Kanpai! in Kobe and Nara

Nihonshu in Kobe

Japan doesn't really have bars or pubs like we do in the UK. There are some, typically run by and aimed the British, Irish and Australians, but in the main, the bars are small - sometimes tiny.

It can be a worrying thing going in, because you generally can't see inside, so you never know what you're walking in to. Will it be empty? Will it be filled with those austere looking black suited businessmen, who clearly don't want you bulky foreigners taking up the tiny space there is? Will there be a grumpy bartender, who will pretend he doesn't understand what you are asking for?

Nihonshu in Kobe

All of those things can be pretty off-putting, but you shouldn't let that stop you, because if you go in and that is what you get, you can always leave, but if you don't go in at all, you are likely to miss out on some great evenings.

We were nervous about walking in, and I must admit we favoured places where we could get a hint of what might be hiding behind the curtain. But we were glad we did, as we almost invariably found people welcoming and friendly, and we had some lovely experiences.



Shochu in Kobe

In Kobe, we wandered around the town for a while before deciding on a place down a back street that had lots of brightly labelled shochu bottles in the window, and a warm looking light coming from inside.



Nihonshu in Kobe

When we got inside, we realised it was bigger that we'd thought, with a section out the back which soon filled up. But for now, it was just us, and we were welcomed by a lovely man who took great delight that we sat at the bar and wanted to try different types of nihonshu (sake).




Nihonshu in Nara

He spoke just enough English to describe the various types that he had, he listened to what we said we liked, and he helped us work our way through a good number of very individual, and very enjoyable nihonshu. We tended to order different ones, and taste each other's to increase the number we could try, and he added to that by regularly throwing in extra free tasters too.

Nihonshu in Nara

Not only did we get free drinks, we also ended up with free food. Two women had come and sat at the bar and started ordering a number of small dishes. they spoke to the barmen, and the next thing we knew, we were getting tasters of each thing winging its way to us too. They seemed to like the idea of us trying the drinks, and wanted us to try the foods too. We had a lovely evening.


Nihonshu in Nara

In Nara, we tried out a few bars. The first was a small standing bar that had been recommended in various guides, but we found difficult to find. In the end, two very nice ladies helped us out. They couldn't direct us, so they actually walked us to the bar, which was about ten minutes away.

Nihonshu in Nara

Once inside, we slightly got the impression that the owner was maybe slightly fed up with foreigners coming in and not really caring about the drink. However when, instead of just asking for sake, we asked for particular types of nihonshu, he perked up and was quite friendly.

Nihonshu in Nara

Shortly afterwards, a guy from the USA came in, knowing nothing about them, and he reverted to being unhelpful and his English ability seemed to decline. We got to talking with the newcomer, and I gave him a brief explanation of the different types and what they were called etc. when I finished, the barman, and the two Japanese customers at the bar, all gave me a round of applause. Things lightened up again after that, and it was clear that a little effort to know about the drink goes a very long way.




Nihonshu in Nara

In another Nara bar, the lady serving us was equally happy that we knew about the nihonshu, and drew us a little penguin picture. In a third place, which was more of a shop with some seats, we were sat outside, but I went inside to order the drinks each time from a lady who was friendly, but spoke no English at all. We managed OK though, and with my few words and names of types and her willingness to help, we got some lovely nihonshu, with a Junmai Daiginjo that I especially liked.

Nihonshu in Nara

During my efforts at ordering, I had been watched by a Japanese couple inside, who were clearly amused, but seemed also to like the fact that I was trying and knew what I wanted. We exchanged a few grins. Then while we were outside, the couple left. As they did so, he handed me a bag, smiled, and was gone. When I looked in the bag there was a full bottle of the Junmai Daiginjo that I had been drinking. How nice is that!



Our gift

These were far from our only great experiences here, but they are a few that particularly stuck in our minds, and made us glad that we both took the chance to walk in a place, and had bothered to find out a bit about the nihonshu first.

Oh, and if you are wondering about the title, Kanpai means Cheers!

Sake and shochu

I know that this is a travel blog, but it is also our journal, and given how much of it we drank while we were in Japan, I don't think that I could not write a post about sake and shochu.

We had a brief introduction to sake when we were in Vancouver (this blog will get there in the Throwback posts soon), but like most people we knew very little about it. And we knew nothing at all about shochu.

The name sake is itself a bit of an error, as sake just means alcohol. Everyone knows that it is generally used to refer to the Japanese rice wine, but if we want to be correct, we should refer to it as nihonshu. Doing so is almost guaranteed to get you a broad smile from your Japanese bartender.

The other thing bound to get you a smile - and quite possibly a free drink or two - is knowing a bit about the different types. I guess so many of us foreigners just come in and ask for sake, that they find it quite refreshing if you've bothered to learn a bit about it and know the names to ask for.

Nihonshu is made by fermenting rice that has first been polished to remove the outer part. The more the grain is polished, the more starch is removed, and the purer- and more expensive - the resulting drink is. The top level, with at least fifty per cent of the grain polished away, is Daiginjo;the next, with forty percent gone, is Ginjo, and then the more basic, with just thirty percent discarded, is often just cared nihonshu, or honjozo.

Then there is a question of whether they add any distilled (or brewers) alcohol during the process. This can be a good thing, and we had some very nice ones where it was included, but often, it is added to lower quality wines to pack it out, so generally it is not as sought after. If the wine is pure, with no added alcohol, the description will include the word Junmai.

Of course, being me, I liked the most expensive one best, the Junmai Daiginjo. Nic however, took quite a liking to the Nigorizake, which is cloudy, because they do not filter out all of the rice sediment.

Then there is Namazake, which is unpasteurized, so has a very short shelf life and must be kept in the fridge, and Tamazake, which has been aged in wood, so has a stronger, smokier flavour.

It can be sweeter (amazake) or dry, it can be light and fresh, or aged and full bodied, and it can be served cold or hot. The style of the drink varies depending on where in Japan it was made, and even on the season that it is intended to be drunk during.

Connoisseurs will tell you that there are only certain types to drink, but in reality, like most drinks, it is just a question of what you personally prefer. We enjoyed trying as many as possible.

Then there is shock.  In a Japanese bar, the nihonshu will normally be in the fridge, so when you see all of the bottles lined up the shelf, they are usually shochu. And in Japan, shochu is just as, if not more, popular than nihonshu.

Shochu is a distilled spirit, usually only about 25% strength, that can be made from a variety of products. Some of the most popular are rice, barley and sweet potato, but we tried one made from brown sugar, and there are a number of other varieties.

It can be drunk neat, with ice, with water, or it can be the base of a pretty good cocktail. If you're in Japan, give it a go.