much of a surprise for me, but it could be to some people!

Moray eels, also called “utsubo/ウツボ in Japanese!

I have seen some marooned on beaches. These were caught in Suruga Bay.
At 40 yen per 100 g, cheap!

Nice face, isn’t it?

The Japanese eat them raw as sashimi, deep-fried/karaage, stewed/nimono, sun-dried/himono, in soups or steamed in soy sauce!

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Manhole covers, Shizuoka

Manhole Covers in Shizuoka Prefecture 34: Along the Miho Beach, Shimizu ku, Shizuoka City!

June 2, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

I have already mentioned manhole cob\evrs in Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City.
This is a very large area indeed and it tends to mix all kinds of covers since it was merged with Shizuoka City.
But if like me yesterday you happened to cycle along the Miho Beach, especially along the parallel streets running through urban parts you will find them concentrated in large numbers!

I will describe them in the order I found them!
two together there!

A cover belonging to Shimizu City before it was merged!
This type is for river water collection.
There is another type with the same design!

Another Shimzsu City type with azaleas dating back before the merger!
Actually all do in that particular area!

Typical rectangular fire hydrant access cover!

An unusual double cover with the Miho beach design for rain water!

Those two different fire hydrant access covers are typical of Shimizu City!

The second type with the Miho Beach design for rain water!

A geometrical design sewer cover with the Shimizu City symbol in its center!

Another geometrical design for rain water collection!

Pressurized air access!

Another geometrical motif sewer cover!

Shimizu is soccer land!
A medium-sized orange valve access!

The same, smaller and blue!

A fairly complicated cover which could be opened in many ways!

The most famous fire Hhdrant cover in Shimizu with soccer players!

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Humor, Photography, Shizuoka

Weird Japan (48): English Disaster Drinks and Weird Hearts!

June 2, 2014 dragonlife 4 Comments

“When you have felt thirst
in your heart,
You are in need of an oasis for
quench your thirst.
Your heart are thirsting for
a good feeling of place”

English teachers, it is about time to warn your students about the dangers of Google Translation Services!

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sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Haginishiki Brewery-Surugayoi Junmai Homare Fuji Nama

May 21, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Haginishiki brewery in Shizuoka is another brewery experimenting with Shizuoka-grown Homare Fuji sake rice!

Surgayoi/駿河酔: “Suruga” stands for the name of the large bay off Shozuoka Prefecture and also for the old name of the eastern half of the Prefecture. “Yoi” means “enjoying your aske/getting drunk”!

Being a junmai nama means no pure rice alcohol was blended into it and that it was left unpasteurized.

Rice: 100% hHomare Fuji
Rice milled down to 60%
Dryness: +3
Acidity: 1.6
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled in March 2014

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Golden hue
Aroma: Dryish and fruity. Custard, banana.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Fruity attack backed up with a gentle junmai petillant.
Complex. Hard to catch. Pears, bananas.
Quickly disappears with hints of nuts and dry oranges.
Takes on a slightly drier turn with food but keeps to its original character.

Overall: A sake for all seasons.
Both solid and stolid and eminently reliable.
Obviously conceived for food, especially heavy izakaya fare.
A sake to take to a BBQ!

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Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka City, sushi

Sushi: Dinner at Sushi Ko in Shizuoka City (May 8th 2014)!

May 11, 2014 dragonlife 11 Comments

Service: Pro and very friendly
Facilities: Very clean. Excellent toilets
Prices: Reasonable to slightly expensive
Strong points: Great variety of seafood from Shizuoka Prefecture and the rest of Japan. Great list of sake and shochu

Last Thursday it had been almost 3 moths day for day that we hadn’t visited our favorite sushi restaurant in Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Aoba Park Street, namely sushi Ko/すし幸!

Thursday is a good day (early if you want a good seat at the counter!) because it is a day when newly arrived fish is on the menu!

A very typical Shizuoka o-toushi (first snack): sliced turbo shellfish/sazae/サザエ in wasabi!

Katsuo/鰹/Bonito is in season!
We usually ask it without its skin!

As we had come early, we had all our time, exspecially in the light that Chef Birukwa hadn’t come back from his break yet!
I took the opportunity to have a good look at another chef preparing an order for a group sitting on the tatami!

It is always great fun to observe the progress and the technique!

Raw shirasu/sardine whiting/生しらす, gaper clam/mirugai/ミル貝, seared spledid alfonsino/kinmedai aburi/金眼鯛炙り, mackerel/saba/鯖, horse mackerel/aji/鯵, tuna lean part/maguro akami/マグロ赤身, yellowtail/kanpachi/カンパ, salad gunkan/サラダ軍艦！

Dragon always asks for “pon kara maguro”/deep-fried tuna with onion slices and grated daikon seasoned with chilies!

squid/ika/烏賊 is also a great seafood found in the Suruga Bay!

It’s best savored in “somen style”/thin noodles style!

It is usually seasoned with grate fresh ginger and finely chopped scallions!

You dip them into “mentsuyu”/cold noodles stock soup!

Sole/Hirame/平目 nigiri!

Sweet shrimps/amaebi/甘エビ nigiri!

Chef Birukawa had finally come back and we could order a favorite not listed on the menu!

Sushi Millefeuille, Japanese style!

This time, as we asked for Japanese style”, it contained cucumber/kyuuri/胡瓜, yellowtail/kanpachi/環八, herring roe/kazunoko/数の子, and topped with finely chopped scallions and katsubushi/dried bomito shavings.
The mayonnaise around it also included ikura/イクラ/slmon roeO!

Another must fro Dragon: scallops gratin!

A sushi classic: negitoromaki/ネギトロ巻! roll containing grated tuna belly fish and finely chopped scallions!

Nigiri for vegans! Menegi/芽ネギ/scallion sprouts!

To finish another specialty of Chef Birukawa not listed on the menu!
Spicy scallops roll/pirikara hotate maki/ピリ辛帆立巻!

Inverted roll containing dry seaweed, scallops, flying fish roe, agekasu/cold deep-fried batter, wasabi and mayonnaise. The rolls are sprinkled with golden sesame seeds for the finishing touch!

With summer around the corner we will be looking forward to a different kind of seafood next time!

SUSHI KO
420-0032 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho, 2-3-1 (Aoba Park Street)
Tel.: 054-251-9701
Business Hours： 17:00~25:00. 17:00~23:00 （Sundays）
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations recommended
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE</strong> (in Japanese)
Smoking allowed. Private room can be arranged for non-smoking (4 people)

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sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Kanzawagawa Brewery-Shosetsu Honjozo Nama genshu

May 11, 2014 dragonlife Leave a comment

Kanzawagawa Brewery in Yui, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City, have been bottling their brews in his practical 300ml size for quite some time, which makes it easier for tasting on your own back home without having to consume a full bottle in a hurry!
At the same time it is to carry around. If you have the chance to find quite a few different at the same time, it becomes great fun tasting at a BBQ outdoors for example!

Rice milled down to 65%
Alcohol: 16~17 degrees (genshu, no pure water added)
Bottled in February 2014

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Almost transparent
Aroma: Assertive and fruity. Dry. Pears, custard
Body: Fluid
Taste: Very dry and fruity attack.
Pleasant alcohol (genshu). Complex.
Custard, chestnuts. late appearance of oranges with hints of milk coffee.
Lingers only for a short while before departing on a sweeter note.
Gets drier with food.
Does marry well with food without losing any of its character.
Will turn back onto a sweeter note away from food.

Overall: Very elegant and surprisingly complex for a honjozo, the more for it because it is a genshu as well
The kind of sake to impress guests at an open buffet party by serving it into transparent glassware without any warnings or information and invite them for a blind tasting challenge!

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