Drink "Sho-Chu" in Japan

You know what "Sake" is. The Japanese rice-based liquor is now quite popular among Americans. However, almost no American knows Sho-Chu. It tastes like gin or vodka. It can be distilled from anything that contains carbohydrates. In Japan, most Sho-Chus are brewed of potato, rice, or buckwheat. The source of alcohol does not matter much because it is a distilled alcohol, although the difference creates a subtle difference in the aroma.

Good Sho-Chu is produced only in the southern Kyushu area. Premium brands from there, such as "Maou" and "Mori-izou," are now hard to obtain in Tokyo. Some great Sho-chus have a caramel-like color because they are kept in oak barrels for several years, like whiskey. You can enjoy them on the rock. If you can't afford expensive ones, you still can enjoy affordable ones like "Shiranami," "Iichiko," and "Hakutake." They can be enjoyed on the rock, or diluted in warm water. Some people put Umeboshi (dried plum) in it.

(left) The most prestigious Sho-Chu: Hyaku-nen no Kodoku. It wasn't so precious when I got this bottle several years ago... but now it is almost impossible to obtain it because drinking Sho-Chu become a fad in the last few years...

Izakaya story

You can find authentic Japanese foods in Izakaya. It's really easy to find one anywhere nearby train stations in metropolitan areas. Popular franchise brands such as "Shiroki-Ya," "Tsubo-Hachi" and "Tengu" Tecan be found anywhere in Tokyo. These restaurants offer really cheap but still acceptable dishes, including assorted sashimi "Moriawase". Some people explain Izakaya as Japanese version of "tapas." We usually order two or three small dishes per person, and share them amoung us. Your friends may not recommend these cheap-eats for gaijin-san (foreigners), but you must try it at least once if you will stay in Japan for more than a week. There are many neighborhood-based, low-key Izakayas, but I do not recommend you to try one of those because they tend to have their own rituals. You can still try any of them if you dare, but the rule of the thumb is not to venture into an Izakaya with no client inside. That's a clear sign of bad foods.

Most Japanese people order roasted fish like Hokke. It's our daily cuisine and you should definitely try it if you want to know our real life. It may be a little too salty for those who are not used to Japanese foods. You can't miss Yakitori, which is skewered pieces of sauteed chicken. It's something like "Saty" in Indonesia. Yakitori comes from many different parts of a chicken, so you have to order by naming a part of chicken. Negima is a mix of chicken breast and leeks, and it's the most popular and standard. Tsukune is a minced chicken meat that tastes like a burger. My favorite is Torikawa (skin). You might want to try Hatsu (heart) or Nan-kotsu (cartilage). All of those parts taste good!

Izakaya is something like a pub for us, but we also fill our stomach here. However, we never regard them as restaurants. Why? Because no one leaves an Izakaya sober!

(right) A picture of Nakasu District in Fukuoka. It is well-known for a red district.