Pairing Kobe Beef With Sake From Japan’s Largest Brewing Region!

Sep 11, 2023 | News On Japan

Sep 11, 2023 (Japan by Food) - Kobe is a culinary city known (and loved) for its premium namesake beef and sake. But this didn’t happen overnight–there was a 1200-year period in Japan during which the Emperor of Japan banned the consumption of meat.

This restriction ended in the Meiji period in the late 1800’s when the country opened up to foreign traders and Western influence. Shizuka takes us on a multi-sensory journey through the charming city of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture.

Shizuka begins her premium beef quest at the Kobe City Wholesale Western Market, the processing plant for Kobe beef and the site of the famed cattle auctions. Our cheerful host sanitary suits-up and heads inside the auction quarters, where she marvels at a Kobe beef auction and quizzes one of the auctioneers on the process.

The next stop on this culinary tour of Kobe is Nada, one of Japan’s top sake-producing regions! Shizuka arrives at Nadagogo-sakedokoro, a brewery turned community gathering place to sip on and appreciate the region's famed sake. Shizuka toasts to the gods and slings back some nihonshu (sake) with the Nadagogo operator. He presents her with a flight of the finest before they continue to tour the facilities.

With her spirit fuelled by sake, Shizuka ventures to Arima Onsen–a hot spring town in the mountains of Kobe with a history dating back over a 1,000 years. Here, Kobe’s superstars combine for a Kobe beef and sake pairing at Gekkoen Hot Spring Hotel. Shizuka marvels at the spacious room ahead of her evening meal. With a click of Shizuka’s fingers, a grand multi-course feast appears, starring Kobe beef and accompanied by premium sake, of course.

Typhoon No. 25 Threatens Kanto and Izu Islands

Large Typhoon No. 25 was moving northwest over waters south of Japan at 3 p.m. on September 19 and is forecast to strengthen as it approaches Kanto and the Izu Islands from September 20 through September 21, bringing the risk of torrential rain, violent winds and further damage in areas still recovering from last year's typhoon.

Bear Sighting Raises Alarm at Popular Tokyo Hiking Spot

A black bear has been spotted near one of the most popular hiking trails on Mount Takao in western Tokyo, prompting authorities to urge visitors to take precautions ahead of the five-day Silver Week holiday and the approaching autumn foliage season.

Starbucks Considers Selling Majority Stake in Japan Business

Starbucks is considering selling a majority stake in its Japanese business, potentially valued at as much as $3 billion, or about 470 billion yen, as the U.S. coffee chain seeks to concentrate management resources on its struggling North American operations.

Halloween Jumbo Lottery Goes on Sale With 400 Million Yen Top Prize

Japan's Halloween Jumbo Lottery went on sale nationwide on September 16, offering a combined top payout of 400 million yen for the first prize and its adjacent-number prizes.

Shinkansen Introduces New Luxury Private Compartment

A new top-tier "Supreme Class" offering fully private compartments above the level of Green Car service will debut on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen on October 1, with passengers able to experience the new seating at a demonstration booth at Shin-Osaka Station.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Food NEWS

Tokyo Chinese Restaurant Keeps Woks Flying After 62 Years

For more than six decades, Sanyuken Fukasawa Branch in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward has served generations of customers with familiar Chinese dishes, as its 72-year-old second-generation owner and his wife continue to run the 14-seat neighborhood restaurant largely by themselves.

AI Mushroom Misidentification Leads to Food Poisoning

Authorities are warning people not to rely on artificial intelligence, guidebooks or internet searches to decide whether wild mushrooms are safe to eat after food poisoning cases involving toxic species, including one in which AI mistakenly identified a poisonous mushroom as edible.

Tokyo Prison Revamps Meals as One in Four Inmates Is Foreign

Tokyo's Fuchu Prison is adapting its meals and living arrangements to a growing foreign inmate population, with about one in four prisoners coming from overseas and staff balancing religious, cultural and dietary needs against tight budgets and the demands of running one of Japan's largest prisons.

Curry Rice Price Falls Below 350 Yen

The cost of making a serving of curry rice at home in Japan fell below 350 yen in July for the first time in 11 months, helped by declining rice prices, according to Teikoku Databank.

Grape Picking Reaches Peak Season in Osaka's Kashiwara

Grape-picking season has reached its peak at tourist farms in Kashiwara, Osaka Prefecture, where hot weather from spring through summer has produced particularly sweet, richly flavored fruit this year, although prolonged rain has reduced visitor numbers and could shorten the season.

Kasumi Crab Sells for 300,000 Yen at Season's First Auction

The autumn red snow crab season has opened on the Sea of Japan coast, with the first auction at Kasumi Fishing Port in Kami, Hyogo Prefecture, recording a top price of 300,000 yen for a single crab on September 4.

Japan to Conduct First Nationwide Survey of Animal Cafes

Japan's Environment Ministry will conduct its first survey of animal cafes, where customers can interact with animals including exotic species, as concerns grow over infection risks, injuries and the welfare burden placed on animals.

3 Tokyo Michelin-Listed Meals (Under $10!)

Japan byFood and Shizuka are back with Worth The Trip the series where we will discover food spots in Japan that are actually worth traveling for! This time we are going to award-winning eats around Tokyo under one rule – we can only eat for $10 or around ¥1,600 yen.

< 2 3 4 5 >