I digress. My first inroad to Shochu was sitting next to Beat Takeshi’s jollier brother in a neighborhood meats on sticks in my beloved Yanaka. You probably know the kind of place – names on bottles, bar seats and wide eyes at gaijins stepping in…

We have pubs like this in Manchester where I was born. So I’m immune.

Second digression. Get ready to turn your cultured noses up (again!!). I shared some Jinro with my new Yanki tomodachi..We shared no common language but booze can be a magical communication tool for a man. The international language of bar room grunting and nodding saved the day.

If we’d finished that bottle of Jinro then regardless we’d of been speaking fluently to each in ‘drunk-speak’. A language incomprehensible to sober folk.

Third digression. Jinro. Turn your noses up but apparently its the world’s biggest selling spirit! Fact.

Despite this and despite the low calorie thing and the clean organic thing me and Shochu have not managed to find common ground. Which is odd. I like Vodka, Rum, Whisky….so its more than odd, it’s irritating.

Yet more palate training.

To get to Shochu I will go via whisky. Specifically Japanese whisky. I entered via Yamazaki 10 yr and 12 yr old malt. And, reading more about Japanese whisky have just invested in a 12 yr old Hibiki. Both are made by Suntory..For refreshing times..make it Suntory time..hehe…

A funny joke. But these whiskies are nothing to laugh at. Hibiki’s 30yr old blended won the World Whisky award two years on a row! An unbelievable feat. And, I’m lead to believe that this whisky is no doppelganger. It is a distinctive Japanese whisky not ‘Scotch’ aged in plum wine casks.

My budget stretches to entry level 12..then there’s 18 and 21…..

Fourth digression. By honing my palate for Japanese whisky I hope to acclimatise for Shochu. That’s my strategy.

As a qualified Sake Sommelier ahem..I can tell you that the rather nice sake inserted into these chocolates suffers somewhat.

It is an ungodly liason.

Actually we’ve been back for over a week now but pulled into finding a new base.

The first thing I discovered is that our mail server was pointing nowhere – hence the lack of emails I received whilst in Japan. So, Ake..if you’re out there wondering if I snubbed you..its not my fault I’m just not that computer savvy.

We have one final trip to the UK then it’s back to Belgium, drop the pooch off in Utrecht then onto Dusseldorf – a curious layover before boarding at Schipol but it’s the nearest Nikko to us. We’re kicking off the trip there..eating a last meal over the road at the ramen shop…

We’ll be updating the blog throughout the trip. The first month we’ll be based in Tokyo so Vivian, Taku and Ake..we’ll see you there!

Then it’s off to Hokkaido, Akita, Niigata, Sado Island home of the Kodo Drummers and finally Nagano to savour masumi, onsen and the pristine slopes of the Japanese Alps!

Wish us ruck!

Mr Mikami was extremely helpful. He has arranged an introduction to the Sake Samurai and several Akita Breweries. Mr Mikami is from Hokkaido so he was very pleased to hear we will be visiting a brewery in his home town.

He asked us to keep him informed so I guess he’ll be a regular viewer of this here blog which is set to blow once we’re on the road.

YO! Sushi interview most likely to be scheduled for later in the New Year.

This is great news. By talking to sake retailers we get another part of the jigsaw puzzle and another chapter in the story of sake.

Of course, now I’m about to leave the UK so I’ll have to come back again.

Boing.

Belgium beer is some of the best brew in the world. We’ve brought him a gift of hand picked crate of several beers made in the city of Bruges where we have our offices.

Contrary to the endless comparisons between wine and sake, beer and sake are brewed much the same way.

The breweries in Bruges are as ancient as the sake breweries.

Not an amazingly interesting post. So here’s a pic of two of my favorite sauces!

I applied for permission to have the Yo Sushi logo in shot. And asked Yo Sushi Marketing manager My Ly if they could say a few words about the sake they serve with their sushi.

Confusingly they wrote back:

“As your documentary is focused on sake and not on Japanese food, this would not be the right area of expertise for us to be interviewed on.

We also do not have a YO! Sushi restaurant in Chafford Hundred, Essex.”

Here is the link to the non-existent YO! Sushi:

http://www.yosushi.com/restaurants/essex-lakeside

But this is interesting. YOU Sushi peddle tonnes of Japanese food to everyday Joe Publics throughout the UK and yet seem to dismiss the importance of sake as an accompaniment to sushi.

Anyone who enjoys good sushi will know that sake is the natural choice as an accompanying beverage above and beyond beer or tea..or coke.

Well, I think I’ll just have to try and beg Wagamama for an interview.